The future for coach is positive, agreed experts during a Masterclass Theatre presentation at Euro Bus Expo, but the panel focused also on challenges around decarbonisation. “The Future of coach — are we there yet?” concluded the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Operator Forum on day two and was hosted by CPT Chief Executive Graham Vidler.
Paul Sainthouse, Managing Director, Dawsongroup Bus and Coach, says his customers provide a good barometer of how well the industry is doing and speaks highly of “the fact that we’re seeing large, established operators investing in the coach sector as has probably never happened before.” He adds: “These people really do look at things closely before they put the money in. So, I think the future of coach looks pretty good.”
Duncan Aspinall, Director of Holmeswood Coaches and new CPT Vice-President, adds: “We’re looking forward to the future, but we have to remain responsive as an industry.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Luckett, Director of BluMarbl, which collects data on coach journeys to offer analysis on decarbonisation infrastructure needs, says: “The future is really exciting. You’ve got the technology, data and AI perspective — and that’s leading to safer journeys and a better customer experience but it’s also providing analysis of how we can make that transition from diesel.”
When it comes to that process, Mr Sainthouse says he thinks electric could offer the “final solution” for coach, although he admits there is no “one size fits all”.
Mr Aspinall adds: “I’m not sure about electric being the thing for all modes of transport. The village where our main depot is, if we tried to charge vehicles there, there’d be no vehicles, no lights, nothing. The infrastructure at the moment is way off.”
In giving his assessment, Mr Luckett adds: “There’s a huge variation among operators in terms of what percentage of their work they could do on electric. Some could do 80% and others 22%. To have a wholesale adoption, it’s possible to do a variety of services, but we need cheap electricity, we need opportunity and onsite charging.”
The panel discussed how coach is made to feel unwelcome in some urban and tourist destinations. Mr Sainthouse points out that coach parking facilities are often inadequate and fixed penalty notices are part of the operating costs for a coach business.
Mr Aspinall agrees, lamenting that coach is rarely part of local transport plans. That said, Mr Vidler adds that he felt that the “message was being heard so much more than it was two or three years ago” by local transport authorities.
