The UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) has announced plans to continue to support the coach industry as fuel prices continue to rise in the UK. This will come in the form of advice, templates to negotiate pricing with clients and challenging government for its members.
Further fuel price rises are causing major concerns for many coach operators as they continue to rebuild their operations following the coronavirus pandemic, says the UKCOA.
In some areas of the UK, fuel prices have risen by as much as 30% since last August and while these increases can be passed onto new customers, for contracts and long-standing bookings, operators are locked into prices that are increasingly becoming unsustainable.
Stephen Telling, the Chairman of the UKCOA, says: “For many of our members, this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Many coach companies having survived the pandemic and are slowly rebuilding their companies after two years of lost bookings, are now facing yet another challenge for which there is no clear way out.
“We will be supporting the coach industry in providing advice and templates that they can use when negotiating with schools, local education authorities and companies over price. We will also challenge government to come up with a mechanism to assist local authorities and others to meet the requests for price adjustment until fuel prices return to normal.”
Peter Bradley, Managing Director of the UKCOA, adds: “We have learned from some of our members that they are seriously considering handing long-standing home-to-school and other contracts back because they are no longer sustainable, which can be in no one’s interest.
“Sadly, it seems that some local authorities are not prepared to negotiate. Conversely, we have also heard of examples of those who tender services taking a holistic approach and work with operators to find an acceptable solution. This is what we would like all those who contract services to do.”
The UKCOA will continue to work with its members and local and national government while the fuel price crisis continues.
