Coach operator to offer door-to-door service

A home collection and drop off service is being introduced for WA Shearings holidaymakers next year.

The coach operator claims customers could save up to 90 minutes on their travel time with the door-to-door service. 

Home Connect will take people direct from their homes to the regional departure point of their tour.

Prices vary according to the departure regions and destination but there is a maximum charge of £20 each way. For some departures there will be no extra charge but Home Connect will not be offered in the South East.

The service is detailed as part of a number of changes introduced in The Best Coach Holidays to Britain & Ireland and The Best Coach Holidays to Europe brochures, out September 14. Prices have been reduced for next summer and more than 30 new or revised tours to Europe added.

The over-50s operator is also investing in its hotels, refurbishing its travelshops and introducing an enlarged reservations department with staff offering improved product knowledge.  

The UK brochure features three ways to join a holiday:

*Home Connect

*Join at one of nine main coach interchanges or 24 en-route collection points

*Tour Connect – Almost 800 UK departure locations, reducing the time spent travelling to less convenient pick-up points.

The operator’s sales and marketing director Karen Gee said: “We’ve undergone a process of consultation with our customers and have responded to their feedback with these new coaching options and other improvements.

“The changes being introduced in our new brochures will mean a much more flexible way to join our holidays – including our new convenient door-to-door Home Connect service.

“We’ve also invested in our hotels, introducing new room décor and freshening up the restaurants and bars, and have improved facilities at our interchanges. On top of that many of our holidays have been reduced in price for summer 2007.”

The new brochures also include new tours for 2007, from traditional British coaching holidays to new air/coach options, health breaks, cruises with lines such as Fred Olsen and Norwegian Cruise Line, and special interest tours.

Summer 2007 holidays include reductions of up to £89 on 2006 prices. Examples include:

*A five-day holiday to Torquay and Devon costing £268 this year, is on sale at £193 for departures in the North West region, saving £75.

*An eight-day tour to Fort William and Skye is £429 this year, selling for £361 for departures in the South East, saving £68.

Report by Phil Davies