RHA Coach stages second event

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) stages its second Coach division webinar this Thursday (7 January) as its heads towards launching a challenger trade association.

The RHA had planned a coach division within its organisation before the situation last summer, which saw many coach operators disillusioned with the government response to the crisis in the industry and many pointed the finger of blame at the Confederation of Passenger Transport, claiming it had prioritised aid for the bus industry. These claims have been strongly rebutted by the CPT.

Supporting the launch of RHA Coach (STORY HERE), Richard Bamber of Anthony’s Travel of Runcorn said that his own struggles getting support funding during the pandemic have prompted him to turn to the new trade association, and to resign his membership of the CPT.

“We have no access to the existing support for buses. I have had my fleet equipped with Hispacold eco3 air purifying systems yet when, locally, I tried to access a growth fund, I wasn’t supported. It’s paying out for laptops and other councils have paid out for installing coach management sioftware but it won’t support me,” he said.

Richard resigned his place on the CPT’s Coach Commission and then CPT membership because he believes that the CPT has not fought strongly enough for the coach industry. Now, he has thrown his weight behind the RHA Coach launch, which staged its first webinar to explain what it has planned in December.

“I thought it was a good webinar. It had 130 operators attending and I see through the RHA Coach Facebook page that quite a few people have already registered for the next one. It was very positive and well thought through. The RHA definitely has the expertise and by forming a separate specialist division, will ensure its efforts aren’t watered down by the haulage section,” he said.

“The RHA media office has been active 24/7. The RHA is, I believe, a bigger organisation than the CPT with more drive. It plans to take on specialists in coach to steer it.

“I must make it clear that I am not running down the CPT. I hope the CPT will survive and thrive, but I feel that they let us down with PSVAR. The RHA is looking to recruit the 80% of operators who don’t usually join a trade association. We need driven members; it’s up to coach operators to get involved.”

•  The next RHA Coach webinar, entitled ‘Reasons to Join,’ takes place next Thursday, 7 January, at 12 noon. Register HERE