It is now more than four years since the UK left the EU and our coach sector has, during this tumultuous period, navigated its way through a number of challenges, including a global pandemic, labour shortages, PSVAR and steep increases in fuel prices.
Encouragingly, the sector remains resilient. We will need to draw on this strength when we tackle our next imminent challenge on the horizon, namely the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which will begin in October.
EES will require every citizen of a country not in the EU or Schengen to be registered through a “kiosk” when entering or leaving the EU. Said kiosk will be capable of downloading fingerprints, photographs and data held on an individual’s passport. The passport holder will then proceed to a border official for their passport to be scanned prior to entering EU territory.
CPT will continue to represent its coach members to all stakeholders at the Port
When returning from the EU, citizens of “third countries” like the UK will have to pass through a similar kiosk before presenting themselves to an equivalent border official for clearance to leave. In the case of the “juxtaposed border” between the UK and France at Dover/Eurotunnel, the borders are in reverse positions. French officials oversee the border in Dover Eastern Docks/Eurotunnel, while their UK equivalents supervise the French side of the Channel for those entering the UK.
EES will also mean that a coach’s crew will be more closely monitored. There will now be a systematic way of enforcing the legal maximum time that can be spent in the EU, 90 in any 180 days. This data will now be readily available for tracking by EU member states.
EES’s introduction will also present new challenges in terms of the time it takes to process coaches traversing the border and the additional space required. Sufficient numbers of kiosks must be made available, to ensure that coaches can be cleared efficiently, to avoid costly delays that result in drivers exceeding their hours and missed crossings.
A further challenge comes in the spring of 2025 through the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). This is the EU’s version of a visa waiver and will cost seven euros. It will only be available online and it will be a coach operator’s responsibility to ensure all passengers have one. Failure to do so will result in entry into the EU being denied.
The EU has an EES/ETIAS Delivery Agency called Frontex; the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) recommends that all operators register with them to assist with queries.
CPT has worked closely with the Department for Transport (DfT), the Home Office, UK Border Force and the Port of Dover to emphasise the importance of ensuring an adequate number of kiosks and the requisite amount of space will be available. This will safeguard the ability of coaches to operate punctually.
We believe they are listening. DfT has advised us there will be between 10 and 20 kiosks installed at Dover, and there will be dedicated space for them to be sited. In the longer term, the EU will make an app available for at least some of the data that EES requires to be captured prior to arrival at Dover, although this is unlikely to happen this year.
Any new procedures implemented at the Port shouldn’t have a negative impact on people who don’t want to fly or drive by car to and from continental Europe. With this in mind, CPT will continue to represent its coach members to all stakeholders at the Port, ensuring their voice is heard in relation to any potential future challenges. Working in collaboration, we can ensure that the continental European coach market can continue to thrive for many years to come.
