UKCOA to assist members during fuel price rises

As fuel prices soar due to the war in Ukraine, the UKCOA has vowed to aid the industry through these difficulties.

The trade organisation reports that the fuel price rises in recent weeks are causing major concerns for many coach companies up and down the country as they continue to rebuild their operations following the pandemic.

In some areas of the UK, fuel prices have risen by as much as 30% since last August and while these increases can be passed onto new customers, for contracts and long standard bookings, operators are locked into prices which are increasingly becoming unsustainable.

“For many of our members this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back” – Stephen Telling, Chairman of the UKCOA

Stephen Telling, the Chairman of the UKCOA, said: “For many of our members this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Many coach companies, having survived the pandemic and now slowly rebuilding their companies after two years of lost bookings, are now facing yet another challenge for which there is no clear way out. We will be supporting the coach industry in providing advice and templates that they can use when negotiating with schools, local education authorities and companies over price. We will also challenge Government to come up with a mechanism to assist local authorities and others to meet the requests for price adjustment until fuel prices return to normal.”

“We have learned from some of our members that they are seriously considering handing long-standing home to school and other contracts back…” – Peter Bradley, Managing Director of the UKCOA

Peter Bradley, Managing Director of the UKCOA, said: “We have learned from some of our members that they are seriously considering handing long-standing home to school and other contracts back because they are no longer sustainable, which can be in no one’s interest. Sadly, it seems that some local authorities are not prepared to negotiate. Conversely, we have also heard of examples of those who tender services taking a holistic approach and work with operators to find an acceptable solution. This is what we would like all those who contract services to do.”

The UKCOA says it will continue to work with their members, local and national government while the fuel price crisis continues.

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