Barnes' Blog

**COMPETITION NOW CLOSED**

Winners drawn:
 - Kizzie
- Sandra Marshall 
- Simon Hicks
Winners have been contacted directly through our offical Instagram account @BarnesCoaches with instructions on how to claim their prize. 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

WIN A STFC TEAM SHIRT ON OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE! 
Following on from our recent news of being the sleeve sponsors for the 24/25 away team shirts for Swindon Town Football Club, we’ve got an exciting giveaway up for grabs…
WIN your very own STFC team shirt, (WORTH £55 EACH ON THE STFC WEBSITE!) sporting the Barnes sleeve sponsor too! 

Competition closed: 4:00pm on Fri 30th August 2024. 

Competition T&C’s 
⭐This competition is open to all UK residents aged 16 and over. 
⭐There will be a total of x3 winners, only x1 shirt per winner can be won. 
⭐By entering this prize draw you accept that the sizes available are only x1 L & X2 M and understand that we do not have any alternative sizes. Winners can state a preference on size either L or M, but we cannot guarantee. 
⭐Winners are selected at random from correct entries, we will privately message the winners direct from this Instagram account (@BarnesCoaches) and we will also announce the winners on this blog post after 4pm on Fri 30th August 2024.
⭐Prizes can be posted to any UK address free of charge. (although this will be an untraceable, standard post service and Barnes will not be held responsible for prizes delayed or lost in the post.) OR you can collect from our office in Swindon. (Unit E, Woodside Road, South Marston Park, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN34AQ)
⭐Winners will have 30 days to claim their prizes, if unclaimed after this period Barnes do have the right to redraw the winners. 
⭐This prize holds no cash value, and cannot be transferred, exchanged, or refunded as any cash alternative or alternative prize. 

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION: PLEASE BE AWARE OF ONLINE SCAMMERS** ⁠
Barnes Coaches will only ever contact winners from our official Instagram account (@BarnesCoaches) we will never ask for you to click on a link or provide bank information to claim any prize. Do report and block these messages if you receive them. If ever in doubt, call our team on our normal booking hotline 01793 821303 (option 1) 📞

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! ☀️🥳
To start the school break off in style, we've just released a Summer discount code so you can enjoy a day trip to the SEASIDE for even less! 🌊

USE PROMO CODE: SEASIDE20
For 20% OFF any seaside day trip booking this Summer! 🏖️
Please see T&C's below.

VIEW SUMMER SEASIDE DAY TRIPS HERE 

🚍️Picking up from in & around Swindon, Wiltshire and nearby surrounding areas. (Pickup routes do vary for each trip, see website / leaflet for points)

CODE T&C's: 
• Valid for coach travel for SEASIDE DAY TRIPS ONLY departing during the Summer Holidays between 25th July- 1st September 2024. (excludes any other day trips, theatres, concerts, holidays) 
• Promotional code valid for website bookings only, enter code: SEASIDE20 at online checkout in the 'Promotional Code' section. 
• Offer code expires 1st September 2024. 
• Discount is 20% OFF per booking, not per passenger. 
• Offer cannot be transferred to another booking or exchanged / refunded as any cash alternative.
• Cannot be applied to an already completed / paid off booking. 
• Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, voucher or discount code.

Swindon Town FC are delighted to announce that Barnes Coaches will be the official sleeve sponsor for our away shirt for the 2024/2025 season.

The sponsorship agreement will proudly display Barnes Coaches on the away shirt for league and cup games. The agreement again shows the strong links between both parties as we look to have a good season both on and off the field.

Swindon Town's Chief Commercial Officer James Watts said, “We are delighted that Barnes Coaches have sponsored our away sleeve for the 2024/2025 season.

"Barnes Coaches are yet another key sponsor who have committed for the upcoming season and once again we look forward to working with them to drive the football club forward”.

Barnes Coaches Director, Matt Barnes added “It is great to continue our partnership with Swindon Town and will be transporting the team and supporters for the forthcoming season.”.

Barnes Coaches gets on board with The Coach Travel Group
Barnes Coaches is proud to announce the launch of The Coach Travel Group, uniting seven leading coach companies to form a leader in coach and minibus transport services.

🚍️Alpine Travel including Jones Holidays 
🚍️Coatham Coaches
🚍️JH Coaches
🚍️Johnsons Coaches including Whittles Coaches
🚍️Swans Travel
🚍️The Ready Group including Readybus, Arena Travel, Turbostyle Coaches and LJ Edwards

Together, we're poised to deliver even greater value and service quality to our customers.

The move will change the face of the UK coach travel industry as seven firms (Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches, Coatham Coaches, JH Coaches, Johnsons Coaches, Swans Travel and The Ready Group) are now part of The Coach Travel Group. The strategic acquisition has created a forward-thinking firm focused on unrivalled quality and customer service.

Swindon-based Barnes Coaches is well-rooted in the local community and has now teamed up with fellow like-minded operators from across the country. The amalgamation under The Coach Travel Group banner ushers in a new era of travel for local passengers throughout the region .

"This is a major event for Barnes Coaches and the whole of the UK coach travel industry," said Matt Barnes CEO of Barnes Coaches. “We are proud to have joined a national group formed by local coach companies. Loyal and new customers will still receive our high level of service, but they can soon take advantage of a wider selection of holidays and tours.

"By joining forces with other respected businesses, we have laid the foundations for an unbeatable group travel experience. With the support of our new partners, we can be a leading name in the industry while continuing our aim of improving every journey.

“The main reason for merging with other coach travel businesses was to expand our reach and capabilities. We can now offer a more complete solution to our customers and will have the ability to say ‘yes’ to new customers wherever they are.”

Setting the highest industry standards

The creation of The Coach Travel Group is a bold and positive move, and is only the start of the journey. The new business has a high-growth strategy with the potential for future acquisitions, and is now placed as the travel partner and employer of choice in the industry. Each one of the seven founding firms has a strong reputation for safety, customer service, operational delivery and a culture of respect for all stakeholders.

Whether you are booking school travel or a European holiday, every member of The Coach Travel Group pledges to deliver a high-quality experience. Safety of staff and passengers is paramount and the new group is committed to investing in training, technology and new vehicles to ensure reliable and comfortable trips.

Local knowledge and UK coverage

Like the other businesses in the group, Barnes Coaches has a long history in the coach travel industry with fully-trained, experienced staff who have developed strong links in the local community. This is one of the key benefits of The Coach Travel Group – it can offer UK-wide coverage but retains a personal and reliable reputation among its current customers.

Matt added: “Our broad base of local customers can still rely on Barnes Coaches to provide an affordable and convenient travel experience with a modern fleet of comfortable, eco-friendly coaches driven by professional drivers.

“As part of a national group, we can negotiate better deals with suppliers and invest in new technologies to enhance the overall customer experience. It will also give us coach parking and service back-up across the country.

“Barnes Coaches customers can expect the same level of service as they have always enjoyed, delivered on our coaches with our drivers. Our focus on customer satisfaction will continue and be delivered by the same team as before.”

Please be reassured that the friendly faces you've come to know and trust at Barnes Coaches - our dedicated reservations team, drivers, and our big green coaches - will still be taking you on your holidays and day trips. All your bookings for holidays and day trips are secure and will go ahead exactly as scheduled. Our goal remains to make every journey with us enjoyable, comfortable, and memorable while upholding the high standards of safety and customer service you're accustomed to. Being united as The Coach Travel Group will allow us to offer you a broader array of destinations and enhanced travel packages while maintaining the exceptional customer service and competitive pricing you've come to expect from us.

Thank you for your continued loyalty. We look forward to continuing to explore new horizons together. 🚍️

Find out more about our group today www.coachtravelgroup.com

For any media enquiries, please contact:
Barry Hunt - Wordsmart Communications Ltd
Tel: 07721 907997 | Email: barry@wordsmart.biz

⭐️ROUTE ONE AWARDS⭐️

Exciting news, we're thrilled to announce that Barnes Coaches have been nominated in multiple categories in the 2024 Route One Awards! 🚍️👏

The Route One Awards are long-established, greatly respected, and acknowledged throughout the coach industry as a mark of excellence. Nominations are only received from those within the industry, so this is already credible recognition and great to just be nominated!

We have nominees in the following categories:

⭐️Coach Tourism Programme of the Year
⭐️Engineer of the Year (small/medium operator) with our workshop manager Trevor
⭐️Outstanding Customer Experience for TWO members of our office team - Rachel & Ross

We will keep you all posted if we get through to the finals later on this year🤞

Wish us luck! 🍀

Great news for our team this week, Barnes Coaches have successfully achieved the standard for continued accreditation in the DVSA Earned Recognition Scheme. Meaning our drivers, vehicles and compliance checks are in top condition and meet all the standards for the DVSA. There are currently only around 127 coach operators in the scheme, and Barnes Coaches are one of the founder members.

We've just added a list of brochure collection points, where you can pop in and pick up our latest holiday & day trip brochures if you're ever out and about doing errands! 🛍️

(Our agents & brochure holders will get a delivery of refreshed day trip leaflets at the beginning of every month.)

If you do not see a point listed near to you, don't worry! We'll happily send copies via post to you. Request a brochure here. 

Points marked in GREEN is where you can also make bookings! 

Swindon: (Where we're based!)

• Our main office: Barnes Coaches, Unit E, Woodside Road, South Marston Park, Swindon, SN3 4AQ
• Swindon Central Library: Regent Circus, Swindon, SN1 1QG
• Swindon Stagecoach Shop: in the Bus Station, Swindon 

Calne:

• TIC, Bank House, The Strand, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 OEN

Chippenham:

• Town Council, High Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3ER

Cirencester:

• TIC, Corinium Museum, Park St, Cirencester GL7 2BX
• Local Information Centre in Bingham House, 1 Dyer Street, Cirencester, GL7 2PP
• The Churn Project, 14-16 The Waterloo, Cirencester GL7 2PY

Corsham:

• TIC, Arnold House, 31 High Street, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 0EZ

Faringdon:

• TIC, The Pump House, 5 Market Place,  Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7HL

Highworth:

• Visit Highworth, 7 High Street, Highworth, Wiltshire, SN6 7BE
• Library, Brewery St, Highworth, Swindon SN6 7AJ

Hungerford:

• Fare Wise Travel, 19 High Street, Hungerford, RG17 0NL

Malborough:

• Library, 91 High Street, Marlborough, SN8 1HD

Malmesbury:

• TIC, Town Hall, Cross Hayes, SN16 9BZ

Melksham:

• TIC, Church Street, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 6LS

Newbury:

• The Wharf, Newbury RG14 5AU
• Town Council, Town Hall, Market Place, Newbury, RG14 5AA

Royal Wootton Bassett:

• Cannon Travel: 1 Borough Fields, Royal Wootton Bassett, SN4 7AX 

Tetbury:

• TIC, 33 Church Street, Tetbury, GL8 8JG

Wroughton:

• Library, Ellendune Community Centre, Barrett Way, Wroughton, Swindon, SN4 9LW

Coach 'Elizabeth' joins the Barnes fleet - A Volvo 9900, 13.7m long with 3axels and 11L engine. 

Equipped with:

• 36 comfy seats all at tables with a screen for every 2 seats.
• A Full kitchen with oven, microwave and fridge
• USB charging points
• Disco Lights
• WIFI
• Satellite TV
• Toilet
• Nespresso Machine

With every new coach that joins our fleet now, we name them as a welcoming initiation. For this coach we’re naming this one: Elizabeth in honour & memory of HM The Queen.

 

Exciting news! We have just added a new day trip pickup route (Route F) including local pickups from:

• Fairford - St Mary's Church
• Lechlade - Market Place
• Cirencester - Beeches Car Park
• Meysey Hampton - Greenacres Park

We’re thrilled to announce that our coach driver Barry Telling has taken on the exciting challenge to do a fundraiser ‘Weightloss Wing Walk’ on 29th October 2021 raising money for charities: Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Second Hope in loving memory of his wife Iris.

Barry has been working incredibly hard over the last year to make some big changes in his lifestyle including a massive weight loss of 9.5 stone in order to achieve his goal of qualifying to do the wing walk!

Barnes Coaches are proudly supporting the event and we are so please to be able to get involved with such a great cause. We’re all so proud of Barry, we just had to share his story with our followers! If you would like to read Barry’s story in full or contribute to his fundraiser, you can do so here.

NEW PCV Training Course now Available with Barnes Coaches!🚌

Pass your PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) Test with Barnes Coaches and drive your own future to success in a great new career choice! View full details here.

This week we celebrated our first PCV pass for 2020 - Dave Eccles who succesfully passed his PCV test with our training manager - David Pettitt.

Earlier this week we wished a Happy Retirement to the lovely Shirley!🥂 

In our century year we say a fond goodbye to Shirley who has been with the company for a quarter of that century. She worked in the accounts department and did lots more besides! She was everyone in the company’s go to as she knew everything.

Take care, Shirley, we will miss you and keep booking those coach holidays!🚌💚

Due to the ongoing road works at the Moonrakers roundabout in Swindon, we have made the decision to change the location of this pickup point for the ease of our customers. 

Until further notice, this point will now be: Penhill Drive (Fairford Crescent Bus Stop) for further information, please visit our Day Trip Pickup page here. 

All customers affected by this change of pickup, will be contacted. 

We welcomed coach YR20BJZ to our fleet at the beginning of the year and we're delighted that he is now finally sporting the new name signage - proudly named after Barnes veteran Cyril.🚍

Cyril was a much loved friend & valued team member at Barnes Coaches who worked with us in our coach depot in Aldbourne. Our Director Lionel Barnes, has shared a few memories of Cyril so you can get to know him too!

"Cyril was demobbed from the Army at Easter 1948 and straight away started at Barnes. At that time Barnes only had two actual coaches, Cyril drove the green one and Bob Barnes the blue one.

I remember Cyril as very reliable and a man with strong principles, and he certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly.

As I lived in the family house in the yard at Aldbourne I  obviously knew Cyril all my life - "don’t forget you were in nappies when I started here!" - he would say if I was cheeky to him.

Cyril also maintained the coaches, and as the fleet gradually grew, he became more involved in that especially as he neared his retirement in November 1989. After he retired he called into the yard most days to keep his eye on us, and keep us in our place!"

Vehicle Features:

• Coach Reg: YR20 BJZ
• Irizar i6 with PSVAR
• 14 metres long
• 61 seats
• Air Conditioning ⁠
• DVD⁠
• Toilet
• Fridge⁠
• Hot Drinks ⁠
• PSVAR compliant Wheelchair lift
• USB charging ports

We've had a busy few days perfecting all the finishing touches and applying the Barnes sign writing to our new coach BV20HOH aka BRUNEL  (which we welcomed to the coach fleet at the beginning of 2020 pre-lockdown!)🚍

This coach marks the 4th Mercedes Tourismo to join our fleet and is also now 1 of the 5 vehicles we have now which are now fully PSVAR compliant, meaning we will be able to accommodate wheelchair passengers.

Vehicle Features:
• Mercedes Toursimo
• Luxury seating
• 53 Seats
• USB Charging Ports
• Toilet
• Air Conditioning
• Hot Drinks Machine
• Fridge
• PSVAR Compliant Wheelchair Lift
• Digital Display Signage on the front, rear & side of coach
• Plus many new safety features including assisted braking and a lane departure warning system.

National Literacy Trust - Careers education for the next generation

We’re a proud partner of the National Literacy's Swindon Stories Campaign & a signatory of the Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020 📚

A few months ago, working alongside The National Literacy Trust with their 'Words for Work' campaign - we welcomed primary school children from the #Swindon area to the Barnes office. They were introduced to the world of work finding out about all the different key roles within our business and being able to find links between the tasks set at school and how this can be applied to a working environment.

We are so pleased we were able to help and it's great to introduce a career path, to those who may not have considered beforehand.

Read the full article here.

#InternationalWomensDay ♀️⁠
Appreciation post to say thank you to all the ladies at Barnes Coaches who help keep everything running smoothly, whether it's our coach drivers on the front or it's behind the scenes in the office - Ladies, we got this! 🙌🙌⁠

Our new 61 seater coach has left the Irizar factory in Spain, not long now until this beauty joins the rest of the Barnes fleet!

Vehicle Features:
◼️ Coach Reg: YR20 BJZ
◼️ Irizar i6 with PSVAR
◼️ 14 metres long
◼️ 61 seats
◼️ Air Conditioning ⁠
◼️ DVD⁠
◼️ Toilet⁠
◼️ Fridge⁠
◼️ Hot Drinks ⁠
◼️ Wheelchair lift (Available soon)⁠
◼️ USB charging points⁠

Our STFC team coach has been treated to a new private number plate!😮 Hitting the roads from today (25/02/2020)

Previous number plate BF63HEU.

National Literacy Trust

We’re proud to be a signatory of the Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020 and are committed to helping to improve literacy levels locally and across the UK!📚

More details can be found here.

We're thrilled to announce Cannon Travel in Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon have joined our agent team! 

Cannon Travel will be stocking our Day Trip Leaflets & Holiday Brochures as well as being able to take bookings for Barnes Coaches Day Trips AND Holidays!

Agent's Address:
Cannon Travel, 1 Borough Fields, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, SN4 7AX

Look who's arrived early! 😍 ⁠
Our Retro Coach has finally arrived and we couldn't be happier... ⁠Not long now until this beauty can hit the roads with the rest of our fleet!
⁠
Retro Coach Vehicle Features:⁠
◼️ Irizar i6 with 53 seats⁠
◼️ Air Conditioning ⁠
◼️ DVD⁠
◼️ Toilet⁠
◼️ Fridge⁠
◼️ Hot Drinks ⁠
◼️ Wheelchair lift (Available soon)⁠
◼️ USB charging points⁠

Did you know you can pickup our latest day trip & holiday brochures from various points in your local area!? See below our brochure pickup points, If you would prefer us to send out our latest brochures in the post to you, request online here.

Calne Tourist Information Centre

ChippenhamTourist Information Centre

CirencesterTourist Information Centre

Cirencester Local Information Centre in Bingham House

Corsham Tourist Information Centre

Faringdon Tourist Information Centre

Highworth Library

Highworth Lighthouse Bookshop

Highworth Visit Highworth Centre

Malmesbury Tourist Information Centre

Marlborough Library

Melksham Tourist Information Centre

Newbury Library

Newbury Town Council, Town Hall

Swindon Central Library

Tetbury Tourist Information Centre

Thatcham Toucan Travel

Wroughton Library, Ellendune

Wroughton Prospect Hospice, Moormead Road, Wroughton

Barnes 100th Anniversary - Retro Coach

This year marks our 100th anniversary and in March we will be welcoming 4 new coaches to our fleet, one of which will be extra special being painted in a retro Barnes livery design!

To celebrate, we will be offering one day trip per month to some our top selling trip destinations to travel on this coach at retro prices!

Book our retro day trips here 

Retro Coach Vehicle Features:

• Irizar i6 with 53 seats
• Air Conditioning 
• DVD
• Toilet
• Fridge
• Hot Drinks 
• Wheelchair lift
• USB charging points

This week we said farewell to 3 coaches leaving our fleet...⁠
These vehicles have served us well over the years but the time has come as we plan to welcome 4 new vehicles in March 2020!⁠
⁠
YJ13GWW - Vanhool DAY ⁠
Serving 540,000 KM⁠
📷: Elliott Webb⁠
⁠
WA13DWX - VDL Futura ⁠
Serving 545,000 KM⁠
📷: Mark Wildego⁠
⁠
WA14DTX - VDL Futura⁠
Serving 512,000 KM⁠
📷: Ian West⁠

Barnes Christmas Raffle
A huge thank you to all our staff for taking part in our Christmas raffle - we raised £145.66! Proceeds have been divided between Prospect Hospice and Cystic Fibrosis Trust.⁠
⁠
Special thanks to Susie at Barnes for organising the scrumptious prizes for our staff to enjoy over the Christmas period.

Christmas Jumper Day 2019
We had a great day raising funds for Save The Children charity. A massive thank you to all office staff and drivers who got involved for such a great cause! - We raised £33.00. 

Our new range of Barnes Trolley Tokens are now available to purchase for just £1!

To order your trolley token, call our team on 01793 821303 option 1.

We've had a blast raising money for Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 27th September 2019 - It's been cakes galore here at Barnes!

We're thrilled to announce we raised £131.50 - Well done to all the bakers (& eaters!) at Barnes Coaches!

We are thrilled to welcome our brand new 19 seater minibus to our coach fleet, which will shortly  join the rest of the fleet in the recognisable grey & green livery. Following our new tradition all of our new vehicles will be named -  this one will be named after Tommy Barnes who started the company back in 1920!

You're sure to be the most stylish passengers on the roads in this ultra modern Mercedes-Benz Sprinter modified by EVM. It has a 7 speed automatic gear box for a smoother ride, 15 new safety features, DAB radio, A large luggage area, USB Charging at every seat and having a Euro 6 engine means there will be very low pollution!

For the last 3 weeks we've had Brooklyn join us for work experience, she's been behind the scenes in our office seeing what it really takes to keep everything running smoothly at Barnes Coaches!

Here's what she had to say about her time with us:

What did you like the most about your time at Barnes?

"During my three weeks at Barnes I enjoyed learning about the range of roles that make it a successful company and the different elements that need to be considered to ensure every trip is feasible and enjoyable for the customer. Everyone was really welcoming throughout my time and thorough when providing new information which made the learning process easier."

What surprised you the most?

"When shadowing the different job roles, it surprised me how much goes into planning the day trips and tours. From sending out travel documents to customers and ensuring the drivers have all the correct information before they depart. When working in coach operations, I was surprised at the amount of work that goes into selecting the correct coaches/drivers for the job and how quick they may nered to make changes if any sudden changes occur."

How has this helped with your university coursework?

"Completig work experience with Barnes has given me more knowledge of a tourism related company. It has given me an insight on job roles that may appeal to me in the future when i finish my degree. This opportunity has also given me a better understanding on topics that relate to modules I will complete in my second year of university, such as 'marketing' and niche tourism'."

The last couple of weeks we've had the lovely Harry join us from Warneford School on work experience. He been out & about with our driver's helping them with their daily tasks and assisting with passengers on day trips!

Here's what Harry had to say about his time with us...

What did you like the most about your time at Barnes? 

"Seeing a different view out of the window every day!"

What did you like the least?

"Cleaning sand out after trips to the beach."

What was your favourite day out?

"Sandbanks, had never been there before and very pretty."

What surprised you the most? 

"How many challenges drivers face every day and how brilliant they are at solving them."

 

This week our newbie apprentices Dave & Sophie ventured out for their first coach driving lessons whilst being supervised by our training manager David. Well done - Keep up the good work! 

This week we've had Charlie join us from St John's School in Marlborough on work experience. He joined our workshop team & was helping us keep our coaches in top notch condition, Thanks for your hardwork!

Here's what Charlie had to say about his time with us...

What was your biggest surprise? 

"How clean and organised the workshop is! Plus how friendly and helpful the 4 mechanics have been!"

What was yoru biggest challenge?

"The hard to reach grease points"

What did you enjoy the most?

"Cleaning and repainting the wheels"

We have several exciting plans in the making for the celebration of our 100th Anniversary in 2020 - The first being the opportunity for YOU to buy your very own model of a Barnes Coach!

The models are to be produced by the reputable Oxford Diecast and will be a replica of our ultra-modern Irizar i6 Integral tri-axle coach with 61 seats in our famous green colour scheme and modelling our new grey signwriting. The coach is registered YN18 ZNP.

There will be only 1000 of these in production, available from September 2019. 

Pre-order this great little piece of 'Barnes 100' memorabilia for only £24.95* 
(*Plus Postage & packaging if required)

You have the choice of collecting them from our yard (South Marston in Swindon, Wiltshire) or paying an additional £5 for them to post it to you.

For further details and ordering information see here > https://bit.ly/2XOaF6M

[Reviews] Our review section on our website now features at the bottom of our homepage! Have a read of our latest reviews at the bottom of our homepage here.

We really do appreciate any feedback so we are able to praise when it's due and improve if needed for the future.

Meet the Barnes Driver Brother Duo... Richard & Keith Mrowczynski

Brothers Richard & Keith have been valued members of the Barnes Team for many years now! Richard joined the Barnes Team back in 2009 and Keith joined in 2012. Both are proudly following in their dad Russell's footsteps - Who worked at Barnes Coaches for over 16 years, first as a coach driver and then later in the workshop garage.

Here's what they had to say about being a Barnes Coach Driver...

"I've just clocked up 10 years with the firm... I enjoy some of the fantastic places I get to visit that I wouldn't normally get to go to." - Richard

"I enjoy every minute of the job. I've seen more of the country in the last 7 years than ever before! - Keith

We now have 5 new vehicles that have joined our fleet for 2019! These coaches were named by the public earlier this year & they are already out on the roads - Make sure to keep an eye out for them! We would love you to send us a photo if you spot one of one!

Vehicle Info:

Vehicle Name	Registration	Vehicle Make	No. Of Seats
Moonraker	BV19YFR	Mercedes Tourismo	53 seats
Dabchick	BV19YFS	Mercedes Tourismo	53 seats
Bob	YT19KUS	Irizar i6	53 seats
Jim	YT19KUP	Irizar i6	61 seats
Nellie	YT17FBA	Irizar i4	70 seats

 

 

                
                        

                                                         

                                                                         

                                                                   

We're thrilled to welcome our 3 new Coach Driver Apprentices to the Barnes team!

Meet Zac, Sophie & Dave who will be gaining their coach driving license from our in house training programme!

We had a blast today raising money & eating far too many cakes for Red Nose Day. We're very proud of staff on raising £155.80 for such a great cause Comic Relief ❤️

 

We're privileged to be trialing one of the new Irizar i4H Hybrid Coaches for a month!

These Hybrid coaches are the first of their kind in the UK and can impressively save over 20% on fuel, meaning reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improvements in local air quality without having to compromise on coach comfort, convenience or safety.

Exciting times ahead... Our future may be greener than ever! 

Exciting news! From Tuesday 29th January you will be able to make your day trip, theatre and concert bookings at Highworth Library.

The library can be found on Brewery Street, above the Co-op supermarket, and is open as follows:

Monday 10:00am - 4:00pm
Tuesday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Friday 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Travel Club now free to all customers! 

As a travel club member you'll receive 4 exclusive emails a year containing discounted holiday offers. We will also send you an online day trip brochure each month so you can keep up to date with the latest day trips, theatre trips and concerts!

How to sign up:

 

• For New members, head on other to and sign up for Barnes E-News
  (Make sure to tick all options you're interested in!)
• For E-News members already subscribed - At the bottom of your latest E-News email from us Click "Update your preferences" and tick the Travel Club option.

This month we've been busy getting ready to welcome our new coaches coming in March 2019... We've said goodbye to coaches HXO serving 8 years with us an also DWY & CGG as well this week, they joined our fleet brand new in 2012 & 2013. Great service from all 3!

HXO serving 630271 KMS
DWY serving 470517 KMS
CGG serving 531138 KMS

A lot has changed over the years at Barnes but our coach fleet is still rocking the recognisable livery 10 years on!

Our new 2019 plate coaches are almost ready to leave the Irizar Factory in Spain! Not long now till we welcome these newbies to our growing coach fleet!

Today We said farewell & good luck to the lovely Andy, who has worked with us for the past 4 years in our Transport Operations Department.

Andy has said "To all you lovely people who I have had great pleasure in working with, we have had some laughs over the few years I have been here and I have had a great time working with you all!" 

Andy is starting an exciting new chapter in his career and we wish him the best of luck. Thank you for all your hard work, you will be missed! 

We've had a great month with all of our charity fundraisers - Our Grand Office Christmas Raffle has raised a massive £100! All proceeds will be split between Prospect Hospice & Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

A massive congratulations to our apprentice Trevor who has successfully passed his coach driving test this week!

Today at Barnes, we all wore Jumpers for 'Jumper Jim Day' to help raise funds for Prospect Hospice in memory of our colleague & friend Jim Clark - who was well known for his unique jumper choices throughout his years at Barnes! We have raised £64.36!

New 2019 Coaches Coming Soon!... The Irizar Elves in their workshop in Spain are busy working away on our VERY big Christmas Order for next year. More details to come in the upcoming months!

NEW Website Feature just released... Pay Holiday Balances Online!

Holiday payments just got easier with our new feature that allows you to log into your account with ease & pay the remaining money off your holiday when you've booked through the website!

Children In Need 2018... The pennies have been counted & Barnes have raised £79.06! We had a blast dressing up funny for money, eating baked treats and playing games to raise money for this great charity! Well done to all who got involved.

We were truly honored & thankful to be shortlisted for the Medium Coach Operator of the Year as well as our Workshop manager Trevor who was in the running for the Engineer of the Year in the small/medium Operator category! Sadly we did not win, but such an achievement to be a finalist alongside some remarkable coach operators - Well done to all who were nominated.

Today was apprentice coach driver Trevor's first day out on the road driving coach GJJ with trainer Dave! Trevor also works in the coach hire office and is determined to get his coach license with our new apprenticeship scheme.

Trevor described his 1st day out on the roads as being...

"Very scary to start with, but once I got going was fine and dandy, dandy and fine!"

We've been busy bees the last few weeks revamping the Barnes office just in time for the release of our new 2019 brochure. Stylish new furniture, new layout & even new carpets! 

Yesterday we said our farewells & good luck wishes to Driver Bridget. Retiring after an impressive 20 years dedicated service at Barnes Coaches. Thank you for all your hard work over the years - you'll be missed!

We've teamed up with Total Guide to Swindon to give our customers the chance to win a family ticket (x2 adults & x2 children) worth £70, to join us on our Mystery Seaside Day Trip departing Monday 27th August 2018!

For your chance to win, enter here on the Total Guide to Swindon's website. 

Coach Travel is included from the Swindon area.

Tour: Aberystwyth
Driver: Daniel Smee

Monday 2nd July The day dawned bright and warm as had the many before us in this warm spell. This week's job was to pick up at St Barts school in Newbury and take them to Aberystwyth for the week. 6:45am I arrived at the school to pick the group up. After loading the coach I was very warm! Too hot for that time of day! Our trip took us along the M4 motorway and across the second Severn crossing into Wales. After a brief stop at Magor services for some breakfast and a trip to the loo we came off the motorway and headed up towards Abergavenny. Through the town centre and onwards to our next stop at Builth Wells for a quick toilet break and a stretch of the legs by the river. Onwards through the mountains of Wales and through many places I can only dream of pronouncing correctly, we arrived at our lunch stop just north of Aberystwyth, Ynyslas sand dunes. After being told I could park on the beach I was a bit dubious as I didn't want to get my 18 tonne coach stuck on the sand. We did it last year in a double decker, so we went for it and what a view. The parking area was firm under tyre and led to a couple of breathtaking photos.

 

 

After an ice cream and a walk across the dunes we boarded the coach again to go up to Borth Bog. Parked at the side of a quiet but straight road the group left me to sit in the heat whilst they walked down the gravel track to the bog. After an hour or so the group returned, some covered in mud from the bog. Our next and final destination for the day was Aberystwyth university where we would be staying for the next 4 nights. After dinner and unloading the coach it was time for a rest.

Tuesday 3rd July. Again the day started warm and dry with temperatures expecting to be around 30 °c. After breakfast and collecting the lunch boxes for the group. We took a steady drive up into the mountains along some winding, tight and sometimes very hilly lanes going past a couple of wild fires along the way. We shortly arrived at our first point of the day. The old abandoned lead mines in the valley just outside Cwmystwyth. Very windy down here with the wind whistling through the valley taking the edge off of the heat Again some outstanding views and a perilous climb up the loose lead on foot gave me these fantastic photos.

After completing their work for the day we took a steady drive along more tight twisty roads back to Aberystwyth university via a welcome stop at a nearby supermarket to get some refreshments and some supplies. A short day out on the coach today, but plenty of time for some chill out time in the sun in the afternoon and evening and watching the England match in the lecture theater in the evening.

Wednesday 4th July Another hot day, leaving the university at 0930 we took the short drive back to Ynyslas to park on the beach. The group were working on the beach and in the sand dunes all day today. A quiet day today with not much driving. At 1600 it was time to head back up to the university for dinner and some free time in the evening.

Thursday 5th July A short day today, taking the group from Aberystwyth university down to the sea front at Aberystwyth. And back up to the university in time for lunch. The afternoon consisted of lectures at the university for the students and some more down time for me, getting ready to head back to England and home tomorrow. As darkness fell over Aberystwyth university. I was asked to join the group for moth hunting and then bat watch, before heading back to my room to make final preparations for the drive home in the morning.

Friday 6th July The day began overcast and somewhat chilly compared to previous mornings but soon began to warm up.

After leaving Aberystwyth university, we headed back to Builth Wells for a quick toilet stop by the river. Then back on the road again back to Magor services for lunch before getting back on the motorway heading back over the Severn Bridge and back to school. A good week was had by all.

Lindsay put together a few words to describe her time here at Barnes Coaches....

"I started working for Barnes Coaches on Valentine’s Day 1994, at their office in Aldbourne &  I’ve had 24 very happy years with the firm and have seen so many changes. 

Technology has gone crazy – we used to pass a book around the office to make day trip reservations! The coaches have improved in so many ways, comfort and technology – they weren’t equipped with phones or air conditioning in the good old days and, as for wi-fi – well! The company gradually grew, eventually necessitating the move out of Aldbourne and into South Marston Park.  What hasn’t changed is the integrity of the company and the emphasis on customer service.

Over the years my colleagues have become my friends and I’ve worked with and for some lovely clients. And, to quote a colleague, you can’t do too much for a good boss!

I’ve always been proud to tell people that I work for Barnes Coaches and I wish the firm continued success in the future. 

Now (at last) I can go on a Senior Citizen Special!"

Thank you for all your hard work Lindsay, you will be missed greatly!

Yesterday we said farewell to the lovely Jackie who has been working for us for the past 15 years!

Jackie has said that she has enjoyed the fun times over the years, and has made lifelong friends in her time here.

She started off at Barnes Coaches where it all began in the village of Aldbourne and has loved to see the company expand & grow - (even if it has given her a few grey hairs she says!)

Thank you for all your hard work, you will be missed! 

This week we've welcomed some new apprentice coach drivers to join the Barnes Team - Here we have... Dave (Trainer) Martin, Scott, Trevor, Mike, James, Thomas & Will.

Barnes Coaches are the first coach company to offer an apprenticeship scheme in gaining your coach license!  Good Luck!

The new Mercedes-Benz Toursimo has just been released in Europe and so Barnes felt that it was time to give this prestigious brand a go in its fleet of 40 vehicles. It promises to be one of the safest vehicles on the road as well as one of the most comfortable for passengers. This is Barnes Coaches 5th new vehicle of 2018 taking spending over £1.5 million.

We're excited to announce we have another 18 plate coach getting ready to join the Barnes coach fleet... more details to come!

Today, we are proud to be part of the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency earned recognition scheme launch, as a founder member!

Find out more here > https://bit.ly/2HqjzQI

This week we said farewell to Hilary, retiring after her 11 years of dedicated service at Barnes Coaches. Hilary described her time at Barnes over the years as being "Fun, Interesting & enjoyable - with a great team to work with!"

A big thank you for all your hard work, you will be missed!

We've welcomed another 2018 plate coach to join the Barnes Fleet. This 94 seater double decker coach is one of the first VDL Futura FDD2 in the UK and is by far a keen favourite in our fleet with it's high quality design.

It's also joined the rest of our new coaches by sporting the grey livery colour scheme & it's features include a DVD Player with 4 Viewing Screens, Toilet, Fridge, Hot Drinks Facilities & USB charging sockets at every seat.

Barnes Coaches have now had 4 new coaches on the road in 2018 at a cost of over £1.1 million with at least 1 more to come! 

This week we welcome 3 new 2018 plate coaches to the Barnes Fleet! Two 53 Seaters & a 61 seater. These beauties are exact replicas of our successful Irizars from 2017 (with full executive facilities) but are sporting our new grey livery.

We've spent this week transporting celebrities for the new tv series Celebrity Haunted Mansion at Woodchester Mansion where they spent the week Ghost Hunting!

Some stars who hopped on board the Barnes Coaches included.... Katie Price, Simon Gregson, Jay Hutton, Alison Hammond, Jorgie Porter, Simon Webbe & many more!

Santa's elves have been working hard this year on Barnes' Christmas presents! - (We're on the nice list we promise!)  New coaches are on it's way for early 2018. 

Barnes Coaches raised £208.66 for Children in Need on Friday 17th November 2017. We had lots of games, Coffee & cake and a bring and buy sale to help raise money, Great effort!

Barnes Coaches raised £90.10 for Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 29th September 2017. A massive thank you to all our lovely staff who got involved whether it was from baking the goods or simply buying something yummy we've all helped make a difference!

Our new 72 Seater Coach & our new 19 Seater Mini-Bus are now ready to hit the road as of today. Our 72 Seater school coach proudly displays the artwork by our Summer competition winner - Maria Bartucca, aged 15.

We are putting another 49 seat Volvo 9700 on the road from 1st September 2017, this sneak peek picture was taken in Poland where the coach was built. It has all the normal luxuries plus the added bonus of a USB charger for every passenger on board!

Here are some sneak pics of our new 19 seat vehicle that will be on the road from 1st September 2017. It is supplied by EVM and is the ultimate in small vehicle luxury. A new feature is that every seat has its own USB charger for added customer satisfaction!

The first of three new 67 plate vehicles Barnes are putting on the road 1st Sept is a 72 seat Volvo Sunsundegui SB3.

Barnes have operated dozens of Volvos over the years but this is the first with a Sunsundegui body.

The interior is set up with a 3 + 2 seat formation and is for school age children only (don’t worry, there is room for a few teachers/adults!).

Safety is always paramount and this coach comes with 3-point seat belts plus Automatic Braking and Lane Assist technology. The coach is also fully air conditioned, as is all of our fleet.

If you have a school age group looking for short or long journeys, weekdays or weekends then please contact us as we are already quoting on this vehicle.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new website!

Here you'll find details on Coach Hire and all Barnes tours including holidays, day trips, theatres and concerts, plus...

• Book online 24/7
• View brochures online and request copies
• Holiday pickup postcode checker
• Submit a coach hire quotation online
• View images of our coaches
• Check out our pickup points with Google Maps
• Reviews and FAQ sections
• Downloads: brochures, booking forms, travel insurance details etc.

Welcome to Barnes' Blog, the first post.