Routemaster London Bus

Google Maps are displayed on every vehicle page and show that vehicles operating area within a highlighted circle, however this guide is a radius as the ‘Crow Flies’ therefore some destinations nearer to the outer edge may not be covered by the vehicle as the mileage and travel time to reach those areas may exclude that car. What is certain though is if any part of your itinerary falls outside of the circled area that particular vehicle will not be available for your wedding. Your quote will be lowest if your wedding area is near to the centre of the highlighted circle as this is the vehicles local area, the quote will steadily increase the further away from the centre that your wedding is taking place. Please also note that some Classic and Vintage vehicles will not operate in the Centre of London or further North of London even if the circle encompasses London and areas further North.

Prices shown on this website are for weddings carried out Local to the area of the postcode entered on the website. They may vary minimally when you advise of the full itinerary as quotes are based on total mileage. The map showing the ‘Vehicle Operating Area’ only shows how far the vehicle will travel from it’s base, subject to destinations nearer to the outer edge as explained above, it does not refer to prices and therefore does not infer the price shown on the website will be the same for all destinations within the highlighted circle.

We look at many factors when working out your quote, for example the number of hours you have advised you require the car for, the time of day or night you require the vehicle, and/or if the distance to your wedding area is close to the maximum operating limit of the vehicle and/or the predicted journey time to travel from the vehicles base to your wedding area is in excess of one hour in either direction we may need to include additional costs for the chauffeur whose duty day will of course be extended. We may need to use a trailer to transport some of our older vintage vehicles in which case a small additional trailer charge may need to be included in your quote, finally we need to consider any fluctuation in fuel prices since the website prices were last updated, however all of these factors will have been taken into consideration and included when you receive your quote. Mileages are calculated from ‘base to base’, this means the miles start counting when the vehicle leaves it’s base and end on it’s return to base. Remember your quote will always be lowest if your wedding area is near to the centre of the highlighted circle and highest if it is nearer to the outer edge, so this is a good point to remember if you wish to keep to a tighter budget. Vehicle/s will arrive at the initial collection address 15 minutes before the first planned departure, this is a built in safety margin and will be included in the hire time requested therefore the starting time of the hire will always be 15 minutes before the first planned departure.

Rising insurance premiums for passenger carrying vehicles, the ever changing cost of fuel and the very low miles per gallon for many wedding vehicles mean prices shown on this website may periodically need adjustment. We include prices on our website to provide clients with an idea of cost, however with so many vehicles, to amend every individual vehicle website page every time fuel or other cost contributing factors change would be impractical, and a full time job !. Therefore the local prices shown on this website although probably accurate are to be treated as a pretty good guide but could fluctuate minimally [up or down] but we do not envisage this being more than £20 in either direction. The total cost of the vehicle/s you choose including any adjustment to their website price will be given in your quote, before you book.  Should you then decide to make a reservation the quote is confirmed and will not change. Please also note the prices shown on the website are for the current year therefore a small adjustment may also have been included in your quote for weddings taking place in following years. Thank you, we appreciate your understanding.

All Weddings are different but we have compiled some idea of possible timings below, The minimum time a car can be hired is One Hour, all hires are in Hourly Blocks

The following hire times are a just a guide and are the ‘Minimum’ times you should be considering for the following wedding types.  

One Way Journey

1 Hour:  Pick up from one Collection Address and Drop Off at Ceremony Venue with photos on arrival but no waiting after this.   A to B  one way

One Way Journey and Wait for Photos

2 Hours:  Pick up and drop off, wait until immediately after the ceremony for photographs with the car, subject to ceremony length.   A to B  one way   [possibly Bridesmaids first if all very local]

Registry Office or Church Wedding Service

3 Hours:  Pick up and drop at Register Office, Civil Venue, or a Church if short service and short photo session after, then onward to Reception Venue after ceremony. [Possibly Bridesmaids to Ceremony Venue first if all very local].   A to B to C

Full Church Service

4 Hours:  Full Church Wedding with Bridesmaids trip before Bride [if all very local], wait until after ceremony and following photographs then onward trip to the Reception Venue.  A possible stop en-route for additional photographs [subject to time spent at church after ceremony]  A to B to C

Civil Ceremony followed by Church Blessing

5 Hours Extended Waiting Times.  Refreshments after ceremony before travelling on to Reception Venue.  Civil Ceremony followed by a Church Blessing.  Longer Photo Opportunities.

Asian Weddings

6 Hours and above:  Extended Waiting Times and Longer Wedding Ceremonies and depending on the culture different traditions and rituals might need to take place during the day which may cause the hire to be longer.  We are happy to tailor for any cultural traditions, just let us know all you require at the time of enquiry.

Unless you require extended timings these guides have usually been sufficient to cover the above scenarios subject to the travel times between venues being reasonable, and your photographer not having plans that need longer timings.  Best always ask your photographer as to how much time they will need before booking the vehicles.  Please always advise us if your wedding ceremony or timing requirements are to be longer than the normal in order for a correct quote to be given.  Weddings are unique so we will always tailor the day to your exact requirements.

We will be happy to offer guidance on timings if needed, but we will not be held liable for any suggestions we offer if the timings turn out to be unsuitable for your needs on the day.  With longer hire times a short stop off for photographs at an additional location can be included on direct route to the reception but please advise if you require this at the time of making your reservation.  Subject to timing and mileage the Bridesmaids can be taken in the same car to the ceremony venue prior to the Bride travelling, a travel time of 10 minutes each way is usually the maximum we would advise if requiring this prior trip.  If hiring just the one vehicle it is not normal practice for the car to be used for additional trips for other persons after the ceremony as the car is then considered to be the private transport of the just married ‘Happy Couple’ from here onwards as they would be unable to enjoy a leisurely drive and spend some quiet time to themselves if the car had to rush back for other passengers, those that travelled to the ceremony venue in the bridal car prior to the Bride would usually travel on to the reception in their friends or family members cars.  For the Groom’s transport this is usually only required from his collection address to the ceremony venue with photographs on arrival at the venue, therefore if everything is local a one hour hire should be sufficient unless you require the car to wait until after the ceremony for photographs then it could increase to as much as 3 hours.

Rarely situations may warrant your chauffeur and vehicle remaining with the bridal party longer than originally planned and advised [eg. extended photography sessions etc] while usually not a problem we are unable to guarantee this will always be possible as this may affect subsequent schedules, but if so it could involve an additional amount payable for each car required to remain after the original hire time ends, the amount can vary depending on the type of vehicle hired, the area of hire and the amount of time you wish to extend the hire by.  If the extended time was not advised at the booking stage it would not have been included in the quote therefore it is to be paid to the chauffeur on the day in cash and they will advise the additional amount based on how long you wish to extend the hire.  Should you require additional trips that were not advised at the booking stage and therefore not included in your quote and shown on your itinerary these could vary between £1 and £3 per mile [2020 rates] dependent on the vehicle hired, and again payable to your chauffeur in cash on the day.  It may be a good idea to suggest to the Best Man or an Usher that a small amount of cash is carried for ad hoc expenses should they be required, not neccesarily for the car but for any other ad hoc situations in other areas of your wedding that may crop up on the day so as not to trouble the Happy Couple or their parents.

We should advise that some vehicle prices for increased hours will be much lower if you advise of the extended hours at the time of booking, so always best to book the vehicle/s for the time you are certain will fully cover your requirements including any unplanned overrun of timings rather than leave it to chance and extend it on the day as the cost payable on the day could be higher than if you had booked the increased hours at the booking stage.  As Premier Carriage only books one wedding per day in each vehicle extending the day a little is usually not a problem, however any extension of the original hire time that you request on the day will always be subject to the availability of the driver/s as they may have later personal engagements planned, it is therefore always best to ensure sufficient time has been requested and booked for your full requirements beforehand.

Most certainly, we want you to be sure the car chosen is right for you

Initially, via the website photos select the vehicle/s you like then check their price and availability for your wedding date by requesting a quote on our website. All vehicles have their registration numbers shown and are the actual vehicles for hire, we do not use generic photos !

If the quote received is acceptable we’ll arrange a private appointment for you to view the vehicle/s. Simply email or call us with a selection of times and dates when you will be available.

Viewing Appointments must be made within 7 days of the date you wish to view as due to vehicle logistics we are unable to guarantee a vehicle’s whereabouts until nearer the time, they could also be booked by others in the interim who do not wish to view. Bookings are taken on a ‘first come first served basis’

Once your viewing appointment is arranged you will have priority over the vehicle, but you must advise Premier Carriage immediately after the viewing if you wish to go ahead and book the vehicle as after your viewing it will automatically be available for others to view or book. If you change your booked viewing date to a later date we are unable to guarantee the vehicle will still be held for the extended period.

You may wish to consider these points when viewing vehicles:

1. Will the wedding dress fit comfortably in the car, without being crushed
2. Is it easy to get in and out of the car in your chosen wedding dress
3. If a winter wedding, does it have a heater, or are rugs provided
4. If a summer wedding, and it’s a convertible what happens if it is wet and windy
5. If a summer wedding does the vehicle have air conditioning

We will be happy to answer any of your other questions or concerns at the viewing.

If your booking is more than 6 weeks in advance a small securing deposit of £100 per vehicle is required to reserve it. Some vehicles such as buses and older vehicles may require a larger deposit amount. We will confirm the amount of deposit to be paid on your quote. All deposits are due upon booking however we will provisionally reserve vehicle/s in the clients name for up to 24 hours while awaiting the deposit payment. If not received within 24 hours, the vehicle/s provisionally reserved will automatically be released and become available for others to hire.

If your booking is less than 6 weeks then a Full Payment is Required at the time of booking. 

all Payments can be made using all major cards available such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express. 

Buses and Coaches are ideal if you wish to transport all of your guests together, thereby eliminating possible issues with many individual cars arriving at the venue and needing to park, it is also a nice way for all your guests to socialise and of course it allows those that wish to enjoy the celebration with a glass of champagne or two without the worry of driving.

If you’re planning to hire a vintage bus or coach for your wedding party here are a few tips on wedding bus hire to keep in mind. You may also want to take a look at our Blog on   Hiring a Vintage Bus for your Wedding

1 – Number of Passengers

Check how many of your wedding guests will need transport. Vintage buses can carry a varying number of passengers dependent on the make and configuration of the seating, for example a single decker bus or coach can carry around 29 passengers whereas a larger Double Deck Routemaster London Red Bus may have around 72 seats. The number of passengers each particular bus can hold is shown on our website under the “Features” section.

2 – Babies & Children

Each Child and Infant would need to occupy a seat on the bus. There is usually no room for pushchairs and/or prams. Vintage Buses are not fitted with seat belts and are exempt from child’s booster seats as there are no fixing points or belts to hold them in place.

3 –Access to Venue & Parking

Some venues cannot be accessed by double decker buses due to the height of the bus, and therefore susceptible to Trees, Overhanging Branches, Power Lines, Narrow Roads, Sharp Turnings, etc … Ensure you provide the correct location at the time of enquiry so we can check access.  If the venue is unknown a route check will need to be carried out.  Ensure adequate parking is reserved outside the premises for the bus to pick up and drop off passengers and remain while waiting. Speak to your venue as they may be able to cordon off a larger space for the bus, about three car lengths are an average for a bus space as they will need to manoeuvre in and out, and without power steering.

4 – How far in advance should I book my wedding bus?

As soon as possible – They are very popular as they offer an iconic mode of transport and there are not many of them available at 'popular' times of the year.  

5 – Hire time / Speed of Bus

Older generation buses would generally not exceed 30-40mph. To help and give you an idea of bus travelling times we suggest adding 50% to the travel time that Google Maps calculate it will take. You will also need to allow plenty of time for your many guests to embark and disembark from the bus at each end.

6 – People with Limited Mobility

Access to the entry platform can be a little high for some so bear this in mind, although help can be given. There is generally no room for Wheelchairs to be stowed and transported on the buses as they are not equipped with a luggage compartment.

7 – Food and Drink while on the Bus

Food and Drink is usually allowed on the buses, but some restrictions may apply such as plastic glassware, no breakable glass bottles, non-greasy food, etc … If you are planning on bringing and consuming Food and/or Drink on the bus please let us know in advance so we can check with the driver/supplier.  It is possible some additional cost may apply if requiring food and refreshments for onboard use.

8 – Evening Return

Unfortunately, due to their limited and aged lighting systems vintage and classic buses do not operate at night.

9 – Winter / Cold Weather Bookings

Ensure guests have access to warm clothing if needed as the heaters in the older vintage buses come from an era where they are not the most practical. It may also be a little cooler by the rear open platform area as these buses do not have doors that close.  Remember to clarify with your guests those that may be unable to climb the stairs as they will need to be accommodated on the lower deck so you will need to ensure there are sufficient lower deck seats available for them.