Sleeper bus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A sleeper bus is a type of coach used to transport bands and their technicians and road crew 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 sometimes 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 road crew required for large venues such as stadiums and arenas. These famous bands rarely travel on the bus though; they use air transport or limousines, leaving their crew members to travel by bus. Smaller, less well known bands will usually travel on the bus along with their tech crew.
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 — the daily rates for these coaches are not far above those for seated coaches.
Both in the UK and U.S. there has been a ramping of expectations. TV and Playstations in every bunk, 3G Internet access, coffee machines, wide memory foam mattresses, decent air conditioning, etc.
Some travel companies have these as mobile hotels taking tourists to locations where there is no hotel, or there are long distances overnight.
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[edit] Also known as
- Band bus
- Crew bus
- Nightliner
- Nightrider
- Sleeper coach
- Tour Bus
[edit] External links — operators
[edit] British
- Nova Travel
- CBBB
- Phoenix Bussing
- Jumbocruiser
- Silvergray
- Trathens StarRiders
- Wright Bros
- A Sleeper bus for holiday makers travelling overnight
[edit] USA
[edit] European
- Beat The Street - Austria
- Toonalone- The Netherlands
- MZ Entertainment Support - Germany
- Tourservice - Sweden
- Easymiles - Sweden / Finland
- Sleeper bus - Spanish
[edit] Further Information
- Band Bus information site
- Stagelink - Sleeper bus suppliers
- Chinese manufacturer of sleeper buses for long distance routes
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