Sleeper bus

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A British sleeper bus. Upstairs has 14 bunks and a lounge area, downstairs is the galley & a second lounge area.

Upstairs sleeping bunks in a band bus

A sleeper bus is a type of coach used to transport rock and pop bands and their roadies between cities and shows. In Europe, these vehicles are full sized coaches but are only designed internally to carry between 8 and 18 passengers. There are always full galley facilities, comfortable lounges and bunk beds to allow the passengers to eat, relax & sleep whilst the driver drives to the next town or city for the next gig or concert. These vehicles always have blacked out or mirrored windows to allow the passengers to see out but preventing fans from peering in! They are very well equipped as the comfort of the passengers is paramount. DVD players, large screen Plasma Televisions, and game systems are now the norm while some vehicles even have personal DVD players and screens in each bunk.

Well known bands such as Bon Jovi or U2 can have as many as 7 or 8 sleeper buses employed on their tours to accommodate the many roadies required for large venues such as stadiums and arenas. These famous bands rarely travel on the bus though, they use air transport or limo's, leaving their crew members to travel by bus. Smaller, less well known bands will usually travel on the bus along with their roadies.

Sleeper coaches have come a long way since the old days when ex-National Express coaches were retired into sleeper coach use. Nowadays, the leading companies are buying new coaches which after fitting out cost over £350,000 - a certain level of insanity prevails as the daily rates for these coaches are not far above those for seated coaches.

Both in the UK and USA there has been a ramping of expectations. TV and Playstation in every bunk, 3G Internet access, coffee machines, wide memory foam mattresses, decent air conditioning, etc. All a long way from a group of mates slumming it in the back of a Ford Transit van.

Stretching the boundaries - literally - is this Neoplan Jumbocruiser owned by Jumbocruiser Ltd. that is in the process of being fitted out to sleep only 8 people.