Richard Bamber, Managing Partner of Runcorn operator Anthony’s Travel, has been elected Chair of RHA Coaches by members of the trade body’s coach forum. It follows his co-opting onto RHA’s Northern Regional Council in February.
Mr Bamber was one of the driving forces behind RHA’s expansion into the coach field, which it announced shortly before Christmas 2020. Membership opened on 1 March 2021 and the body has since signed up nearly 100 coach operators, with work in the sector led by Operations Manager – Coaches Andy Warrender.
In addition to the election of Richard Bamber as Chair of RHA Coaches, Alistair Bayliss, Managing Director of Kent operator Bayliss Executive Travel, and Morag Milligan, Director of Ayrshire business Milligans Coaches, have been elected joint Vice-Chairs.
Responding to his naming as Chair, Mr Bamber has pointed out that similarities between coaches and the road freight sector in work around decarbonisation will become more pronounced in coming years, a view already expressed by other members of the coach industry.
“The technology used in the haulage sector will undoubtedly be used in the much smaller coach industry,” he adds. “Therefore, we have a perfect synergy to ensure our future is best represented. We now have a collective strength of 8,500 members and a host of resources to make the often-demanding day-to-day tasks of running a coach company that bit easier.
“RHA Coaches is not about me, but all about ‘we’: How we can best serve our members and the wider coaching sector and drive business forward. Every voice matters, whether you operate one coach or one hundred. Your opinion and your input counts. Our coach forum of operators throughout the UK provides an excellent foundation for opinion, discussion and to shape the policy of our organisation.”
Mr Bamber was central to RHA’s National Coach Week in April, generating support from local MPs. Plans for 2023’s National Coach Week are expected to be announced before the end of this year.
