Transport for student tours in Dubai

What a tour organiser needs from a coach company

If you organise tours for a school, a university department or a student society overseas, you probably already have a risk assessment, a consent process and a list of adults who are responsible for the group. Our part is smaller and more specific. We provide a coach, a professional driver, a timetable that works and a price you can put in your budget.

What we do not decide is how many staff you bring, how supervision is arranged or what the school’s own safeguarding policy requires. Those are the school’s calls. If your policy needs particular documents from the transport provider, tell us when you ask for the quote and we say what we can supply.

Seat belts, seat counts and the staff seat

The 50-seater coach has a seat belt at each seat. For the mini coach, ask us to confirm seat belt provision for the exact vehicle on your quote, since some groups need that stated in writing for their paperwork.

Count staff and chaperones in the headcount. A tour of 44 students with 5 adults is 49, which just fits a 50-seater but leaves no spare seat for the guide who joins at the second stop. For that group a mini coach and a second small vehicle for staff is sometimes cleaner. Our school trip cost guide works through the same sizing in more detail.

Daytime itineraries that fit the coach

Student tours in Dubai usually fall into a handful of patterns, and each one has a coach plan that works.

Check with each venue for opening hours, group entry rules and booking requirements. We sell transport only. See our city tour by minibus guide for ideas on how a day is paced.

Timing: students are not hotel guests

A group of teenagers takes longer to board than a group of executives. Someone goes back for a bag, someone needs the bathroom, someone is still buying water. Plan 10 to 15 minutes to load at each stop, and tell the group leader to count at every boarding, because a head count at breakfast says little about the evening.

The driver takes the coach to the meeting point early and stays with it, but the count belongs to the staff. A simple habit works well: one adult at the door counting students on, one at the back counting heads.

Heat, water and shade

From about May to September, the outdoor temperature is high enough that waiting for a late student on a pavement becomes a health question for the school. Plan indoor visits for the middle of the day, and keep the air-conditioned coach as the place the group returns to. The driver can have the cabin cool before the group arrives. Schools usually carry their own water; ask us if you want bottled water added to the quote.

Example: a 45-student, 6-staff study tour

This is an example only. A visiting group of 51 needs more than the 50 seats of a single coach. A mini coach for 30 and a second mini coach for 21 would carry them with a few spare seats, or a 50-seater plus a car for the extra staff.

At starting rates, two mini coaches are AED 2,200 for a full day, and a coach plus a van is a different sum. The written quote gives the real figure for your dates and hours. The thing to decide first is whether one vehicle is easier to supervise than two, and only the school can answer that.

Airport arrival and departure for student groups

Student groups often arrive on a charter or a long-haul flight with a lot of luggage and a tired group. For a first-night arrival, see the big group arrival guide. The group leader should have a printed list of names for the driver, and luggage tags that match. The airport transfer page shows how pickups work for smaller parties.

Booking a tour with several days of coaches

Put every day in one request, with dates, pick-up hotel or hostel, venue names and the planned finishing time. You receive one quote with each day listed. Ask for the same driver for the whole programme and we do our best to keep him on the job.

Send the request through the booking page, and read the price page first for starting rates. If your school is inside the UAE and wants daily routes, the school bus page covers daily routes.

Things we leave to the school

Entry rules, visas and consent forms are for the school and the families. Check the official ICP and GDRFA sites for entry rules. Check each venue for tickets and age limits. We do not sell tickets, tours or hotel rooms.

Prices for these vehicles

Starting prices with driver and fuel, within Dubai. Hourly hire has a minimum number of hours, confirmed on your quote. Monthly prices are for a daily staff route; the route, hours and working days are confirmed on your quote. Your written quote gives the exact price for your date and route.

Related: School trip bus rental · School trip bus cost · Coach rental Dubai · City tour by private minibus · Get a quote

Keep reading

• School trip bus rental: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for class trips, fixtures and residentials, with a seat belt on every seat.
• 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.
• German groups: Coaches and minibuses for German-speaking tour groups: a written day plan, clear pick-up times, planned rest stops and a fixed quote in AED.
• Old Dubai coach tour: Old Dubai with a coach and a group of 13 to 60: the route, where the coach can and cannot stop, and how to plan the walking segments.
• Chinese groups: Coaches for sightseeing and shopping days: a clear split between the guide and the driver, one fixed quote and a day plan that survives a long lunch.
• Stopover tour: A private Dubai stopover or layover tour from DXB: met at arrivals, shown the city at your pace, back at the terminal in good time for your next flight.