The coach sector is undergoing a rapid change, with a number of medium to large coach operators quickly moving into group ownership. Richard Sharman looks at recent ownership changes and considers why being independent is a growing rarity in 2025
A phrase you often hear being bandied about in the industry, certainly in the years prior to the pandemic, was that ‘there is no money in coaches any more.’ That may have been the case then, in some respects, but times are certainly changing and the price of private hire and contract work has rocketed for a variety of reasons as the industry has faced challenge after challenge when it comes to running coaches.
The usual suspects are probably behind the vast majority of price increases, and they range from the cost of diesel, drivers’ wages, Euro VI upgrades, PSVAR compliance, and what’s next on the horizon? Accessible Information Regulations (AIR), which equates to visual and audible on-board announcements on coaches and buses and is due to come in by law in October 2026, with coaches falling into scope on rail replacement and ‘local services.’ At least smaller operators will benefit from £4.65 million to make the necessary upgrades.
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