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Established for over 96 years, Whittles Coaches is a small coach operator based in Kidderminster, specialising in coach hire, holidays and day trips. We pride ourselves on offering excellent value for money and have a reputation for high quality coach travel – with a smile!

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The latest news from Whittles Coaches

New Vehicle Investment for 2022!

New Vehicle Investment for 2022!

This month (June 2022) saw new fleet investment for Whittles Coaches! We are pleased to welcome our Brand New Yutong Mid Sized vehicle to the fleet, with 37 seats but soon to be 34 with added toilet! The vehicle offers leather seats throughout plus USB charging points. Perfect for any coach hire needs! Get in touch to hire this coach for your next tour, day out or event!

 

Plus, we are pleased to additionally welcome a 49 seat Executive Plaxton Coach to our fleet.

 

Head to our Facebook page to see some fantastic photos of these two new additions!

 

Good News for Coach Travel from 19th July!

Good News for Coach Travel from 19th July!

Some good news at last!  We were extremely pleased to hear the latest announcement from the government (on Monday 5th July) regarding the lifting of restrictions in England. The announcement has been welcomed by all in the travel and tourism industry who have been eagerly awaiting to recommence their programmes at full capacity after over a year of uncertainty and restrictions. 

 

Following the successful rollout of the vaccine programme, we’ve all adhered to social distancing regulations and followed the ‘Hands, Face, Space’ rule, as well as many other restrictions that have been in place for our safety. We are now very pleased indeed to announce that in line with government guidance, from Monday 19th July we will at last be able to see your happy, smiley faces enjoying our holidays once again with no restrictions in place. 

 

Good hygiene practice will remain in place. We will of course still operate robust procedures to ensure your safety and to enhance your confidence to travel. We kindly ask that you maintain good hygiene with hands washing and the use of anti-bacterial gel. We also ask you to make your own informed decision when it comes to wearing your mask on board our coaches - we want everyone to remain safe, and happy!

 

This is in addition to the good news from last month when we announced that we can now seat passengers on every forward-facing seat on our coaches. That change followed a risk-based case for the use of every forward-facing seat on coaches that was published by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). CPT’s document highlighted measures that our industry has taken to mitigate virus transmission on coaches. It also noted that aeroplanes and trains that have operated for some time now with no mandated social distancing have experienced almost no evidence of increased transmission risk.

 

Remember that we have had considerable mitigation procedures in place for some time now and are pleased that some of these can now be relaxed. We want to ensure that you fully enjoy your holiday with us so please read on.

 

Speak to a member of our staff about our updated Safe Operating Procedures for coach travel, be that for coach hire, holidays or excursions with Whittles Coaches

 

 

COVID-19 Tier Restrictions

COVID-19 Tier Restrictions

Following the latest Government announcement that Worcestershire is to enter ‘Tier 2’ from Thursday 3rd December we pleased to announce all departures that are due to depart to other Tier 2 areas are still able to go ahead. Unfortunately, we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel departures to Tier 3 areas up until Tuesday 15th December 2020. Departures from 16th December will be reviewed once an update is announced by the Government on 15th December.

 

What if I have a Holiday or Day Excursion booked but i am in a Tier 3 area?

We are in the process of contacting all passengers affected. If your holiday/Day Excursion has been affected by COVID-19 and new the Tier guidance published by the government we shall give you priority to transfer your monies paid to another to Holiday/Day Excursion free of charge.

 

What about Christmas Holidays?

The government have announced that the Tier restrictions are to be reviewed on Tuesday 15th December, we are working with our trusted and compliant hotel and attraction suppliers to arrange a plan for our Christmas departures. We will advise passengers with bookings during the Christmas period after 15th December.

 

Private Coach Hire - Plan and Enquire for 2021!

Our Coach Hire department are on hand to help organise any aspect of your booking for 2021. We will work closely with you to provide answers to any questions regarding COVID-19 procedures and beyond. We have had some recent success in acquiring new contracts to get our coaches back on the road again! From rail replacements to home to school transport and staff commute services. If you would like to receieve a quick, no obligation quote just call our team on 01562 820002.

 

We thank you for your patience and on-going support during this uncertain time. We’d like to take this moment to thank you, wish you well and remind you of our recently launched Summer 2021 Holidays programme which is out now with many trips to look forward to in 2021! We look forward to welcoming you on-board soon!

 

Kind Regards,

The Whittles Team

COVID-19 - National Lockdown in November

COVID-19 - National Lockdown in November

Covid-19 Update

 

Following the government announcement of the second national lockdown on Saturday 31st October 2020, and as the safety of our customers and staff remains our top priority, we are cancelling all holiday and day trip departures from Thursday 5th November up until Wednesday 2nd December 2020. Our team are contacting all customers who are affected; prioritising by departure date. Our offices will also be closed to visitors from Thursday 5th November until further notice, for booking or enquiries please call 01562 820002 or email info@whittlecoach.co.uk

 

We’d like to remind our holiday customers that your money is protected by Bonded Coach Holidays (BCH), a government approved financial protection scheme for consumers of package coach holidays. All Whittles holidays are covered by the BCH scheme as standard.

 

We have been working hard on our BRAND NEW 2021 Holiday brochure which will soon be with you and give you something to look forward to, but in the meantime you can find our Holiday and Day Excursion departures here on our website.

 

Thank you for your patience and support

Holiday Alternatives!

Holiday Alternatives!

We were saddened to hear last week of the news that the Telford based coach hire and holidays operator, Elcocks Reisen were to go into Administration this week.

 

Our commiserations and best wishes go out to all their staff and customers - the company was very long established and highly respected. Their holiday customers will feel reassured that the company were bonded through BCH/ABTOT.  This is the leading coach industry scheme that provides financial protection for customers in the event of a company’s failure, much in the same way that ABTA provides for mainstream overseas holiday package companies.

 

Here at Whittles and our sister company Johnsons, we have the same holiday protection in place, therefore, for disappointed Elcocks customers who are looking for a replacement coach holiday, please just request our brochures, either by emailing info@whittlecoach.co.uk or by calling us at our offices. 

 

Both Johnsons and Whittles have a wide variety of holidays, excursions and show trips on offer and pick ups can be made in the Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Telford areas. 

COVID-19 Update - Three Tier Approach

COVID-19 Update - Three Tier Approach

The latest changes to regulations in England were announced by the Prime Minister yesterday (12th October 2020) in regards to new measures the government are taking to tackle the impact of COVID-19. We want to reassure you, our loyal customers, that we are still good to go! We are following our recently updated Safe Operating Procedures and COVID-19 Risk Assessment. As well as advice from the Government's announcements and updates from the CPT and CTA to ensure your safety, and enjoyment on all of our holidays, day excursions, bus services and coach hire. 

 

Three Tier Approach - How does it affect my booking?

Tier 1 (Medium Risk) Residents in areas categorised as Tier 1 are still able to travel outside their area to other Tier 1 or 2 areas, this will still allow your coach trips/holidays to continue. Tier 2 (High Risk) The same guidance applies as Tier 1, residents in Tier 1 or 2 areas are allowed to travel to other Tier 1 or 2 areas as long as you are following social distancing regulations. Tier 3 (Very High Risk) all holidays, day excursions and coach hire to this location (currently Liverpool) have unfortunately had to be cancelled as it is advised, by the Government, that although travelling through these areas is permitted, journeys should not involve any stops. 

 

Holidays - We're Good to Go for Tier 1 and 2! 

Even with these latest announcements... we are still good to go! We know there has been some uncertainty surrounding travelling to areas in local lockdowns, or now known as Tier 2 areas. We want to remind you that there are so many fantastic places to discover with Whittles, as you know our holidays include beautiful destinations, inspiring attractions, all with hard-working staff and excellent COVID-19 Risk Assessments in place to ensure your safety and enjoyment. To provide you with even more reassurance we introduced our 'Flexible Booking Policy' and COVID-19 Assurance' back in August and we want to remind you that if you have to miss your holiday due to having symptoms or being required to self-isolate, then your holiday will be fully refunded, less an admin charge of £50pp (this excludes travel insurance). Additionally, you may transfer your deposit to another holiday completely free of charge at any time before the final payment date is due, please contact our friendly Reservations team for more information on 01562 820002 or email info@whittlecoach.co.uk . 

 

Day Excursions - Let's support UK tourism! 

We know that many of you are very keen to get back to 'normal' and start visiting your favourite places again and we are delighted to have so many attractions for you to choose from right up until March 2021! We are so happy to be supporting UK tourism and we thank you for all your excitement and enjoyment on our day excursions. Of course, we have our Safe Operating Procedures in place to ensure your safety and enjoyment on all of our day excursions as well as reduced passenger numbers for socially distanced seating aboard our fantastic coaches.

 

Coach Hire - Let's get back on the road again! 

We understand that these are uncertain times and we want to let you know that we are here to help! We want to reassure you that you can book your next coach hire in confidence. Be that an employee shuttle transport service or a one-off coach hire. We want to work closely with our customers to ensure everyone's safety. We have our Safe Operating Procedures in place for group organisers and passengers which illustrates our extensive cleaning regimes and on-board social distancing to provide you with reassurance, please contact us for more information. To get a quote click here or call us on 01562 820002.

 

Finally...

Thank you for your continued support and loyalty. We have been operating for over 94 years and it gives us great joy to see so many of you supporting us as a local business, UK tourism as a whole and the hospitality sector in this uncertain time. We continue to offer a great programme of holidays and day excursions, as well as a high-quality coach hire service. Rest assured, we'll look after you and we look forward to welcoming you back on board soon.

Rule of 6 Government Update

Rule of 6 Government Update

Safe and Legal Travel - Within 'The Rule of Six'!

 

We are writing to reassure our customers that the Government’s announcement about social gatherings being limited to six people, does NOT affect any coach hires, day trips and holidays you have booked with us.

 

There are exemptions that cover what businesses such as ours are allowed to safely and legally offer compared with informal and private events. Here is the important distinction from the guidance that applies to coach trips and group visits:

  • Businesses and venues following COVID-19 Secure guidelines can host larger groups.

  • Premises or locations which are COVID-19 Secure will be able to hold more than 30 people, subject to their own capacity limits, although any individual groups should not interact with anyone outside of the group they are attending with.

 

In other words, group events are permitted when professionally organised by businesses who have made risk assessments and put in place good practices for COVID safety. When booking our holidays and day trips, you are seated in your own bubbles socially distanced from other passengers. For example, a single traveller will occupy a double seat and be asked to sit near the window. A couple or those in their family bubbles can sit together but will be socially distanced from other passengers. Coach hire organisers are being asked to do the same with their groups.

 

We are also asking for all passengers to wear a face covering (unless medically exempt) and we are encouraging hand washing and sanitising at all stops. We have robust COVID secure risk assessments and Safe Operating Procedures in place,and there are risk assessments in place for all the hotels and venues we are using too.

 

We hope this provides reassurance and helps you to understand the distinction between what is legally permitted privately and what is permitted within a business setting.

 

Thanks and best wishes from the Whittles team.

 

Whittles COVID:19 Update

Whittles COVID:19 Update

Whittles Coaches COVID:19 Update

 

It has been wonderful seeing so many of your friendly faces as we recommenced our Express Excursions over the past month. We want to reassure all of our customers that we are very much open for business with our holidays recommencing in September and over 25 holidays departing over the next few months, as well as a packed Christmas Tour programme.

 

We also have a number of Express Excursions departing to customer favourites including Poole, Derby, Bridlington and Sidmouth to name a few over the next couple of months. Booking figures for 2021 are looking great and we look forward to thriving in 2021. We cannot wait to welcome you back on board once again.

 

This has been a difficult time for everyone, including the travel and tourism industry included - but we do want to reassure you all that we are good to go!

 

  • You can view our latest departure list featuring our holidays and day excursions here

  • To view all of our latest Holidays click here

  • To view all of our latest Day Excursions click here

  • To book your next coach hire click here

 

Whittles New Departure List

Whittles New Departure List

COVID:19 UPDATE: COACH HIRE, EXCURSIONS AND HOLIDAYS ARE GOOD TO GO!

 

We are really pleased with our recent achievement of the Visit Britain’s ‘Good to Go’ Status. We have recently launched our Safe Operating Procedure and COVID:19 Risk Assessment to help provide you with reassurance and confidence to travel. As we all start to see some light at the end of the tunnel, here’s update on all three of our main operating sections.

 

COACH HIRE – WE’RE GOOD TO GO!

We are indeed, everything is in place and we’re keen to get going! We’re receiving plenty of enquiries and bookings for next year and we’re also starting to take bookings again for later this year.  Although we are still limited, by government regulations, to provide for groups of no more than 30, we do have vehicle capacity to hand and our drivers are itching to get back to work! So if you need a coach for anything for small groups or large and for any reason, be it business, education or leisure, then please give us a call or request a quote by

clicking here.

 

DAY EXCURSIONS – WE’RE VERY MUCH GOOD TO GO!

We are delighted to advise that we are re-starting our popular excursions programme on Saturday 1st August. These are our Express Excursions which are on a ‘park & ride’ basis from our depot– where you can park in our car park all day, hop on board, with of course all our social distancing and precautions in place, and enjoy a great day out, to places like Llandudno, Blackpool, Liverpool, Barry Island and London to name a few.  Each trip is £24 per person and we apologise for the fact that we’ve had to increase the prices of these, but it is due to the fact that we can operate them with reduced capacity on board and ensure absolute cleansing and santisation. You can book your next express excursion by clicking here.

 

HOLIDAYS – WE’RE GOOD TO GO – VERY SOON!

With holidays, the process of re-starting is of course more involved, as we’ve had to go through the process of receiving and checking each hotel’s risk assessment and also those of the attractions included, to ensure that their procedures, as well as ours, provide for complete safety for our passengers and staff, as well as between us all, making sure that the holiday is fully enjoyable.  However, we are again, delighted to announce that we intend to re-start our holiday programme from September onwards. We’ve also just released the brand new list of our holiday programme, from September this year right through to Christmas next year! To read a copy of this departure list call our team on 01562 820002.

 

AND FINALLY – WE’RE….I think you’ve got the message now! Thank you for your support through all this. We wish you well – stay safe, stay positive and we look forward to seeing you soon. 

 

Best Wishes from The Whittles Team

Whittles Excursions Return!

Whittles Excursions Return!

It was good news today (Tuesday 23rd June) that the government are now allowing hotels, pubs and restaurants to open on the 4th July.  This is a great step forward for us all and we’re excited about welcoming customers back on board!  With excursions, we’ll be looking to operate as many of our excursions as possible, plus some extra specials from early July onwards.  But we do need to ensure the safety of our customers and staff so that customers have the confidence to travel again.  So here you can click on our our Safe Operation Procedure (SOP) for day excursions, which are based on the government guidelines released today. Our revised excursion programme will be advertised  here on our site in the near future and we look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Covid: 19 - Safe Operating Procedures for Excursion Customers.

 

The government have today, (Tuesday 23rd June) issued new guidelines that allow us to re-start our excursions programme, albeit with precautions and limited passenger numbers on board.  We want to ensure that while Covid 19 restrictions are in place you are still able to fully enjoy your day out with us. 

 

Throughout this pandemic period, and in this transition as we return to normal operation, it is very important that we all follow some simple guidelines to protect our staff, our passengers and anyone else that we may come into contact with as we carry out our excursions.

 

We are committed to proactively reducing the spread of any disease and maintain the health of our staff and passengers.  As such please ensure you and your fellow passengers follow this guide to help maintain the hygiene levels that we currently have in place to reduce the spread of any disease.

 

 

Coach Cleaning: Our current enhanced cleaning procedure includes cleaning of all floors and seats, cleaning of all glass surfaces, mopping with disinfectant of all floor surfaces, disinfectant wiping of dash areas, driver controls and handles. It also includes cleaning all handrails, hand grabs, seat belt buckles, armrests and floors. It also includes vehicle anti-viral fogging on a weekly basis. 

 

How do I protect myself and my fellow passengers?

 

The following procedures comply with World Health Organisation guidelines and with the latest government guidelines as updated on Tuesday 23rd June 2020. The transmission of Coronavirus is primarily through people touching surfaces contaminated by the virus and then transferring that contamination to their mouth, eyes or nose. There is also a possibility of breathing in droplets expelled by another person when in close face to face contact.

 

The primary concern on board coaches is that of social distancing; passengers should keep their distance please from people outside their household, and we recognise that this is not always possible.  The key thing is not to be too close to people for more than a short amount of time. When around another person the biggest risk of infection is people in close ‘face to face’ positions.

 

We can provide assurance and mitigation of these concerns; our normal front facing seating arrangements avoids ‘face to face’ proximity and the physical barrier of the high backed seats, plus the use of face coverings or masks will all help to ensure maximum mitigation of the dangers and maximum safety.

 

1. When you arrive at our premises, you will be directed by our staff where to park.  They will be wearing face coverings.  Our toilet facilities will be available; please wash your hands of course - and maintain 2 metre social distancing whenever possible while using the facilities and while waiting to board.

 

2. You will be subject to a temperature check prior to boarding. It is generally accepted that 36.1C (97F) to 37.2C (99F) is the normal range for our bodies. Passengers with a high temperature will be requested not to travel, for the benefit of other passengers - and will receive a full refund from us.

 

3. We would appreciate that you wear a face covering when boarding and during the journey, preferably your own; however our driver will also have masks available. The entrance/exit on the offside of the coach may also be used for boarding and disembarking where it is safe to do so.

 

4. You will be asked to board just a few minutes before your departure time, in order to minimise the time that passengers spend on the coach once boarded. Please try to maintain 2 metre social distancing wherever possible, as you gather and when approaching and speaking with our driver. 

 

4. Our driver will wear protective gloves and will have anti-bacterial gel available. You will be requested to sanitise your hands prior to boarding. Again, please ensure you observe social distancing while waiting to board. Your seat number may change because ideally passengers will be seated on alternate seats on each row wherever possible. Please also note that the toilet on board the coach will not be available while these measures are on place.  However rest assured that no journey will be longer than 2 hours without a comfort stop. 

 

5. Passengers who live together in the same household, may sit together on a double seat. Where this occurs, the seat opposite, next to the aisle must not be used.  The front double seat immediately behind the driver is unfortunately not available for use. 

 

7. As part of our driver’s safety briefing he or she will advise that upon arrival at the destination he or she will be exiting first and that once he or she has left the vehicle then all passengers may safely disembark, starting from the front – please continue to observe social distancing while waiting to disembark.

 

8. Our driver will drive with the roof vents open, a plentiful supply of fresh air helps to prevent the spread of germs. Our coach air-conditioning system will also help to provide clean, filtered air. He or she will also be wearing a face mask while driving.

 

9. Upon arrival at the destination, our driver will put the hazard warning lights on, disembark and ask you to alight.  Obviously he or she will maintain a helpful presence but will also observe self-distancing requirements. During your visit our driver will clean all touch points on the coach.

 

10. During your visit and prior to returning to the coach for the return journey, please wash your hands and also when boarding the coach - observe social distancing and use the hand gel that is supplied on board.

 

11. With regard to the exchange of such things as lost property, mobility aids etc, this will be carried out with full regard please to all social distancing and hygiene requirements. 

 

We appreciate that these precautions and procedures are somewhat onerous, however it is of course in all of our interests to do what we can to prevent the spread of the virus. Should you require any further information or have any specific considerations and requirements then please do not hesitate to contact us at info@whittlecoach.co.uk

 

Thank you for your help and cooperation - and for booking with Whittles.

(This document is dated 23rd June 2020)

 

Whittles NEW Summer Days Out brochure

Whittles NEW Summer Days Out brochure

Our NEW summer 2019 days out brochure is out now and packed with 115 great days out this summer.

 

 

Whittle first tour of 2019 was a Country and Western Hoedown!

Whittle first tour of 2019 was a Country and Western Hoedown!

 

On the 8th February we took passengers on the first tour of 2019, the Country and Western Reunion Weekend.  Four of our drivers, Gary, Shaun, Pete and Dean got into the spirit by dressing as Cowboys, with feeder driver Celia also donning her cowboy boots!

 

It was great to meet up and talk about upcoming tours and excursions..and have a good old sing song and line dance!

 

Here's the link to our Facebook page video 

https://www.facebook.com/whittlescoaches/videos/1849993148445952/

 

Hopefully it makes you smile as much as it does us!

 

Our 2020 reunion will be on Friday 14th February - Mon 17th February, staying at the Royal Grosvenor in Weston.  Book Now!

 

 

 

Coronavirus - Important information regarding our Holiday, Excursions, Short Breaks and Shows

Coronavirus - Important information regarding our Holiday, Excursions, Short Breaks and Shows

 

We find ourselves in extremely unusual and difficult times and In light of the recent government statement on Monday 16th March 2020, our Management Team have taken the extremely difficult decision to cancel ALL our brochure and online departures with immediate effect up until the 30th April 2020.

 

This is a decision we have not taken lightly, however, given the government advice we feel we have no choice. Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can do resume normal operation as of the start of May 2020.

 

On a positive note, this current national and worldwide crisis is very much a temporary one and we believe that come the start of the summer, our programme and things in general will be very much back up and running – and of course there are plenty of superb opportunities to travel with Whittles available in our fantastic brochures!

 

Most importantly, may we take this opportunity to wish you well and hope that you keep well, virus free and as happy as possible, during this extraordinary situation.

 

Finally, thank you, very much for your continued support and custom during what is a difficult time for all of us - and thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

We will be in contact with all passengers with bookings on departures up until 30th April by post. Please be assured we are watching the situation as it unfolds very carefully and if you have any questions, concerns; or if you would like to book alternative trips later this season, then please call our Bookings Team on 01562 820002.

 

Whittles Coaches

Benefits of Travelling by Coach this Christmas

Benefits of Travelling by Coach this Christmas

Visit one of our festive destinations to get into the spirit of Christmas. There are more benefits to travelling by a Whittles coach than you might think. You can choose to believe or not ...

 

  • It's better for the Environment! A coach full of people means approximately 20 cars off the road!

 

  • Comfort: We ensure that we keep all of our coaches neat, clean, and up to date in order to provide our passengers the utmost level of comfort! For that extra level of comfort, the majority of our coaches include extra legroom.

 

  • Facilities: Toilet/Washroom, Air-Con, Reclining Seats and most of our Coaches have Charging Ports for your mobile phone.

 

  • Storage Space: Coaches offer a lot of storage space, so if you simply have a small car and find it challenging to bring items like pushchairs, sports equipment, or walking sticks on trips, a coach holiday could be the solution for you!

 

  • See the Sights: Don't worry about having to drive; instead, concentrate on seeing the landmarks out the window and you don't have to stress about the journey!

 

  • Safety: Travelling by Coach is 5 times safer than travelling by Car. Our Coaches are serviced regularly and maintained daily on-site! Our Drivers are also Highly Trained and DBS Checked.

  •  

  • Parking: Park at our Depot or one of our Pick up points or even leave your car at home and have us pick you up from the comfort of your own home and let us worry about parking out and about! It's one more thing you don't need to pay for when you're budgeting your holidays!

 

  • Discover More! If you want to discover more about our country and have the opportunity to experience it all without the hassle of needing to research and plan routes - then coach travel sounds like the perfect solution for you!

 

Whittles believe that everyone should experience a Coach holiday at least once, do you believe?

Contact Us

Whittles Coaches, Foley Business Park
Stourport Road, Kidderminster, DY11 7QL

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