Latest News
Coach Holiday & Day Excursion Update
Due to the present COVID-19 situation we have taken the decision to cancel all Coach Holidays and Day Excursions until the end of June 2020.
I know this will be a big disappointment to many of our regular customers but your safety is paramount. We want to get back to doing what we do best but present Goverment advice on social distancing makes these types of tours difficult to operate.
If you have made a booking with us in the above period we will be contacting you shortly to advise of the options available to you. Please bear with us as we have limited staff in at the moment.
Some good news on the coach holiday front is that we have managed to secure bookings for repeats of the English Riviera & Exploring the Isle of Wight for June 2021 (see website listings for details) which we will not be able to operate.
As the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show has been cancelled for 2020 we have also moved our tour to July 2021 (Details to follow).
We also have new dates on the web site for RHS Hampton Court & Hyde Hall Flower Shows as these have been moved into September 2020
Whilst we have been in lockdown we have been beavering away planning for our 2021 Coach holiday programme, although there will be some tours moved from 2020 there will also be a selection of fresh and exciting destinations for customers new and old. We look forward to welcoming you all in the near future, in the meantime please look after yourselves and keep safe.
Martyn Simonds
Managing Director
Added 19/05/2020
Simonds Garage Services Update
Simonds Garage Services remain open and continue to provide its customers old and new with MOT’s servicing and repairs for all types of vehicles.
However due to Government guidelines DVSA have suspended HGV MOT testing so therefore we cannot offer this service at this present time.
Just call us on 01379 647300 for advice or to make an appointment. Were here to help!
Added 30/04/2020
Coach Holiday and Day Excursion update
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) we, like all companies, are following the advice of the UK Government and complying with the guidelines to ensure the safety of our staff and our customers. With the suspension of all non-essential travel in the UK and abroad all our day excursions and tours planned up until the end of May 2020 have been either cancelled or postponed. We really appreciate the disappointment our customers have experienced because of this and we are looking forward to welcoming all our customers back when the country and our lives return to normal.
During these unprecedented times and this extended ‘lockdown’ period unfortunately our holiday and excursion department remains closed. We have a limited number of staff working in the office and they are dealing with our customers concerns on a daily basis. Any calls and/or enquiries are being dealt with in strict order of being received. For any customer that has been affected due to cancellations this means we might not get back to you by return but please be assured we are working our way through the amendments and any refund requests. We would like to reassure all our customers who have excursions or holidays with us (whether past or future bookings) that at this present time their money is being ‘held in credit’ and they will not lose their deposits or balances.
We understand you frustration and disappointment and we really appreciate your patience at this difficult time. We thank you for travelling with us in the past and we look forward to welcoming you on board for day excursions or tours very soon.
Please take care of yourself; keep safe and well.
Martyn S Simonds
Managing Director
Added 24/04/2020
Simonds Holiday
Something to look forward to....
We have managed to reschedule our Easter Chocolate Box Cotswolds tour to a new date of 2nd October 2020, those people already booked will be transferred and we still have space available to whisk you away for 4 days to this beautiful part of the UK. All details contained in our 2020 brochure (page 12) remain the same and you can contact us on 01379 647300 or click here.
Added 20/04/2020
Local Bus Service
Added 07/04/2020
Emergency Timetables
Our emergency timetables can be found here
Thank you,
Simonds Management Team
Added 04/04/2020
Emergency Timetables on all services
We would like to thank those key workers who have contacted us advising of their traveling requirements. At the present time we are reconstructing our local bus service timetables accommodating these requests as much as possible.
We will have our Emergency timetables for all services available over the weekend, these will come into operation on 8th April 2020.
Thank you,
Simonds Management Team
Added 03/04/2020
Covid-19 Support for Key Workers
If you work for the NHS or are deemed to be a ‘key worker’ providing essential services in line with current government guidelines and rely on local bus services operated by Simonds Countrylink please contact us as soon as possible with details of the service you use - number of days you use the service, pick up times, pick up point and destination. You can do this by:
Email – info@simonds.co.kuk
Twitter or Facebook - Accounts at the top and bottom of page.
If you do not have access to any of the above then call 01379 647 300.
Thank you,
Simonds Management Team
Added 26/03/2020
Simonds Garage Services Coronavirus Update
THE WELLBEING OF ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND STAFF REMAINS OUR TOP PRIORITY.
Simonds Garage Services remains open to provide you with a friendly trustworthy garage for all your vehicle requirements, with highly experienced vehicle engineers within a state-of-the-art facility you can rest assure knowing you and your vehicle are in very capable hands.
We wanted to keep you informed about additional control measures we have adopted to support our garage customers during this difficult time.
Our staff continue to be stringent around hygiene and cleaning regimes including thorough, frequent hand washing. We have also introduced hourly sanitising throughout our premises and strictly follow social distancing advice.
To help minimise the spread of the virus, we are following the latest Government recommendations and asking any staff member with flu-like symptoms to self-isolate for 7 days or those who have been in close personal contact with someone who has contracted the virus to self-isolate for 14 days.
We are restricting access to our reception area and where possible we encourage a no contact policy; vehicles can be left and any keys or documentation can be placed in a secure location.
All vehicles being dropped off or handed over will receive basic sanitising in key touch areas such as the steering wheel, handbrake and gear stick.
If your vehicle requires an MOT Test, Service or Repair we can also provide a Collection and delivery Service (subject to availability and distance from Diss).
If you need assistance during this difficult time, please call 01379 647300 to speak to a member of the team or alternatively you can email sgs@simonds.co.uk
Added 23/03/2020
Concession Passes
From today there is no time restrictions on the use of concession passes across our local bus service until further notice.
Added 23/03/2020
Office Opening Hours
From Monday 23rd March, the office will be open from 0900 to 1630 - Monday to Friday. The office will be closed on Saturdays until further notice.
Added 23/03/2020
Coach Holiday and Day Excursion update
We are sorry to inform you that following on from our news release of yesterday the situation in relation to our day excursions has changed and we will not be running the Mother’s Day excursion on Sunday 22nd March 2020.
Our Reservations team will be contacting customers over the next 24 hours to re arrange bookings and/or refunds.
Thank you for your understanding at this difficult time.
Simonds Management Team
Added 18/03/2020
Local Bus Service 114
We will not be picking up or dropping off at Suffolk One until Suffolk one reopens.
Added 18/03/2020
Coach Holiday and Day Excursion update
We know you are all concerned about bookings made with us in the foreseeable future and following government advice about non-essential travel we have decided to temporarily withdraw our Day Excursion and Coach Holidays programme from Monday 23rd March 2020. We will operate the Mother’s Day excursion on 22nd March 2020 as planned unless we advise otherwise.
Regretfully, we are therefore unable to operate our Coach Holidays and Day Excursions up to and including 30th April 2020. This date could be extended in the near future if as circumstances change.
Our reservations team are beavering away so please allow them to call you to rearrange your Coach Holiday or Day Excursion.
We ask all customers to please be patient and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding in such difficult and unprecedented times.
Simonds Management Team
Added 17/03/2020
Coronavirus Covid-19
Hello to all our Simonds customers. We just wanted to give you an update on our current situation with Covid-19.
Please be assured that we are taking this situation very seriously. The wellbeing of all of our customers and staff, whether Roswald House based or our drivers, is paramount. At present we are taking advice from Public Health England and The World Health Organisation. This is being reviewed on a daily basis.
Our office and garage facilities are currently open during normal hours (Monday – Friday 08:30am-17:30pm) and will remain so until we are advised otherwise. At the moment telephone calls and emails might be the safest way for you to contact us. For customers bringing their vehicles to us for MOT/service/repair please report to our reception in the normal way.
Like many other transport companies we have reviewed our in house cleaning policy with deeper cleans and surfaces within coaches/buses being sanitised regularly.
We ask all customers to respect the government guidelines regarding the spread of Coronavirus. Please do not travel or come to our offices if you are showing signs of a fever, a new and continuous cough, have come into contact with anyone confirmed to have Coronavirus, or have travelled outside the UK to any high risk areas within the last two weeks.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will inform all our customers if things change. But for the time being we are taking bookings in all areas as normal.
Please help us all to keep safe during this challenging time.
Thank you for your continued custom and support.
Simonds Management Team
Added 16/03/2020
Day Excursions
New 2020 day excursions being added daily, click here to book your day out.
Added 08/11/19
Social Media
Simonds have arrived on social media. Please follow the channels below to keep up to date on our local bus service, holidays & day excursions, garage services and general promotions.
Added 18/02/19