I write to you with great concern about the major bus groups that are either owned by or which own train operating companies in the UK.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic became prevalent in the UK, rail replacement bus service work that is usually operated by smaller independent coach and bus operators is now being taken more and more ‘in-house’ by the major bus groups.
While this can be understood to a point, the fact remains that by the time that the pandemic is over, the businesses of many independents will be over too. How will the major bus groups then cope with trying to offload work to a sector of the industry that is no longer there to help them? We all know that the big five like to concentrate on guaranteed revenue, and none of them are really cut out to be true coach operators.
One coach in the fleet does not a coach operator make. A coach operator takes the gamble of no work in the winter and a full diary in the summer. Furthermore, it requires being a slave to your customers – not to your shareholders.
One thing that is clear for all to see is that if this rail replacement work is not shared out more fairly, then the major bus groups will not have nearly enough vehicles, drivers, or patience to cover all of the rail replacement work after the pandemic is over and their commercial routes flourish once more.
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