There is little hope of change to controversial Cabinet Office guidance that prevents the coach industry in England from running trips and excursions with more than one household group aboard before 17 May. That was one of the messages from an event held by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) on 20 April to build on the launch of its coach strategy, Backing Britain’s Coaches.
Under-Secretary of State for Transport Baroness Vere and Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage and Tourism Nigel Huddleston were both in attendance. While the gathering covered various parts of the strategy, matters pertaining to recovery predictably dominated.
The guidance bombshell – first revealed in a private meeting on 15 April called by Emma Hardy MP and at which Lady Vere was present – was top of the agenda. At the 20 April gathering, Lady Vere stated her belief that the guidance in question – which has caused anger and angst for many operators in England – is necessary. That was despite exchanges with CPT CEO Graham Vidler that were robust on occasion.
Other topics were discussed, albeit in slightly less detail. Among them were Clean Air Zones (CAZs) in England, PSVAR, access to venues and work with local authorities (LAs).
Coach industry struggles to comprehend guidance contradiction
Mr Vidler wasted no time in raising the most pressing issue relating to the Cabinet Office guidance: Why does it contradict the established safer transport guidance (STG), which was published by the Department for Transport (DfT) many months ago?
CPT’s CEO says that following STG “is exactly what coach operators [in England] have been doing.”
He excoriated the placement of the overruling Cabinet Office guidance in an obscure part of the gov.uk website. It is, he says, “written specifically for people who do not operate coaches.”
Mr Vidler also asked Lady Vere which Department is responsible for the industry. “If it is DfT, we expect to be able to operate [trips and excursions]. If it is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we expect support.”
Lady Vere rapidly countered claims that a lack of communication has led to the current farcical situation. The government “does not operate in silos,” she says. Lady Vere adds that official guidance remains that travel should be minimised, although she accepts the coach industry’s view that the current approach is inconsistent when a lack of restrictions on leisure trips by other modes, including scheduled coach services, is considered.
‘Coach industry frozen out of trading towards recovery’
The government’s late decision to effectively prevent coach trips in England from operating until 17 May quickly led to anger at the industry being frozen out of the opportunity to trade its way towards recovery.
That approach was central to some points raised in Mrs Hardy’s meeting of 15 April. Anthony’s Travel Managing Partner Richard Bamber, who represented RHA Coaches there, told that gathering that the industry’s preference is simple: Restart full operation.
At the earlier meeting, Mr Bamber noted that many of the services provided by coaches are not part of the leisure sector. Those – which include staff shuttles, home-to-school transport and others – are essential.
He observes that such a workload chimes with Lady Vere’s previous assertion why the government had to support the bus sector.
During the event on 20 April, Lady Vere and Mr Huddleston reaffirmed the government’s belief that a reopening of the economy is the best way to salvation.
It is “laser focused” on that, says Mr Huddleston. A tourism recovery plan will include marketing efforts to stimulate demand. He adds a hope that such activity will help coach operators “a lot.”
Venue access and social distancing key to recovery
Access to venues and social distancing are each key to a recovery of coach tourism. They each remain of grave concern. Worries were raised in Mrs Hardy’s meeting about venues that are reluctant to accept coach parties even beyond 17 May and a withdrawal of group discount rates by some of them.
No hints have been given as to when social distancing requirements may be dropped. But at the 20 April meeting, Lady Vere backed a point about a marketing campaign for all modes of public transport – including coaches – when that happens. She accepts that messaging earlier in the pandemic to avoid public transport may have “terrified” customers.
On sector-specific support for coaches, Lady Vere told the 20 April meeting that the government “will not be able” to preserve every job and business. She adds that it is “not right to put everything into aspic” and remove the potential for any change because of the pandemic.
That represents a slight watering down of her controversial comments to the Transport Select Committee on 24 March. At that gathering, Lady Vere responded to claims of ‘coach deserts’ developing by stating that such things would not be an issue because other businesses would either expand or form to take up the slack created.
Grant funding does not touch the sides, say operator
The paucity of grant funding available to coach operators in England was again highlighted during the question-and-answer session at the 20 April meeting. An operator with multiple depots has received around £2,700 from the LA for one operating centre. It houses 15 vehicles. Each accrues costs equal to that grant award per month.
In response, Lady Vere told the operator that there must be a “split of responsibilities” between shareholders, lenders and the government. Those and other comments made in response to the original question were not well received.
Other elements of the CPT coach strategy discussed at the meeting included the transition to greener vehicles. The Transport Decarbonisation Plan will be published shortly. While it will take a holistic approach to the overall transport sector, detailed discussion on coaches will follow.
Further government work also involves a review of PSVAR. It is set for completion in 2023. Mr Vidler also underlined CPT’s call for a new class of CAZ, where coaches and bus are exempt but non-compliant cars are subject to daily charges.
The subject of LAs providing suitable facilities for coaches also figured prominently in later discussion. There are numerous failings in that regard already, Kathryn Pulham of Pulham’s Coaches told the meeting; insufficient onus is placed by many LAs on making their towns and cities attractive to coaches.
A novel solution to that could come out of the recently published National Bus Strategy for England. It requires local transport authorities to prepare Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). A suggestion made was that provision for coaches and their passengers could form part of BSIP work and ensure that they are integrated into transport plans.
Patience long since worn out with lack of government support
But that work is not the most pressing of the tasks that face the sector. Over a year of a narrative that has been most unhelpful, a refusal to note the work that the sector has done on safety onboard coaches and a belief that it should be thankful for Additional Restrictions Grant and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme payments has worn away patience.
Lady Vere makes the point that 17 May is not far away. She is correct. But – thanks to the guidance farce – it still cannot come soon enough for the coach industry.
