A PA for the guide, 45 people listening.
A tour leader with 45 people behind them needs one thing from the coach besides seats: a way to be heard from the front to the back row. Here is what our coaches carry, what we will not promise, and how to set the morning up so the guide is not testing a microphone with the group on board.
What the coaches have
Every 50-seater coach has a PA system for a host or guide. That is the line on our fleet page and it answers most calls: yes, a guide can speak to the whole coach.
The 30-seater mini coach has a PA microphone on request. Say so when you book, because it is fitted for the job and not assumed. For a van or a car, we say nothing here. Ask us what is fitted on the vehicle you are quoted, and we confirm it in your written quote.
We do not describe the microphone itself on this page. Handheld, headset, fixed to the coach or passed along the aisle are questions for the quote, and we would sooner tell you what is on the vehicle assigned than guess.
A PA does not replace a good plan. Tell the group which seats are best for hearing, ask guests to keep side conversations low during commentary, and keep each talk short between stops, because forty-five people on a long road listen better in small pieces.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWho speaks
We supply the vehicle and the driver. The guide, the tour leader or the host is yours, and so is the programme. Our drivers are not licensed guides, and we do not sell commentary. If you want a spoken tour of the city, book a guide and let them use the coach’s PA on the way.
Pick the language of the commentary yourself, because the guide brings it. We do not claim a driver speaks anything beyond English, so a group that needs its tour in another language needs a guide who speaks it. That is the same for a group from Japan, Germany or Brazil.
45 people, one coach: the sums
A 50-seater has 50 seats, and we plan on 45 people per coach so late arrivals have somewhere to sit. That is the same 90 per cent habit as our guide to how many shuttle buses an event needs.
| Group | Vehicle | Guides needed | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 guests, 1 guide, 1 leader | One 50-seater: 47 of 50 seats | One | On the coach |
| 90 guests, 2 guides | Two 50-seaters: 92 of 100 seats | Two, one per coach | One on each coach |
| 25 guests, 1 guide | One mini coach: seat count to be stated on the quote | One | Ask for the microphone |
The second row is the one planners miss. A PA on a coach reaches that coach only. Two coaches that travel together need a guide on each, or one guide who speaks on one and hands over at the stops. Plan the second guide, or the second voice, before you plan the route.
Setting up the morning
The driver brings the coach to your first pick-up ten minutes early with the air-conditioning already running. Use that time. Ask the driver to show the guide how the PA works before guests board, and let the guide speak a sentence into it. Do not leave the first test to the moment forty-five people are waiting for the first commentary.
- Introduce the guide to the driver at the first pick-up, not at the first stop.
- Agree where the guide sits or stays during commentary. We confirm what is possible on the vehicle assigned.
- Agree who gives the signal to move off: the guide, the leader, or the driver on the time on the plan.
Group leaders who bring their own audio gear for guests should tell us. We confirm in your written quote whether it can travel with the group and where it rides.
Where it earns its place
A day to Abu Dhabi is the classic one. The PA fills the road leg with context, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque day trip uses the mosque’s designated parking, where the driver waits while the guide takes the group in. A city circuit works the same way, as the private city tour guide explains, with the old quarters done on foot from where the coach stops.
It earns its place on arrival too. A welcome from the leader, the plan for the day and the hotel details are said once, to everyone, as soon as the coach pulls out. Our big group arrival guide covers the airport side, and tour operators will find the wider setup in group transfers for tour operators and DMCs.
What to ask us before you book
- Is the PA fitted on the coach assigned, or on request for the mini coach?
- What type of microphone, and can the guide use it from where they sit?
- Do you need a second microphone for a second coach?
- Will the driver be briefed before the first pick-up?
Put the answers into the booking so they are in writing. Send the numbers on the booking page and ask for a fixed written quote. See coach rental in Dubai for the sizes, and what is in a bus rental quote to read the result.
Keep reading
- Coach rental Dubai: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for tours, conferences, schools and teams, sized to the group and quoted in writing.
- Transport for 31 to 50 people: Thirty-one to fifty people on one coach: what a 50-seater carries, how leaders and guides eat into the seats, and the places a full-size coach cannot go.
- 30-seater or 50-seater: tight entrances: Can a 50-seater reach the hotel door, or does the group need a mini coach? The questions to ask the hotel, the places where access is tight, and what the smaller coach does to your bags.
- Transport for 17 to 30 people: Seventeen to thirty people: one mini coach or two vans or Sprinters. A seat-count check, a luggage table for 26 people and a rule for choosing.
- Group transfers for tour operators: A planning guide for tour operators and destination management companies: arrival waves, manifests, hotel driveways, luggage, coach sizes and what to send for a quote.
- City tour by private minibus: A one-day Dubai city tour route for a group, how a private minibus compares with a hop-on hop-off bus, and what each option costs per head.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
Does the 50-seater coach have a PA system?
Yes. Every 50-seater has a PA system for a host or guide.
Does the mini coach have a microphone?
A PA microphone is available on request, so ask for it when you book.
Do vans and cars have a PA?
We do not claim one. Ask us what is fitted on the vehicle you are quoted, and we confirm it in writing.
Can the driver be the tour guide?
No. Our drivers are not licensed guides. Book a guide and they can use the PA on the way.
Do you supply tour guides?
We supply vehicles and drivers. The guide and the programme stay with you or your tour operator.
Do your drivers speak languages other than English?
We do not claim any. If your group needs commentary in another language, bring a guide who speaks it.
Can two coaches share one guide?
The PA reaches only its own coach. Two coaches need a guide on each, or a plan for one guide to hand over at the stops.
How much does a coach with a PA cost?
Ask for a fixed written quote. It depends on the date, the route and the hours.
Guide ready? Send us the plan.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.