February 01 2021
To help CPT set its priorities for the year ahead CPT has been speaking to CPT members from across the country and its national Coach Commission to understand their views on what our policy priorities for coach should be for the year ahead.
Alongside continuing to provide members with high levels of operational support and access to a wide range of events with expert speakers CPT will be working with members to deliver policies that help get passengers back on board and embed coaches as a crucial part of the UK’s economic, social and environmental agendas.
Helping the industry through Covid-19
We will continue to press for support for the coach sector while restrictions are in place, including access to any support provided to the leisure and tourism sector, asking Government to influence finance providers to take a longer term view of the industry’s prospects when it comes to financing arrangements, pressing for home-to-school top up payments and an aid to trade support package.
Driving the return to coach travel
We will work to promote the vital role of the coach to the economy, society and environment and help to drive a return to coach travel. This will include pulling together existing data on coach travel and using this to promote the vital role coaches play, as well as providing members with the material to do the same. We will also work with other trade bodies and associations along with individual attractions and tourist locations to promote and ensure coaches are welcome.
A coach strategy to influence Government policy
The Coach Strategy which was postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19 will be revisited and published in 2021.
Promoting the role of coach travel in delivering the Government's green recovery
We will ensure that decisions makers are aware of the important role coach can play in reducing carbon emissions and improving our air. Alongside this we will seek to ensure that policies around issues such as Clean Air Zones and ultra-low/low emission zones contain have sufficient time, clarity and financial support to ensure operators can make these transitions.
We will also be supporting a working group of manufacturer members to take forward a project looking at vehicles of the future, which can help to inform Government’s green transport agenda.