FAQ | Ohio Party Bus

General Questions about the Ohio Party Bus

How do you know the Ohio Party bus is safe?

Is there an age requirement to ride the Ohio Party Bus?

That’s a good question—and we never joke about this. The easy way to find out is to go online to www.safersys.org. This is a US government website, and you can review the safety and inspection records of every registered US carrier. Go to the “company snapshot” tab, then type in our registration number—USDOT 907499. It will provide the most up-to-date safety and insurance information. In addition, the USDOT mandates that we participate in a drug-testing program. Prospective drivers must take a pre-employment drug screen and active drivers are subject to random drug-testing within our company program.

No, there is no age limit to ride; however, we expect that a parent, guardian, or responsible adult will travel with smaller children. Also, keep in mind that motorcoaches are not required by law to have seatbelts, and our young passengers are not required to utilize car seats, booster seats, or infant seats. Also, since there are no seat belts, child car seats will have to be attached to the seat by means other than a seatbelt. Securing a car seat to the coach seat is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

Can I get more information on the Ohio Party Bus?

If you want more information about safety, our drivers or our tours, ask us for references. You can find some of these on our website. Go to the home page and click on “Testimonials”. These are all “unsolicited” comments about our coaches, our services, our drivers, and/or our tours.

Are there restrooms on the Ohio Party Bus?

Yes. Maybe not quite as fancy as your ones at home, but just as clean. All our coaches (except the trolley and shuttles) are equipped with a restroom. However, we don’t permit the use of magazines or newspapers while you visit our facilities—-if you know what we mean!

Can I reserve the front seat?

How often does the Ohio Party bus stop?

It depends on the route we travel, but we always stop at stop signs, traffic lights and RXR crossings! On some trips, we even stop at flea markets and yard sales! In addition, we frequently stop at WalMart, Meijer and Kroger (the parking lots, not the stores!) Otherwise, expect a rest break every 2.5 to 3 hours.

What else can you tell me about the
The Ohio Party Bus?

That’s pretty much it! Our coaches are clean, safe, dependable. Our drivers are friendly, professional and some even have a sense of humor! We know how to make our trips enjoyable for everyone, and they’re affordable. What else is there?

Is the Ohio Party Bus just for
“old people”?

Absolutely not! We certainly welcome the older crowd to travel with us, but most of our senior travelers are pretty energetic! Many active seniors travel with us, but you will see travelers of ALL age groups traveling with us! One of the reasons that many seniors travel on the Ohio Party Bus is that everyone gets treated with equal respect, regardless of age.

No. Unfortunately, we can’t reserve seating. You can, however, select an early stop to pick a seat near the front. If you tend to get carsick, a seat near the front is likely better for you. Obviously, we don’t want to make you sick, but we also have to be fair to everyone traveling on the FUN BUS. Believe it or not, some of our passengers prefer to not have the front seat because they think it’s less comfortable. On most coaches, the front seat offers no more legroom than any other seat, AND there are no footrests.

Are seats assigned on the Ohio Party Bus?

Only the bad people have assigned seats. Noisy ones HAVE to sit in the back, and the shaky ones have to sit up front so we can keep an eye on them. Otherwise, we have “open” seating which allows to you pick the seat that you prefer. Often, we will ask “single” travelers to sit together, in order to accommodate 2 people traveling together. If you have a seat preference, you are always welcome to come to one of the early stops and pick the seat you want!

Are there seatbelts on the Ohio Party Bus?

Do I have to wear a name tag on the Ohio Party Bus?

No, No, and NO! We figure that YOU already know who you are and if you want someone else to know—you will probably just introduce yourself! We also don’t do other silly things that some travel companies do—left or right side off first, front or back off first, etc. SO—-sit where you want, exit the coach when you want, and even keep your identity a secret if you want!

Questions about your Ohio Party Bus reservation

Are young children allowed at casinos?

Is there an age requirement to ride the FUN BUS?

Does the FUN BUS offer travel insurance?

Casino areas (other than possibly Las Vegas and Atlantic City) are not typically considered “family” destinations. Children are usually allowed in the hotel and some dining areas, but depending on the location, there is little or nothing that offers any type of family atmosphere. Children of any age are not permitted on the casino floor, with or without adult supervision.

What is the legal age to enter a casino?

Yes! It’s a new program for the FUN BUS. The nice thing about our insurance program is that you can purchase travel protection from the FUN BUS, even if you are traveling with a different company or another means of transportation. We can sell you coverage, no matter what! We can even cover pre-existing conditions in some cases. Go back to the home page and click on the “Travel Insurance” tab—it’s at the left side of the page.

Why do you need the date of birth for casino trips?

How often does the FUN BUS stop?

To our knowledge, all the casinos that we visit in the United States require a minimum age of 21 years. At last notification, casinos in Ontario have an age requirement of 19 years.

We certainly don’t care about your age (as long as you’re legal), but individual state laws require ALL the casinos to collect this information. Failure to provide complete information could result in not receiving your incentive from the casino. Also, having both your address and DOB allows them to differentiate one “John Smith” from another “John Smith” for marketing purposes.

Does the FUN BUS offer refunds?

No, we are unable to provide refunds. All sales are final, just as is the case with Ticketmaster, some airlines and, other ticket, show, and venue outlets. We do have one option that may help. In case the trip is sold out, we maintain a waitlist. If you find that you are unable to travel, we will call the waitlist and attempt to sell your seats. If we are successful in selling and receiving payment for those seats, we will issue a refund to you. Please review our “Refund Policy” tab for full details.

How do I pay for my FUN BUS adventure?

We can accept a personal check, money order, Visa, MasterCard or Discover cards. Sorry, but we cannot accept American Express, garden vegetables or farm animals as payment. In most cases, you have the opportunity to make a deposit payment of 50% of the trip cost, with the balance due 30 days prior to the trip’s departure. On reservations made inside 30 days, we require full payment within 10 days of the reservation. For any reservation made fewer than 7 days prior to departure, we require full payment by credit card at the time of purchase. Sorry, but we cannot allow payment to the driver on date of departure. Our drivers need to focus on the trip and the road ahead.

How do I make a reservation to travel on an Ohio Party bus adventure?

That’s pretty easy! Just call us at 888-386-2870. We’ll need your name, address, and phone number. Once you do that, you have 10 days to make payment, either a 50% deposit or the entire amount of the trip. If you are traveling on a casino trip, we do need a little more information. In addition to the basic information for yourself, we also need the names, addresses and dates of birth for all persons in your party. Unfortunately, we are not able to take reservations online at this time.

Questions about Group Travel on the Ohio Party Bus

Why can’t I charter a bus from our local transit agency?

What if I charter a coach or plan a group tour and have to cancel?

Actually, it is a violation of Federal law for public transit agencies to offer or provide charter services if there are “willing and able” local private carriers available to perform the service. All public transit agencies receive a subsidy from the Federal government and some also get funding from local and state governments. Most of the money for the subsidies come from taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, much of which is paid by private business. These subsidies allow public transit agencies to lower some of their costs.

If allowed to compete directly with private carriers for the same business, it would create an unfair competitive advantage for the transit agencies. In the event that private companies cannot provide the requested service, a local transit agency may step in to provide the needed service.

Can I organize my own group to go to NYC?

Absolutely! The FUN BUS travels to New York about 50 times each year, and about half of those are with groups that organize their own trip.

If you cancel your charter or group trip 30 days or more in advance of the scheduled departure date, all but 10% of the total trip cost is refundable to you. If you cancel inside 30 days, there are no refunds offered. Please review our “Refund Policy” tab for full details.

How much does it cost to charter the Ohio Party Bus?

Not as much as you might think, but every trip is different, and here’s why—before we can provide pricing, there is a list of variables that go into pricing every trip. Plus, we have coaches in 3 sizes, and pricing is different for each. Among the questions we ask are:

How many are in your group? We want to supply the correct coach for your group size and budget. Our shuttle buses are great for local trips and smaller groups. Our 36 passenger coaches cost a little more, but they provide all the amenities of our larger coaches. Finally, our large coaches make sense for longer trips and large groups.
What’s the departure point and what’s the destination? Some of our trip costs are determined by mileage, so these answers are vital for us to provide an accurate quote.
What’s the duration of the trip? Just as mileage figures into the cost, so does the length of your trip.

Questions about the Weather

What does happen if the Ohio Party Bus runs into bad weather?

Some weather and driving conditions look worse than they actually are, so drivers are empowered to make a decision that is appropriate for the existing conditions. Bottom line, if the driver feels that continuing to travel puts the passengers and/or our equipment in jeopardy, the driver will stop at a safe place as soon as possible. Except in extreme circumstances, the driver will make every effort to put passengers into a public place and not along the side of the road.

In some cases, public safety officials or possibly the road conditions may force us off the road indefinitely. If that occurs and we need to spend the night, our FUN BUS team will work to secure reasonably-priced accommodations for the group. In this particular case, individual passengers are obligated to pay for their own room. The FUN BUS will not absorb this additional cost.

What if it snows on the date of my trip?

All FUN BUS adventures will depart as scheduled, unless there is a declared “Level 3” snow emergency—either here or at the destination. Otherwise, expect to travel with us and plan ahead. Your independent decision to not travel will not entitle you to a refund. If weather DOES prevent us from traveling, we will notify you by phone— starting with the earliest boarding locations. Keep in mind that the weather might slow our progress, so we might be late to pick you up. Be patient, but if you need an update, give us a call.

Questions About Ohio Party Bus Drivers

Does the Ohio Party Bus come with a driver?

Yes. Unfortunately, the coaches are not remote-controlled and cannot drive themselves. The US government currently has a monopoly on that technology. We are not a bus rental agency. Even if your group or organization has the best driver on the planet, we still cannot provide a coach without a driver. Our insurance company really frowns on this! All FUN BUS drivers must participate in a random drug-testing program.

Why don’t the Ohio Party Bus drivers wear ties?

There are absolutely no scientific studies, proving that wearing a tie (especially a clipon!) will make a driver better than one that doesn’t. Also, we think they look stupid on our female drivers (and they agree!). We elected to make our company uniforms professional, but casual—reflecting our company philosophy.

How much should we tip the FUN BUS driver?

Somewhere between $0.00 and $1,000.00! That is the range of gratuity that we have heard about in 13 years. We don’t add a gratuity to any cost—for a retail trip or for a chartered coach. Why? Simply put, we think the driver needs to EARN the tip as a reward for a job well done. That’s why our drivers usually go out of their way to make sure your FUN BUS adventure is enjoyable. Driver gratuities are always appreciated! Realistically, we advise our customers that an appropriate tip is about $1-$2 per person, per day on retail trips. Did your driver bring you home in a downpour, snow storm or big traffic jam? That might be worth a little bit more, don’t you think?

Our corporate customers generally respond with a gratuity in the range of 10-20% of the charter cost. We can incorporate that into your contract, if necessary.