Volvo hosts UKCOA conference – focused entirely on coaches

Volvo’s Warwick headquarters are to host the UK Coach Operator Association’s (UKCOA’s) annual conference.

Alex Mayer MP

Taking place on Monday 10 March 2025, the event is to be focused entirely on the coach industry. Alex Mayer, MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard and a member of the Transport Select Committee will be giving the keynote speech.

Other presenters include Claire Haigh, Managing Director of Zemo and Ian Jones from Backhouse Jones providing the conference with a regulatory update. Candice Mason, a Director of Women in Bus and Coach, is to highlight some of the key issues that would make women feel so much more welcome into the coach industry.

There is also set to be an update on the Driver Academy with a speaker from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and an interview with an early recruit who is now a lead driver. More is planned alongside the networking opportunities with fellow coach operators and industry partners.

Preceding the Conference, the UKCOA will hosting an evening dinner on Sunday 9 March at the Stratford Manor Hotel.

The UKCOA has also announced that, in response to the challenges that many coach operators are experiencing, it is freezing its subscriptions in 2025.

“The UKCOA is entirely focused on the coach industry and we have listened carefully to what our members have said” – Stephen Telling, President of the UKCOA

Stephen Telling, President of the UKCOA, said: “The UKCOA is entirely focused on the coach industry and we have listened carefully to what our members have said. The subscription rates for coach operators which range from £200 to £600 a year are very good value for money. With the Conference coming up in March, it has never been a better time to join the UKCOA and benefit from all that it has to offer. Existing members have told us how much being part of the UKCOA has helped them in recent years and we would love others to join us.”