Field trips: children everywhere look forward to them, but for teachers and school administrators, they can be a nightmare. Pupils have to be accounted for at all times, and traveling from the school to a museum or other location can be a hassle with a bus full of rowdy kids. Sometimes not even all the parent chaperones in the world can keep children calm on a long bus ride.

Yet the problem isn’t always the kids or the number of volunteers schools have at their disposal. It can also be the mode of transportation. Choosing charter buses rather than standard school buses could make the trip easier on the adults and children alike.

Why might your students benefit considerably from traveling by charter bus? Here’s why you may choose chartering a bus for your school’s field trip:

• Better accommodations. With coach buses, there are no more uncomfortable bench seats, and you won’t be at the mercy of too-hot or too-cold weather like you would be on a school bus. Chartering a bus means having access to a comfortable and climate-controlled environment. Many of these buses also have restrooms on board, which is ideal for any long trip. You can even get WiFi on a bus, too. That makes it easier to monitor students and check in with the school, too.
• Well-behaved students. School buses are notorious for aiding unruly children. After all, they don’t have to stay buckled in, and the bench seats allow students to easily turn around and hang over the backs of the seats. By chartering a bus, however, students will be seated comfortably and buckled in for safety. They can face forward and talk to students sitting next to them, and they may even be able to watch a movie if the bus ride will be a long one. This will give teachers and chaperones an easier time keeping track of students.
• More efficient travel. The best charter bus companies don’t just offer more comfortable seats and perks like WiFi and movies. They also make travel more efficient than it would be otherwise. Coach buses, which help more than 750 million people travel each year, provide 206.6 passenger miles per gallon of fuel, compared with just 27.2 miles per gallon for a single-occupant car on the road. They are also three times more efficient than commuter rail and six times as efficient as transit buses when it comes to reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The costs of traveling by coach bus when compared with traveling by car or other means makes this an ideal form of transportation for all types of school trips.

If you have a field trip coming up that would require more comfort and amenities than you would see on a school bus, then it’s time to consider getting a charter bus. Have more questions? Leave one in the comments.