What is Benchmark?
BUSK Benchmark is the first and only completely independent star rating for the minibus and coach industry based on safety and legal compliance. Companies listed on this website undergo two independent audits to check how the company is run, what systems are in place to safeguard passengers and to what standard drivers are trained. Checks are made when a company applies to join and every three years after that. All companies are subject to a random spot check.
Why is there a need for Benchmark?
Most of us will have heard of Scores On The Doors, a local authority initiative that gives a 0 to 5 rating for food hygiene standards for restaurants and take-aways. This means you can choose to eat from an outlet where you know the hygiene standard will be high or low. It is your choice. Would you risk eating from an outlet with a zero rating if you knew it meant there was a cause for concern and the local authority were pressing them to raise their standards to protect your health? Perhaps not.
When it comes to hiring transport, schools often tell BUSK that a coach company would not be trading and have a license if it was not operating safely. If you think about the zero rated take-away and how it is still able to operate because the local authority continue to allow them to, it is important to realise that just because an operator has a license does not mean they are necessarily operating legally and safely. Every week in the trade press the court reports will back this up.
Operators that flaunt the law put everyone at risk. By not maintaining the fleet safely, they can afford to cut costs and consistently offer cheaper coach hire. If you would not eat from a zero rated take-away for the good of your health, then why would you choose to hire a company that does not maintain its fleet safely because this can put your life at risk or the lives of children you make transport arrangements for.
This is why there is a need for Benchmark. In fact, it was coach operators that asked BUSK to introduce the scheme. All operators listed with us will welcome you through their doors to check their compliance records. They have nothing to hide.
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