Bus, coach, minibus, or minivan: What do I really need?

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

In Spain there is no official nomenclature for all the different types of buses, and in many cases, without realizing it, you can get confused about what type of vehicle you need for your group transport. In other cases you may come to the moment of departure only to face the unpleasant surprise of finding an automobile that has nothing to do with what you were originally looking for.

That’s why we think it’s important to define correct, standard industry-wide names.  This would reduce the number of misunderstandings between travel agencies and bus (or coach, microbus, minibus, etc.) rental companies.

Since we have to start somewhere, let’s go ahead and describe each type of vehicle that you can find on our website along with its correct name.

Bus, Coach

Coaches

(also called buses) are vehicles between 12 and 14 meters long (39 to 46 feet), with a capacity for 55 to 65 passengers.  This category also includes double-deckers, though these are less common and definitely less comfortable.  Coaches are divided into various types, described below:

Executive Coach:

These are more comfortable due to increased legroom.  The disadvantage of this type of vehicle is that it has less capacity; they generally have about 42 seats or less.

VIP Coach:

As the name implies, these are buses that have a high level of luxury.  They have a much lower capacity and usually don’t have more than 30 seats.  The advantage is that it has reclinable seats (similar to the ones in airplanes) and a lot of space so that the users can stretch their legs.  Sometimes they may have stewardesses serving drinks and some snacks.  The chauffeur normally speaks at least one additional language, generally English.

There are other types of coaches, such as coaches specially adapted to be accessible to people with reduced mobility; open top coaches are great for cities with very hot weather, not to be confused with panoramic buses, which have removable roofs and include audio guides.