24/10/2020
Big Thanks To Gail Ingram from Downshire Coach Travel For this post
It really is heartbreaking watching this important, hard working, close knit industry going down the drain. The 12th March 2020 is a day I'm not likely to forget. A day I spent answering relentless phone calls which resulted in a whole year's worth of work being cancelled. I'm not remotely ashamed to say I spent the following week battling fits of tears and anxiety. Like most coach operators, we're a family run business, so both our incomes were dependent on the business. Over 7 months have passed now, and times, unfortunately, aren't any brighter. We had a brief glimmer of hope in September, with some school sports and activities trying to resume, but of course, the new restrictions have seen all that being halted again. I feel so deeply the frustrations of the poor hairdressers, restaurants, etc who, despite their best efforts (and high expenditure) to follow all the guidance to keep their staff and customers safe, were once again ordered to close their doors. We aren't on that list of businesses forced to close, and therefore we won't qualify for any further support, but the schools are closed, the sports are halted, the church/senior citizen groups can't run their days out and the cruise ships can't come - so, no business to be had. Remembering, of course, that the majority of the coach operators fell through the cracks of the first batch of government grants. This isn't a sympathy post, and I'm (perhaps boldly) speaking on behalf of not just our business, but on behalf of the coach industry as a whole, along with other small business industries who don't have the custom to survive and are unable to diversify their services to try and keep afloat. It's hard to see a happy outcome for the industry. There's a very long winter tunnel ahead, and we're struggling to see the light at the end of it. This is an awful time for business and entreprise, and almost all industries (excluding the likes of mega businesses such as Amazon and the major supermarkets) will be suffering. I just hope the coach industry doesn't become one of the forgotten and unseen casualties. For your local businesses who are able to operate, in whatever limited form that may be, please support them! Keep your custom local!