Barker BusHome / Private hire
Private hire
Coach and minibus hire from 18 to 87 seats, run from our own depot at Roydon with our own workshop and our own drivers. Pick the closest match to your journey.
Weddings and private events
Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, race days and christenings
The whole party travels together, from one address, with a driver who stays with you rather than disappearing between the outward and return runs. Guests who have had a drink get home without anybody having to drive.
What is included
- Modern and vintage coaches available
- Routemaster hire
- Vehicles from 18 to 87 seats
- Pickup from one address or several
- The driver stays with the group for the day
- Evenings, weekends and bank holidays
Suits wedding parties, family celebrations and any group that would rather arrive together.
Corporate travel
Staff shuttles, conference transfers and client events
Getting a department, a conference or a client group somewhere on time, in a vehicle you are happy to be seen arriving in. Regular shuttle work is quoted as a standing arrangement rather than a string of separate bookings.
What is included
- Executive coaches with WiFi, toilet and air conditioning
- Reclining seats with belts and USB charging
- Standing arrangements for repeat shuttles
- Invoiced monthly if that suits your accounts
Suits offices, conference organisers and companies running staff transport.
Schools and colleges
Day visits, residentials and educational trips
Schools and SEN transport is how Barker Bus started, and it is still a large part of what we do. The paperwork a school needs comes with the quote instead of being chased, and the general risk assessment can be downloaded from this page.
What is included
- DBS checked staff and drivers
- Experience: schools and SEN transport is how we started
- General risk assessment available to download
- 70 seaters and double deckers available, two classes on one coach
- Swim runs, sport runs, day trips and residential trips
Suits primary and secondary schools, colleges and youth organisations.
Sports clubs and fixtures
Home and away fixtures, tournaments and training
Teams, kit and supporters in one vehicle, with boot or luggage space for the bags. Regular season bookings can be set up in advance so the same arrangement runs week after week.
What is included
- Luggage and kit space on every vehicle
- Minibuses for a single team, coaches for a squad and supporters
- Season long arrangements
- Late finishes and away fixtures
Suits football, rugby, hockey and athletics clubs, and school sports departments.
Rail replacement
Planned engineering work and unplanned disruption
Short notice cover for operators, day and night, with drivers who have done it before. Double deckers move a platform full of passengers in one vehicle rather than three, which matters when a service is already late. We can supply both PSVAR compliant vehicles for wheelchair access and PSVAIR equipped vehicles with audio and visual stop announcements.
What is included
- PSVAR compliant vehicles, with wheelchair access and accessibility features
- PSVAIR equipped vehicles, with audio and visual displays announcing stops and destinations
- Double deckers for high capacity
- Overnight, weekend and bank holiday availability
- Drivers experienced in rail replacement work
- Own workshop and spare vehicles on site
Suits train operating companies and rail replacement contractors.
Day trips and tours
Clubs, societies and community groups
Trips to the coast, shows, markets, gardens and events, for groups who would rather travel together than meet there. We can quote per vehicle or per head, whichever is easier for the organiser.
What is included
- Quoted per vehicle or per head
- Pickups from more than one point
- Reclining seats, air conditioning and a toilet on the longer runs
Suits social clubs, community groups, churches and residents associations.
Airport transfers
Groups to and from the London airports
Group transfers with the luggage in the hold rather than on laps. Early starts and late pickups are routine, and on the way back we watch the flight rather than the clock.
What is included
- Luggage space underneath
- Early morning and late night departures
- Return pickups timed to the flight
Suits tour groups, corporate travel and large family parties.
Continental journeys
Tours across Europe
Longer journeys across the Channel in coaches equipped for the distance, with drivers used to continental driving, tolls and ferry or tunnel crossings. We mainly cover France, Belgium and the Netherlands. We have been as far as Italy, but it is not something we do often.
What is included
- France, Belgium and the Netherlands
- Coaches with toilet, WiFi and reclining belted seats
- Ferry and tunnel crossings arranged
- Drivers experienced on continental routes
Suits tour organisers, schools running European trips and private groups.
Areas we cover
We are based at Poplar Farm in Roydon, on the Essex and Hertfordshire border, which puts most of west Essex, east Hertfordshire and north London within easy reach. Pickups further afield are usually possible, so it is worth asking.
- Harlow
- Hoddesdon
- Enfield
- Roydon
- Broxbourne
- Epping
- Ware
- Hertford
- Bishop's Stortford
- Waltham Abbey
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- North London
Tell us about your journey
Group size, pickup point, date and rough times is enough for a written quote. If the plan is not fixed yet, send what you have.