Band Bus Tour Bus Tour buses Europe Tour

Y-NOT Touring

Useful info

Facebook

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

*Our vehicles are licensed to carry a certain number of passengers. It is therefore necessary for the hirer to inform us of the maximum number of people likely to be traveling on a vehicle at any time during a tour so that we can allocate a suitable vehicle. It is also important that we are informed if there is any likelihood of children or babies being carried on board. In certain countries it is a legal requirement that children must wear seatbelts at all times when traveling and as our vehicles do not usually have seatbelts, we may be able to make arrangements to fit suitable child seats to accommodate.

* Drivers' hours are regulated by law. It is illegal for our drivers to work outside these hours. We will always plan schedules so as to minimise the risk of delays due to the new drivers' hour's legislation. However, on some occasions this may be unavoidable. Under any such circumstances we cannot be held responsible for any losses arising due to any delays unless they are due solely to our own negligence. Hirers must note that using driver's time for small transfers may have a negative influence on the ability of the driver to fully complete scheduled journeys. We strongly advise the hirer (tour manager) to liaise with the driver to highlight any conflicting issues. There is a guide to the new drivers' hour's legislation on the homepage of our website.

* It is against maritime law for any passenger to remain in any vehicle on all ferry crossings within the European Community. It is the responsibility of the hirer or their representative to inform each person travelling on the bus that they must exit the vehicle upon or before boarding a ferry.

* Although it is usually the case that most of the travelling on a tour is done overnight, in some European and Scandinavian countries it is technically against the law for passengers to be lying on bunks while the vehicle is in motion. The Hirer must take full responsibility for this and agree to accept any possible consequence as a result of action by any authority in the unlikely event the coach is delayed or the company is fined.

* It is the hirer's responsibility to ensure that no documentation or people are transported illegally. Examples might be passengers with no work permit, merchandise and gear with no carnet where one is required, illegal drugs being used or carried etc. We reserve the right to be compensated in full where a route diversion is required or where a vehicle is temporarily or permanently confiscated or where we are fined as a result of such an infringement.

* It is illegal to smoke on board the hire vehicles as these are deemed to be work environments. If anyone is caught smoking on a Y-Not vehicle by the autorities which results in a fine, the hirer shall be responsible for the payment of the fine in full.

INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL LOSS

* As stated in our Terms & Conditions, personal property, as in hand luggage, is covered by contingency to a limit of �250.00 per person with the exception of negligence by passengers, for example failure by passengers to lock the coach doors when they have been provided with a key to do so. Y-Not touring cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to personal possessions or other property except where caused by negligence of the company or its servants. Any article left on a vehicle at the end of a tour will be securely stored and reasonable efforts will be taken to return the article to the owner at the owner's expense.

* Any goods travelling in one of our trailers or in the vehicle bays are not considered hand luggage and are not insured by ourselves and unless they are damaged by ourselves we cannot accept responsibility for their loss or damage. You will need to obtain suitable insurance for these items. If you have booked a trailer you must insure the contents yourself. You are also responsible for any documentation relating to the contents including a carnet if required.

* Y-Not touring will not be responsible for any failure to perform the contract in whole or in part by reason of accident, fire, traffic congestion, vehicle breakdown, extreme weather, strikes or any other cause outside our reasonable control, though every effort will be made to maintain the service contracted for. Suitable insurance against loss of earnings due to such events should be considered by the hirer.

GENERAL

* In the unlikely event of any passenger being persistently abusive or causing damage to the vehicle, we will require such person(s) to leave the vehicle for the benefit of the others. Alternative transport would have to be arranged and paid for by the hirer for any person(s) removed under such circumstances.

* The hirer accepts responsibility to protect the vehicle from damage, specifically by third parties while parked at any venue but also generally during the course of the hire. This will include mitigation for damage and consequential loss caused by vinyl's or items attached to the coach.

* We provide standard amenities like televisions and DVD players. Any others, such as Playstations, media boxes and sometimes broadband facilities, are considered as free extras and not a condition of hiring our coaches. Failure of any such device cannot be the cause for termination of the contract or discount of the price. We do not provide any entertainment media (games, CDs, DVDs, tapes or smart cards). Customers are expected to bring their own and the devices are provided for their convenience.

* The amenities provided on our vehicles require an AC electrical connection to be used. Whilst in motion our vehicles are able to generate enough AC to run these along with things like laptops and mobile phone chargers etc. Our drivers are under strict instructions not to run vehicle engines whilst stationary for longer than 5 minutes. (In many EU countries it is illegal to cause any kind of air pollution due to running engines.) It is therefore highly recommended that the hirer (tour manager) makes arrangements for a power supply at each venue/destination. It is not the driver's job to arrange a power supply although he will help where he can. The air conditioning on some vehicles is only powered by the engine and will not be available whilst stationary. However in most cases a secondary static air conditioner is available where appropriate power is available. Y-Not touring will bear no responsibility for any loss or inconvenience caused due to lack of power.

* Due to the size of our vehicles it may not be possible to gain access to the destination site either by physical or legal constraints. We recommend you check with the destination beforehand. Our drivers will endeavor to advise on possible problems, however ultimately it is the hirer's (tour manager's) responsibility to check. We expect our vehicles to be able to park safely and securely at any scheduled venue or hotel stop. Hirers must note that if parking is not arranged in advance the driver is under strict instructions to find secure parking for the vehicle and this could be some distance from the intended destination. In the event that the vehicle is unable to park near to the destination/venue Y-Not touring cannot be held responsible for any shuttle costs or any loss or inconvenience caused.

* Mileage accounting for tours is according to our best knowlwdge and the newest routing software following the itinerary supllied by the hirer. All touring miles accounted include a tolerance of up to 5%, sufficient for small detours and remote venues. Any additional mileage will be accounted at �1.00 per mile. There will be no re-imbursement of any lower mileage than calculated.

* As stated in the original quote/contract, road tolls, city tolls, parking fees, city entering fees, toll bridges and tunnels are to be paid in cash to the driver upon presenting the receipt. Drivers' PDs of �50.00 a day are to be in cash to the drivers on the road either in a lump sum or as agreed between the tour manager and main driver at the beginning of the tour. The drivers should also receive either full catering or a buyout of at least �15.00 a day, or the equivalent in Euros if touring abroad. Full catering is considered to be at least two hot meals a day at a time that fits in with the drivers' sleeping arrangements.

* If a trailer has been hired, it is the hirer's responsibility to ensure that the trailer is correctly loaded at all times. the driver will be available for advice as to the best way to load a trailer and the vehicle bays and is under strict instructions not to drive the vehicle if he thinks it has not been loaded correctly. It is illegal to overload trailers and can be very dangerous and cause damage to the towing vehicle if the trailer is loaded incorrectly. The drivers are entitled to an allowance of �15.00 a day for taking care of the trailer which should be paid direct to the drivers on top of their usual PDs and food buyouts.

* If the hirer (Tour Manager) has any queries or problems that can not be resolved by the main driver or is not satisfied with any aspect of the vehicle hire, please contact Y-Not and we shall endeavour to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

OTHER SERVICES

Tour Management - If you are looking for a tour manager we can help you to find the right person for the job. We deal with dozens of tour managers year in and year out, from big acts to the unknowns! We can help you find a tour manager to suit your requirements.

Backline Hire - If you need to hire in extra gear, from an amp to complete backline equipment, we can arrange this for you and pick it up before or after meeting the band at the start of your tour.

Equipment Carnets - If you are touring in a non-EC country you may require an equipment carnet. If you are not sure what's involved or could just do without the hassle, we can arrange this for you.

Equipment Transport - The buses do carry a certain amount of gear in the bays, some more than others. We also hire two different sized trailers that can be towed by the buses. Please see Our Buses for details. If you have too much gear to fit in a bus and trailer, we can arrange for extra transport and a driver to follow the bus.

Hotel & Flight bookings - At Y-NOT we include ferry bookings in the quote but we can also arrange hotel and flight bookings for you where necessary. Private jet bookings are also available.

TRAILERS

Our trailers come in two sizes. All are twin axle trailers. The internal dimensions for the larger size are: W 1730mm, L 3030mm H 2140mm and volume 12.12m3. The internal dimensions for the smaller size are: W 1480mm, L 3020, H 1830mm and volume 8.72m3. Maximum payload for the large trailer is 1500kg and the smaller trailer 1200kg. It is essential to load the trailer correctly and, if possible, putting the heavier equipment in the bays of the coach. Your tourbus driver will be happy to advise on loading at the beginning of a tour. The trailers are fully lockable and lock at the hitch as well, however Y-Not will not take responsibility for any loss of equipment due to theft of the equipment itself or the trailer. (Please see our terms and conditions.) Journey times will be longer when towing a trailer and this should be taken into account when planning the tour. Apart from the trailer hire charge there will be extra driver PDs to pay on the road and trailer ferry costs if touring abroad. Trailer hire costs are linked to total mileage and are subject to VAT. More pictures of our trailers will be uploaded on this page soon.

DRIVERS' HOURS

At Y-Not we always try our best to fit in with the plans of a tour manager on the road, however there will be occasions where, due to the new Drivers' Hours And Tachograph rules, it may not be possible to do certain journeys, some of the time.

The following information is a basic guide to help you to understand why your driver might politely say �No, sorry, I can't do that� when you ask to change a driving schedule!

Driving time.

�Driving time� is the duration of driving activity recorded by the recording equipment (tachograph) on board the vehicle. (It is illegal to drive the vehicle without using a valid tachograph.) Even a short period of driving under EU rules during any day by a driver will mean that he is in scope of the EU rules for the whole of that day and must comply with the daily driving, break and rest requirements; he will also have to comply with the weekly rest requirement and driving limit.

The maximum amount of driving time permitted per day is 9 hours, which can be increased to 10 hours twice a week. The maximum amount of driving time in one week is 56 hours and must not exceed 90 hours within a two weekly period. During any week a driver must not drive for more than 6 consecutive days.

Breaks.

 A �break� is a period during which a driver may not carry out any driving or any other work and which is used exclusively for recuperation.

After a period of no more than 4.5 hours driving, a driver must immediately take a break of at least 45 minutes. Alternatively, a 4.5 hour driving period can be split by taking one break of at least 15 minutes followed by another break of at least 30 minutes at the end of the 4.5 hours driving time. For example the driver can drive for 2 hours, take a break of at least 15 minutes, drive for another 2.5 hours and take a break of at least 30 minutes, before continuing with the journey.

Obviously these break times are only required on long journeys, and more breaks can be taken if required. For longer journeys, having a relief driver will enable up to a maximum of 20 driving hours in one day.

Daily rest periods.

A driver must take a daily rest period of at least 11 continuous hours within each period of 24 hours. A rest period is an uninterrupted period where the driver may freely dispose of his time. A daily rest period may be reduced to 9 hours three times within a two week period.

(A daily rest period may be interrupted to enable driving on or off a ferry, but no more than twice in one rest period and for no longer than one hour in total. The total rest period must cover 11 hours plus the amount of time taken by any interruptions.)

 Weekly rest periods.

 A �regular� weekly rest period of no less than 45 continuous hours is required after no more than 6 consecutive working days. However, this can be replaced by a �reduced� weekly rest period of 24 hours provided that a �regular� rest period of 45 hours was taken the week before or will be taken a week later. For example, if a 45 hour rest was taken before a tour starts, a 24 hour rest can be taken after 6 days, provided the driver can take a 45 hour rest at the end of the following week. Any �reduced� rest period must be compensated for within the following three weeks by adding the amount of hours reduced to a weekly or daily rest period. If a tour involves travelling between two or more countries, exluding the home countries, the "6 days before a weekly rest" rule can be stretched to 12 days. Catch up rules still apply here so a driver weekly rest of 69 hours will be required after the 12 days. .

If you have any doubt as to whether a journey you want to plan can fit in with these rules, please contact Y-Not to discuss your ideas. Obviously, longer tours and journeys will require a relief driver at times to enable the regular driver to take his required breaks and rests and the cost of this will be included in your quote from Y-Not.