Chartering a bus in Orlando Miami Tampa Daytona Beach & Florida guidelines by the ATC Buses Team.🙂
Safety, quality and to comply with DOT (Department of Transportation) Government regulations are three must do task to keep in mind and consider when looking for the best company fit to transport your group safely from point A to point B; a service done in a Safe - Reliable and Courteous way.
Thus is very important to keep in mind these factors when selecting a charter bus - motor coach operator. A quality motorcoach operator is one that is reliable, who employs professional drivers, offers outstanding customer service before - during and after the service has been delivered, meets all rider needs and it's got affordable rates. The cheapest option is not often the best option, from expectations to the reason of why they try to undercut competition by lowering their prices - standards. Taking shortcuts on price often means cutting corners on safety and standards of service.
Be on Top of Your Contract when Choosing a Charter Bus - Motorcoach Company in Florida:
- Motorcoach companies in good standing must have federal operating authority, and should be able to offer you proof of that authority, which is issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.). Additionally, many states and provinces require that a carrier obtain operating authority for interstate operations.
- Always ask for proof of a valid, current insurance certificate (COI) that provides a U.S. minimum of $1 million in liability insurance coverage, and request for them to produce one having your group or party added as additional insured in their policy.
- Ask for the carrier’s U.S. DOT number. Carriers are required to have a U.S. DOT number clearly displayed, and should be either 5 or 6 digits long. By using that number, you can view the carrier’s safety information online at https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot
- Pay special attention to the lower part of the DOT Company Snapshot page, where you see the list of inspections and accidents if any, and the % of this company compared to the other United States of America charter bus rental companies in safety.
- All U.S. based motorcoaches must have an annual inspection done and a small sticker usually found visible on the window next to the driver with the date, and the mechanic that performed the inspection signature. All U.S. drivers are required to have a valid, current Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), with a passenger endorsement printed on the front license with the symbol P for "passenger".
- Long or quick-turn-around trips may require an extra driver to adhere to federal Hours of Service safety requirements, by regulation no more than 10 straight hours driving or up to 14 hrs driving when 2 drivers.
- Ask the charter bus company for recommendations on lodging, restaurants tips, shopping areas, and tourist attractions.
- If you require it, check to make sure that the operator has multilingual drivers as we do in Avalos Transportation Company Inc (ATC Buses).
- Experience also in dealing with international customers is a must, language is important if multilingual driver is available as well as a person who is familiar with the customs of the Country where the group on tour is from, whether is Australia, India, China or Canada.
Top Safety Choice:
Motorcoaches are the safest form of surface transportation, according to government statistics. But one injury or fatality is one too many, which is why safety remains our top priority as described in our motto since we started ATC Buses: Safe - Reliable & Courteous.
Strong enforcement of existing Department of Transportation laws can yield quantifiable safety positive results we see today. Driver education and follow up is very important, and we are on top of that; establishing educational benchmarks for drivers from their driver performance to customer service, after all they are by extension the image of our company on each and every charter bus transportation service in: Charter Bus Orlando, Charter Bus Miami, Charter Bus Tampa, Charter Bus Daytona Beach, and Charter Bus in Florida Cities or even when looking for shuttle service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Port Canaveral Cruise Terminals.
For more information, log on to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records)