RHA delivered an open letter to 10 Downing Street yesterday calling on the government to end plans to raise fuel duty in September.
More than 470 coach and haulage operators signed the document after the war in the Middle East led to a hike in prices at the pump of around 50% in March.
Last year’s Budget set out plans for the temporary 5p reduction introduced in 2022 to be gradually reversed.
However, RHA has been among industry stakeholders asking for a revision in light of the international crisis to fall into line with other countries which have delivered similar respite.
The letter reads: “On behalf of HGV, coach and van operators, alongside all other road users and the entire UK economy, we ask you to end the planned increases in fuel duty scheduled to start in September 2026.
“A 5p cut was introduced in 2022 as a result of international conflicts sending fuel prices soaring. We are now in the same situation four years later, and it is the wrong time to reverse those cuts now.
“Higher prices for fuel drive up prices for everyday consumers and pushes businesses and employers to the brink. We cannot afford another inflation crisis caused by the cost of fuel.”
Coach and bus operators reported to routeone concern over the availability and cost of diesel, and the implications for operations. Meanwhile, Yorkshire Buses cited the rising cost for its sudden closure on 31 March.
With the freeze in fuel duty, which started in 2011, due to end in April 2027, RHA has urged the government to introduce an essential user rebate to assist the transport sector.
Richard Smith, RHA Managing Director, says: ‘We need the Chancellor to act now. Commercial vehicles move around 80% of Britain’s goods and generate more than a third of fuel duty revenues. Yet they are being hit hardest by rising fuel costs.
“These increases are inflationary, pushing up the cost of everything from food to construction.
“This letter is clear. We’re calling on the Chancellor to scrap planned fuel duty increases.
“We also urge the government to introduce an essential user rebate for haulage, coach and van operators to keep costs down.
“Other countries already back their transport sectors in this way. It’s time the UK did the same.’
Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards accompanied RHA representatives to Downing Street.
She adds: “Following my recent campaigning on the price of fuel, I was delighted to join the RHA’s Managing Director, Richard Smith, in supporting their open letter to the Chancellor calling for a fuel duty freeze.
“I will always support local hauliers who want their businesses not just to survive but prosper.”
