The tourism sector “will not be able to bounce back from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic without a secure and viable coach industry to take people to attractions and hotels,” says Bakers Dolphin ahead of the Honk for Hope protest in London on 20 July.
Managing Director Max Fletcher has underlined how coaches contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy per year ahead of one the Somerset operator’s vehicles joining the convoy, which organisers have suggested may attract up to 500 vehicles.
Baker Dolphin has lobbied local MPs Dr Liam Fox and John Penrose over recent weeks. It has urged them to call on colleagues in government to back coach companies “that play a vital role in supporting the wider UK tourism industry, transporting people to and from attractions.”
The operator’s 70 vehicles have sat idle since March. The first of a limited number of tours will go ahead in August. Many Bakers Dolphin employees have been furloughed but some have worked as back-up ambulance drivers for Bristol Ambulance EMS.
Adds Mr Fletcher: “We have already seen one high-profile casualty, with Specialist Leisure Group, the owner of Shearings Holidays, going into administration. We know of several other firms across the country that announced closure last week.”
He also notes that a successful reopening of schools for the new academic year is incumbent on the good health of the coach sector.
Like many of its peers, Bakers Dolphin has achieved We’re Good to Go accreditation, confirming that it satisfies all government guidance regarding COVID-19.
The Honk for Hope protest in London follows three other gatherings around the UK. It aims to highlight the coach industry’s plight to government despite ministers – including Transport Minister Baroness Vere – having rejected the Confederation of Passenger Transport’s proposals for a support package at a meeting held on 15 July.
