RHA – Five Years in Coach

“Five years ago, we invited coach operators to join us. We had a clear rationale for moving into the PSV space given the many synergies between HGVs and coaches. And most will agree it was the right move, perhaps even some of the sceptics who didn’t see it at the time.

“We established National Coach Week – an annual coach industry leading awareness campaign – which has strengthened our credentials in the sector. It’s now a fixture in the industry’s calendar. We were delighted that the Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood MP helped us launch this year’s campaign as he acknowledged that coaches operate differently from buses and should be regulated accordingly. That was a significant breakthrough and we’re proud to have made it – with our members’ support. For too long, officialdom lumped coaches in with the bus sector and ss coach operators have long argued, they are very different sectors. This evolving DfT mindset is so significant – a subtle but potentially game-changing moment, led by RHA Coaches.

“And now we turn this into tangibility. Regular positive engagement with ministers to push forward solutions to the coach driver shortage by increasing the scope of 18-20-year-olds is testimony to that. As is DfT coming through us to harvest industry data and insight to inform policymaking. Collaboration with trade bodies in our sector is also a significant part of our strategy.

“Ahead of the Budget we will put forward proposals to drive growth. We will call for the fuel duty freeze to stay and to incentivise uptake of cleaner fuels to support net zero transition for example, along with other coach-specific challenges.

“We’re making progress together with our members and stakeholders. But we have so much more to do. I will along with the team and members be reviewing this evolution to ensure we remain relevant to the critical sector we take for granted as being there to drive communities, the economy and day-to-day life.”