Preston minibus hire with a driver who works the city's motorway junctions, the Ribble bridges and the station approach every week, for football supporters, UCLan societies, wedding guests, school parties and travellers meeting a train on the West Coast Main Line.
Preston is Lancashire's administrative centre and became a city in 2002. It sits on the north bank of the River Ribble, where the M6, M55, M61 and M65 all meet within a few miles of each other. That makes it one of the easiest places in the north-west to start a group journey: Blackpool, Lancaster, Manchester and Liverpool are each under an hour away in normal traffic.
The centre itself is compact. Fishergate runs from the railway station up to the Flag Market and the Harris Museum, Friargate carries the pubs and student bars north towards the University of Central Lancashire, and the Ringway loops around the top of it all. The listed concrete bus station and the Guild Hall sit on the eastern edge, close to the main shopping streets.
For a minibus, the tricky parts are short and predictable. The station approach is crowded with taxis, Fishergate gives way to buses and pedestrians in places, and the bridges over the Ribble towards Penwortham back up at rush hour. Planning a Preston pickup is mostly a matter of choosing the right side street and the right time, which we do for every booking.
Outside the Ringway the city spreads north into Fulwood, home to the Royal Preston Hospital and the old barracks, and east towards Deepdale and the M6. Many groups stay in hotels near motorway junctions 31 and 32 rather than in the centre, which suits coaches well because the car parks are larger and the run onto the motorway is quick.
Preston station is on the West Coast Main Line, roughly halfway between London and Glasgow, with frequent trains to Manchester, Blackpool and Lancaster. Groups often arrive by train from both directions and need one vehicle to carry everyone onwards.
UCLan's main campus sits right in the city, around Adelphi Street and Fylde Road. Term starts, open days and graduations bring families and students to the same few streets at once.
Preston sits in the middle of these places, so one vehicle can often collect along the way.
Because the motorways meet here, Preston is a natural gathering point. A stag group might collect friends in Salford and Chorley on the way north, while a walking club could pick up in Preston and Lancaster before heading into the fells.
The Fylde coast is the closest seaside: Blackpool is about half an hour along the M55. In the other direction, minibus hire in Manchester and Liverpool cover groups who want to meet in the big cities, and the Lake District is about an hour up the M6.
An example for 40 guests, half coming up from London and half down from Scotland, for a wedding at a country house venue east of the city.
Preston's position on the main line means wedding guests often arrive by train from both ends of the country on the same morning. The venues in the Ribble Valley, between Preston and Clitheroe, are mostly down country lanes with limited parking, so a shuttle from the station and the hotels keeps the day simple.
In this example a 24 seater minibus and a smaller vehicle split the guests between two trains, then join up for the evening runs. Every step is agreed with the couple or their planner beforehand. See wedding transport for how we plan the day around photographs and speeches.
Book the vehicles once the guest list settles, with the venue's access notes and any weight or length limits on its drive.
Confirm the train times from London and Glasgow, the hotels near junction 31 and the latest pickup the venue allows.
Meet each train at a side-street point near Preston station, load the bags and run guests to their hotel to change.
Collect from the hotels in time for the ceremony, then wait or return for the photographs if the venue asks vehicles to leave.
Two return loops: an early one for families and older guests, and a later one after the last dance.
The groups we plan for most often in and around the city.
Preston's mix of football, a large university, county offices and easy motorway access means the same vehicle might do an airport run at dawn, a society trip at lunchtime and a night out in the evening. Each needs a different pickup point and a different size of vehicle.
Sports clubs heading to fixtures, societies on weekend trips and course field days all start from the city-centre campus. We agree one stop near Adelphi Street or Fylde Road and send it to the organiser so nobody waits on the wrong corner.
Education and student tripsPreston North End supporters travel to away grounds across the country, and junior and amateur teams play all over Lancashire every weekend. A minibus with room for kit bags keeps the squad together.
Sports team travelLancashire County Council's offices sit close to the station, and conferences and training days bring visitors in by train. Shuttles from the station to a hotel or venue on the edge of the city are a common request.
Corporate travelBirthday and hen groups either start in Preston's pubs or head down the M61 for a night in Manchester, with a fixed return time agreed in advance.
Party and night-out transportThe Preston venues that appear most often on our bookings, and how we approach each one.
Most of these places are within fifteen minutes of each other, so a group can easily combine two in a day. The detail that matters is where the vehicle stops, which changes on match days and during big events.
Preston North End's home on Sir Tom Finney Way, one of the oldest grounds still used by a league club. On match days the roads around it are busy and some are closed, so we set down a short walk away, often on the Moor Park side.
Spread around Adelphi Street, Fylde Road and the Student Centre near the Ringway. Open days and term starts are the busiest times, and we agree the stop with the organiser in advance.
On Lancaster Road beside the bus station, hosting concerts, comedy and conferences. Evening shows end at the same time, so we confirm a collection point a street or two away from the main doors.
Preston's grand museum, gallery and library faces the Market Square at the top of Fishergate. Check opening times before planning a school or heritage visit, as hours vary.
Victorian parks running down to the Ribble, a short walk from the station. Popular for wedding photographs, family gatherings and the Easter egg rolling tradition.
The old dock west of the centre, now a marina with the Ribble Steam Railway beside it. Parking is easier here, which suits a coach on a family or school day out.
Manchester and Liverpool are both usually about 50 minutes away, so the choice often comes down to the flight. Manchester has the most routes and is reached via the M6, M61, M60 and M56; see Manchester Airport transfers for terminal pickup notes.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is reached down the M6 and M58, then across the city's southern suburbs. It is often quieter at check-in, which helps a large group with a lot of luggage.
Leeds Bradford Airport is about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half across the Pennines on the M65 and the moorland roads beyond. It makes sense for some routes, but we allow extra time in winter when those roads can be slow.
Approximate times in normal traffic from central Preston. Friday afternoons and summer Saturdays are slower.
Preston's motorway links are its biggest advantage. The M55 runs west to the Fylde, the M6 goes north to Lancaster and Cumbria and south towards Wigan and the M58, the M61 heads for Bolton and Manchester, and the M65 runs east to Blackburn and Burnley.
The slow points are well known. The M6 between junctions 26 and 32 is busy at commuter times, the M55 queues back towards Preston on summer weekends and Illuminations evenings, and the M61 joins the M60 at a junction that is often congested. We plan departure times around them.
| Destination | Road time (approx.) | Usual route |
|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | About 30 minutes | West on the M55. See Blackpool. |
| Lancaster | About 30 minutes | North on the M6 to junction 34. |
| Manchester city centre | About 45 minutes | The M61 and M60, or the A6 for some suburbs. |
| Liverpool | About 50 minutes | The M6 and M58. See Liverpool. |
| Windermere | About 1 hour | The M6 to junction 36, then the A591. |
| Leeds | About 1 hour 15 minutes | The M65 or the M61 and M62 over the Pennines. |
| Chester | About 1 hour 10 minutes | The M6, M56 and the A55 approach. |
Times are a guide only. We confirm the route and the timing with each booking.
Places Preston groups ask us to plan most often, with approximate road times.
Because so much is within an hour, a Preston day trip rarely needs an early start. The longer runs, to the Lakes or across the Pennines, work best with a driver so that nobody has to drive home after a long day out.
Quiet fells, Beacon Fell Country Park and villages such as Chipping. The lanes are narrow, so a minibus suits better than a coach.
A Roman fort museum by the river, then Clitheroe's castle and market town, popular with history groups.
Green, windmill and championship golf links, a calmer seaside day than Blackpool.
Lord Street, the pier and the sand dunes along the Sefton coast.
Windermere cruises, Grasmere and Ambleside, with longer runs to Keswick.
The Albert Dock, the museums and a match at Anfield or Goodison for football fans.
The 24 seater minibus carries a full football squad with coaches and kit, a UCLan society or half a wedding party, yet it is still small enough to reach a campus side street or a lane in the Ribble Valley where a full coach would struggle.
Smaller groups heading for the airport often choose an 8 seater MPV or a 16 seater minibus. School trips and supporters' coaches for away days step up to a 33 seater coach or a 53 seater coach, with coach hire with a driver covering longer journeys.
Good for: grassroots football teams, student society trips, wedding shuttles from Preston station and days out in Bowland.
Check the official dates each year before you book.
Home matches bring crowds into the streets around Moor Park and Sir Tom Finney Way. Visiting supporters and hospitality groups need a set-down a short walk from the ground, with a pickup timed for after the final whistle.
For away days, supporters' groups travel the length of the country. We plan the departure around the kick-off and the motorway, with a comfort stop at a sensible point.
Supporters' and team travelThe Guild is held only once every twenty years, hence the local saying about doing something 'once every Preston Guild'. The last was in 2012, and the next is expected in 2032. Check the official programme when it is published, as processions close much of the centre.
Preston's Caribbean Carnival brings music and a parade to the city in the summer, and Easter egg rolling draws families to Avenham Park. Check the official dates and route, as nearby roads close for both.
Preston groups head south for Creamfields at Daresbury, about 50 minutes down the M6, and for Manchester Pride in the city centre. Christmas parties often go to Manchester or Blackpool for the night, with a fixed return time agreed in advance.
Festival transportThe station approach is busy with taxis and buses, so we usually agree a side-street point a short walk away and send directions with the booking.
Usually about 50 minutes via the M61, M60 and M56, longer at rush hour. See Manchester Airport transfers.
Yes. Tell us the fixture and the number travelling, and we plan the departure around the kick-off and the motorway traffic.
Roads near the ground are busy and some close, so we set down a short walk away and agree a pickup point for after the match.
Yes. We agree a single stop on the edge of the campus, near Adelphi Street or Fylde Road, and send it to the organiser.
The Guild is held every twenty years. The last was in 2012 and the next is expected in 2032, so check the official programme once it is published.
Some have long drives and narrow lanes, so we check each venue's access first and suggest a minibus where a coach would struggle. See wedding transport.
Windermere is about an hour up the M6 and the A591, and Keswick about an hour and a half. See the Lake District page.
The local patterns we plan around when setting a pickup time.
School run and commuter peaks. The Ribble crossings, Blackpool Road and the M6 near junction 31 are slowest between about 8 and 9 in the morning and 4 and 6 in the evening.
Match days at Deepdale. Roads on the east side of the city are busy for an hour or more either side of kick-off, which also affects traffic to junction 31.
Summer weekends on the M55. Holiday traffic for the Fylde coast queues back towards junction 32, especially on Saturday mornings and Illuminations evenings.
University term start. Move-in weekends and open days fill the campus streets with cars and families, so we use stops on the edge of the campus.
Roadworks and events. Major works on the motorways and closures for parades change from month to month. Check before you travel, and we confirm the route nearer the day.
Send the date, the pickup address, where you are heading and how many are travelling. We will reply with a suggested vehicle and a realistic plan for the roads.
Pickup points chosen for Preston station and the UCLan streets, sent with the booking.
Departures planned around Deepdale kick-offs and away fixtures.
Timed for Manchester, Liverpool or Leeds Bradford, with room for luggage. See airport transfers.
Send the trip details through the quote form.
We reply with a vehicle and a quote.
We confirm the pickup point and timings before the day.