When it comes to government funding and support, it’s clear that the coach industry has been put on the back burner. It’s time for things to change
What do you think the future holds for the coach industry?
While there is no definite answer, everyone has their predictions, and it was the theme of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)’s Coaching Conference entitled ‘Tomorrow’s World’ last Thursday (6 December).
Held at EvoBus (UK)’s premises in Coventry, around 100 of CPT’s supplier and operator members attended the conference to discuss their own predictions and to listen to a variety of industry professionals present theirs.
This year’s Coaching Conference was part of a new two-day format, with the first day comprising an open meeting of the Coach Commission, a one-stop shop exhibition of supplier members, an EvoBus showcase and ride-and-drive opportunities, and an informal dinner.
Challenges faced
On the second day, the conference highlighted the hurdles the coach industry faces by the fact that it is often forgotten about in terms of funding, infrastructure and government support.
This is something CPT President Martin Dean attributes to the ability of coach operators to ‘go about their business in a quiet and efficient way’.
“In terms of air quality and accessing cities, there’s no doubt that there’s funding there for buses in a way that it isn’t available for coaches,” says Mr Dean.
“A challenge for the coach sector is to try and get the politicians interested, but not too interested, so that they can help and assist you in key issues, such as air quality.”
However, there is hope. Technological advances and the fact that the industry is so willing to adopt them means it is a forward-thinking and resilient industry, says CPT Chairman John Johnson.
Opportunities are there
The message echoed at the conference was that now is the time to look to the future and to make use of the opportunities that already exist and to keep up-to-date with those in the pipeline.
First up to highlight these opportunities were Michael Thielmann, EvoBus (UK) CEO and Ian Wallace, Senior Sales Manager at EvoBus (UK).
Their presentation looked at the future of vehicles, including the developments and existence of safety systems on-board coaches.
The topic of autonomous vehicles was also discussed.
“At this stage, we still need people on the vehicle, observing, checking and making sure that it is being properly controlled,” says Mr Thielmann.
“Autonomous driving will take time. I can’t say it’s going to happen soon but, I assure you, it is coming.”
Getting heard
Greg McClymont, Lead of Cities, from the National Infrastructure Commission, discussed its National Infrastructure Assessment – the UK’s first 30-year strategy identifying how the country’s infrastructure needs and priorities should be addressed.
The Assessment does not specifically focus on coaches, but any improvements to city roads would be welcomed by coach operators, and delegates urged Mr McClymont to remember to factor in coaches in the second Assessment, expected in around five years’ time.
Daniel Hayes, Project Manager of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP)’s Bus Working Group, detailed some of the work of the LowCVP.
While the Bus Working Group’s key focus is to support the growth of the low carbon bus market, attendees were pleased to hear that LowCVP is looking to launch a Coach Working Group.
Says Mr Hayes: “LowCVP’s Bus Working Group has been very influential in helping the government come up with bus funding schemes. By launching a Coach Working Group, we’d like to do things like define an ultra-low emission coach, create a government funding stream for coaches, and also create a retrofit fund.
“We’ve heard that Highways England has a substantial amount of money to spend on improving air quality and they’re not really sure on how to do that. This group potentially could advise them on how the money could be best spent.”
Working together
When considering the future of the industry and how it is evolving, considering the changes in passenger demand is not far behind.
This was a point raised by CoachHire.com’s CEO, Mathew Hassell, who discussed how the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) market is growing, how it is set to grow considerably in the next 10 years and what this means for the coach industry.
Mr Hassell highlighted the ways in which coach operators can work hand-in-hand with firms that offer such transport solutions, including CoachHire.com, as well as the likes of Zeelo and Snap.
These partnerships can contribute to the success of the future of the coach industry by either connecting people that require coach transport with operators or by attracting new passengers that wouldn’t normally consider travelling by coach, for example.
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While CPT’s Coaching Conference provided food for thought for the future of the coach industry, it also highlighted its current situation.
It becomes clear that when talking about topics such as city infrastructure, low-carbon vehicles and government funding, it is much easier to draw examples from the bus industry rather than the coach industry.
However, it is also clear to see that this has been recognised and that efforts are being made to rectify the situation.
LowCVP’s proposed Coach Working Group is certainly a step in the right direction, and events such as this conference serves to remind industry suppliers and decision-makers that the coach sector means business.
It is clear that the coach industry needs to persist in its fight to be heard, but with vehicle advancements, anticipative road improvements and strong business relationships, the conference presented how the future of the coach industry continues to look bright.
