Coach Hire with a Driver for German Group Trips
A Reisebus or Midibus with a driver, booked for a group travelling in Germany. You send the plan; a licensed partner operator supplies the vehicle and the person behind the wheel.
Booked by us, driven by a partner
This is a booking service. We take your plan to a partner operator, send you the quote and confirm the booking. The operator owns the coach, employs the driver and runs the day on the road.
In Germany, carrying a group by bus for payment comes under the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG). Operators doing this occasional work hold an authorisation (Genehmigung) for it. A coach driver holds a category D licence and the professional driver qualification, shown as code 95.
Start with the coach, size down if the group is small
A full-size Reisebus seats 49 to 57, with luggage holds underneath. A Midibus seats 29 to 35 and copes better with narrow old towns and small venues. Below that comes a Kleinbus for 9 to 16 passengers, then a car with driver for up to 8. One line matters: with more than nine seats including the driver, the vehicle counts as a bus, and bus rules apply.
What decides the plan, city by city
Low-emission zones. Inside an Umweltzone every coach needs the green sticker, foreign coaches included. The zones differ. Berlin's covers the centre inside the S-Bahn ring. Stuttgart's covers the whole city, and diesel coaches need Euro VI to enter its inner zone. Hamburg, Dresden and Nuremberg have no zone; Heidelberg, Hanover and Freiburg have lifted theirs. Rules change, so they are checked again before travel.
Stopping. Old towns rarely let a coach park. In Munich coaches use 20-minute set-down zones on the Altstadtring. In Cologne the city-centre stop is Gereonstraße, 15 minutes at most with the engine off. In Nuremberg coaches stay outside the old town and the group walks in.
Drivers' hours. EU rules allow 9 hours at the wheel a day, 10 hours twice a week, with a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours and at least 11 hours of rest each day.
Motorways. A coach may run at 100 km/h only if it is approved and equipped for it; otherwise the limit is 80 km/h. Buses pay no Lkw-Maut, and the Sunday lorry ban does not apply to them, so a weekend departure is fine.
A long day: Neuschwanstein from Munich
The round trip is about 260 km of driving. That makes a long day under the drivers' hours rules, and the castle sets the clock as well. Tours start at a fixed entry time, and a late group loses its tour. Buy tickets ahead: the castle itself sells none, and same-day tickets in Hohenschwangau often run out in high season. Coaches park only at P1 and P4. Plan to be in Hohenschwangau at least 1.5 to 2 hours before entry.
One quote instead of a price list
Every trip is priced on its own day, hours, kilometres and vehicle, so there is no rate card. You receive one quote naming the vehicle, with the operator's cancellation terms. Nothing is charged until you accept.
Questions organisers ask
Who is the driver working for?
The partner operator that supplies the coach. We stay your contact for the booking itself, before and after the trip.
Where can a trip start?
Anywhere in Germany. Twenty cities and regions have planning pages, from Hamburg and Bremen down to Füssen and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Send the pickup address.
Can we travel on a Sunday or public holiday?
Yes. The Sunday and holiday driving ban covers lorries over 7.5 t, not buses, so a tour or club trip can run on those days.
Cities
Other group trips we arrange
Ask for a coach quote
Send the group size, the date, the pickup point and the stops in order. The quote comes back for you to check, and nothing is charged until you accept it.
Request a quote or call 35227647770