Back Britain’s Coaches back to articles

Before the COVID-19 lockdown, we provided coaches for many group excursions, theatre and shopping trips, educational visits to historical venues & musuems, sporting events & concerts. As well as providing safe school transport for over 1000 students on a daily basis.

Despite all of this, coach operators are currently not considered leisure businesses for the purposes of accessing the Covid-19 business rates and grant schemes that the Government has announced.

COVID19 has very rapidly caused severe financial difficulties for all coach operators, putting the long-term viability of the sector at risk. Without access to the financial support available to the rest of the leisure and tourism sector, it will be nigh on impossible for many coach operators to continue trading and to resume services once ‘business as usual’ resumes.

If we want to bring tourists back into our local areas, get people back in 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 businesses have the financial support to withstand the current crisis.