As wonderfully enriching and culturally enlightening it is, there’s no denying that travel is a pain. The planning, the logistics, the booking — everything about taking a tip involves stress, and stress is the very thing you should be looking to avoid by making travel plans in the first place. For youth groups, church organizations, senior homes and the like, it’s even worse, as larger groups of people mean even more research, planning and paperwork.
Let’s say you’re planning to transport a 10-person church youth group to a water park about 90 miles north of your town. It’s almost summer after all, and kids love to cool down and chase each other in colorful water slides, so this trip seems like a perfect fit. But take a closer look at the details: How are you going to fit 10 kids inside one car for an hour-and-a-half trip?
The answer is, of course, you’re not. You’re going to fit them into a 15 passenger bus instead, and here’s why.
Buses have lower accident rates than individual cars.
Automobile crashes account for the vast majority of all accidents on the road today, and but not when it comes to buses. In fact, the number of car accidents tends to climb up to 40,000 annually (causing injuries and even some fatalities in the process). Buses, on the other hand, are built to be more secure, and drivers are required to get special certifications to operate them. Buses also travel at much lower speeds, greatly reducing the risk of crashing.
Carpooling and shuttling help stop air pollution.
Unlike 15 passenger vans which have high rollover rates, 15 passenger buses and other small buses are built to be more sturdy when they’re on the road. And consider their ecological impact, too. If 10 groups of parents brought their kids to the water park, that would easily result in 10 different cars traveling on the highway at once. By having them all ride in one bus, 10 cars’ worth of air pollution are eliminated.
Owning a bus is cheaper in the long run.
Let’s look at passenger vans again. Many organizations will purchase them because they seem like viable travel options, but they’re actually far less safe than they appear. To top it off, passenger van drivers tend to pay much more in monthly insurance premiums because the vehicles have such a notorious reputation. Investing in a 15 passenger bus, however, might be more up front, but will cost far less in the long run, even with monthly maintenance requirements.
Now that the most stressful part of traveling — the planning — is out of the way, you can go back to picturing how relaxed you’ll be at your destination. Except if you’re transporting 10 young screaming children to a water park where there seemingly are no rules. In that situation, nothing is going to help your stress levels. Good luck!
