The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has launched a campaign entitled Back Britain’s Coaches. It calls on the government to support the coach industry during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
CPT says the initiative is running alongside its existing work with coach operators to determine the amount of financial support the sector needs, and to make the case to government for that coach-specific money. Back Britain’s Coaches has two immediate aims:
- To obtain published, formal guidance to support the Local Government Association’s position that coach operators should be considered as leisure businesses, which will allow them to access the coronavirus COVID-19 business rates and grant schemes
- Working alongside ABTA, to secure an amendment to the Package Travel Regulations to allow coach operators more than 14 days to process refunds, and to issue credit notes as an alternative to cash refunds.
As part of the campaign, a resource centre and a toolkit have been added to CPT’s website. They give members content to use to contact their local authority (LA) and elected representatives to access the business rates relief and grants that have been offered to companies in the leisure sector.
Among that resource are social media graphics, and material that can be used by CPT members to contact their LA and access support that is already available.
The Confederation is also continuing to encourage coach operators to share information with it concerning the financial impact that the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has had on their businesses. That, it says, will be important as it builds a case for coach-specific support.
Chief Executive Graham Vidler says CPT has engaged with coach operators across the UK to shape the campaign. He adds that it will now work with governments to secure support for the industry.
“If we want to bring tourists back into our local areas, get people back into our theatres, shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, reinstate educational trips and help those who have been forced to spend a considerable length of time in isolation get back out and about, not to mention get people back to school and work, it is vital that coach business have the financial support to withstand the current crisis.”
