Backstop survey will support claims for aid

Operators are being implored to complete a survey which will back the industry’s claims for financial aid.

Following feedback from a meeting Candice Mason of Masons Coaches was able to secure with Baroness Vere, together with a number of other coach operator engagements with MPs, an operator group says it has become apparent there is a lack of passenger data and evidence to demonstrate the detrimental effect that the demise of the UK coach sector will have on the wider public and society at large.
The survey has been compiled by operators with the objective of collating data about passengers in order to provide Government with detailed information highlighting the essential role of the coach in a social context. The survey is intended to complement requests already submitted to the government regarding sector-specific support.

“Whether it is transporting the elderly or vulnerable on excursions, providing rail replacement or emergency evacuation services, or even transporting military personnel to COVID-19 testing sites, coach operators are part of the very fabric of British society providing essential transport, social inclusion and a lifeline for many millions of people,” said Backhouse Jones, which has helped produce the survey document.

The questionnaire will take approximately 30-minutes (depending on the size of your operation) and operators will need details of vehicle and passenger numbers for both 2019 and 2020 to hand. Collating passenger data retrospectively is not a small or easy task and the organising team have requested that if necessary, to provide a best guesstimate of figures if actuals cannot be easily located.

This survey can be accessed via the link, HERE. Deadline for completion of the survey is 5pm, Monday, 23 November