This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition A government cash bailout for the coach industry before it's too late.
Please help this sector with much needed money so we can keep these companies afloat.
We keep tens of thousands of people in jobs in our sector and hundreds of thousands of people in other industries.
Some companies are already having coaches repossessed!
More details
Without us our country wouldn’t be able to operate the same.
Most companies have had no income since March and may not till next year
Who takes kids to school?
Who takes tens of thousands of people on their holidays?
Who takes people to the theatres?
Who transports the incoming tourists?
Who takes you on your campaign trail?
Who takes fans to sporting events?
We bring billions of pounds to the UK economy.
We help keep carbon emissions down, as on average each coach trip can take ten cars of the road!
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 3 November 2020
The Government announced an unprecedented package of support for companies impacted by COVID-19, including the coach industry, on 17 March 2020.
The Government has announced a range of measures to support companies impacted by COVID-19, including the coach industry. Further changes to the Covid-19 support schemes were made in April to ensure that more businesses could benefit from them. The Government has launched an online support finder tool to help businesses quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them.
• Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) – providing funding to help businesses across a range of sectors to pay wages and suppliers, even while experiencing severe disruption to cashflows.
• “Time to Pay” - HMRC is ready to help all businesses and self-employed individuals, experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to coronavirus, including “Time to Pay” arrangements, which allow the payment of taxes to be deferred.
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - launched on 20 April, this helps firms keep people in employment by allowing businesses to put workers on temporary leave. The Government will pay cash grants of 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing workers stay employed. The Scheme covers the cost of wages backdated to 1 March. It was initially open for at least three months and has now been extended to the end of October. There is no limit on the amount of funding available for the scheme, and all UK-wide employers with a PAYE scheme are eligible.
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme - has been created to support long-term viable small and medium sized businesses who may need to respond to cash-flow pressures by seeking additional finance. To be eligible, a business must be based in the UK and be impacted by COVID-19, have an annual turnover of no more than £45 million, and be seeking a loan up to £5 million. The scheme is delivered through commercial lenders, backed by the government-owned British Business Bank. There are more than 40 accredited lenders able to offer the scheme, including all the major banks.
• Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme – all firms with a turnover of more than £45 million are able to apply for up to £25 million of finance, and larger firms with a turnover of more than £250 million can apply for up to £50 million. The Government will provide a guarantee to enable banks to make these loans. It will support business that were viable before the COVID-19 outbreak, which are otherwise unable to access the finance they need.
The above measures have been designed to ensure that companies of any size receive the help they need to get through this difficult time.
The Government has made up to £617m of additional funding available to local authorities to enable them to make payments of up to £25,000 to businesses which are ineligible for the existing grants schemes because of the way they interact with the business rates system. The guidance for local authorities on implementation of the business rates Expanded Retail Discount includes a list of properties eligible for the relief. Eligibility for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund is also taken from this list. This list does not provide specifically for properties used by coach businesses to benefit from the relief, and specifically makes ineligible properties that are not reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public. It is for local authorities to determine in each individual case when to grant business rates relief or grants, having regard to this guidance. Where businesses feel they may fit the eligibility criteria for business rates relief or grants, they should contact their local authority. Local authorities also have the discretionary power to offer hardship relief.
Given the support already put in place, as outlined above, the Government at this time has no plans to provide additional financial support bespoke to the coach industry.
Further details of all these schemes and support can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
The online business support finder tool can be found at: www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
School Restart funding was also announced on 8th August, providing local transport authorities with more than £40 million funding for the autumn term to create extra capacity, while social distancing measures remain in place.
Guidance for School Restart funding can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-to-school-and-other-places-of-education-autumn-term-2020
The Government continues to work closely with the coach sector to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are, and how these could be addressed, and we are reviewing opportunities for the sector to assist in wider recovery and resilience work. Government also recognises the role of the coach sector and the services it provides as a sub-sector of the leisure and tourism industry.
Department for Transport
This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/332280)
Related activity
Original Government response: The Government announced an unprecedented package of support for...
...companies impacted by COVID-19, including the coach industry, on 17 March 2020.
The Government has announced a range of measures to support companies impacted by COVID-19, including the coach industry. Further changes to the Covid-19 support schemes were made in April to ensure that more businesses could benefit from them. The Government has launched an online support finder tool to help businesses quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the Coronavirus pandemic. These measures include:
• Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) – providing funding to help businesses across a range of sectors to pay wages and suppliers, even while experiencing severe disruption to cashflows.
• “Time to Pay” - HMRC is ready to help all businesses and self-employed individuals, experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to coronavirus, including “Time to Pay” arrangements, which allow the payment of taxes to be deferred.
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - launched on 20 April, this helps firms keep people in employment by allowing businesses to put workers on temporary leave. The Government will pay cash grants of 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing workers stay employed. The Scheme covers the cost of wages backdated to 1 March. It was initially open for at least three months and has now been extended to the end of October. There is no limit on the amount of funding available for the scheme, and all UK-wide employers with a PAYE scheme are eligible.
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme - has been created to support long-term viable small and medium sized businesses who may need to respond to cash-flow pressures by seeking additional finance. To be eligible, a business must be based in the UK and be impacted by COVID-19, have an annual turnover of no more than £45 million, and be seeking a loan up to £5 million. The scheme is delivered through commercial lenders, backed by the government-owned British Business Bank. There are more than 40 accredited lenders able to offer the scheme, including all the major banks.
• Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme – all firms with a turnover of more than £45 million are able to apply for up to £25 million of finance, and larger firms with a turnover of more than £250 million can apply for up to £50 million. The Government will provide a guarantee to enable banks to make these loans. It will support business that were viable before the COVID-19 outbreak, which are otherwise unable to access the finance they need.
All of the above measures have been designed to ensure that companies of any size receive the help they need to get through this difficult time.
The Government has made up to £617m of additional funding available to local authorities to enable them to make payments of up to £25,000 to businesses which are ineligible for the existing grants schemes because of the way they interact with the business rates system. The guidance for local authorities on implementation of the business rates Expanded Retail Discount includes a list of properties eligible for the relief. Eligibility for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund is also taken from this list. This list does not provide specifically for properties used by coach businesses to benefit from the relief, and specifically makes ineligible properties that are not reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public. It is for local authorities to determine in each individual case when to grant business rates relief or grants, having regard to this guidance. Where businesses feel they may fit the eligibility criteria for business rates relief or grants, they should contact their local authority. Local authorities also have the discretionary power to offer hardship relief.
Further details of all these schemes and support can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
The online business support finder tool can be found at: www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
The Government continues to work closely with the coach sector to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are, and how these could be addressed. We are also reviewing opportunities for the sector to assist in wider recovery and resilience work.
School Restart funding was also announced on 8th August, providing local transport authorities with more than £40 million funding for the autumn term to create extra capacity, while social distancing measures remain in place. Enabling the national priority for children and young people to return to full time education in September.
Guidance for School Restart funding can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-to-school-and-other-places-of-education-autumn-term-2020
Department for Transport
Response given on 14/08/20. The Petitions Committee then requested a revised response,
MPs to debate the future of the coach industry
MPs will debate the future of the coach industry on Thursday 10 December in Westminster Hall. The subject of the debate has been determined by the Backbench Business Committee.
This will be a general debate. General debates allow MPs to debate important issues, however they do not end in a vote nor can they change the law.
The debate will start at 3.00pm and last for 90 minutes.
Watch the debate here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/28ba4159-070b-485a-8516-8f91fcaf990e
Find out more about how Parliamentary debates work: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/debates/
Find out more about the Backbench Business Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/202/backbench-business-committee/
MPs to debate the aviation, travel and tourism industries
On Thursday 10 June, MPs will debate the Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industries in the main House of Commons Chamber.
This will be a general debate. General debates allow MPs to debate important issues, however they do not end in a vote nor can they change the law.
The debate will begin following questions to Ministers and Ministerial statements.
Watch the debate:
https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/2e811f25-7a77-438d-9a60-dbea42b4c6e8
You can also read a transcript of the debate a few hours after it has finished:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-10
Find out more about how Parliamentary debates work:
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/debates/
Support for the aviation, travel and tourism industries to be debated by MPs
On Thursday 24 June, MPs will debate support for the aviation, travel and tourism industries in Westminster Hall.
This is a general debate that has been scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee, which gives opportunities to backbench Members of Parliament to bring forward debates of their choice. General debates allow MPs to debate important issues. However they do not end in a vote nor can they change the law.
Watch the debate (from 3.15pm, Thurs 24 June): https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/73a555bf-9c83-4387-9bbb-30677002d3c4
Read a transcript of the debate (available a few hours after it has finished): https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-24
Government debate on the aviation, travel and tourism industries
This debate follows an earlier debate that the Government scheduled on the aviation, travel and tourism industries. The Government's debate took place in the main House of Commons chamber on Thursday 10 June.
Watch the debate scheduled by the Government: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2e811f25-7a77-438d-9a60-dbea42b4c6e8?in=14:00:20
Read a transcript of the debate scheduled by the Government: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-10/debates/0922563F-114D-4D63-86F5-707A8DC2B434/AviationTravelAndTourismIndustries
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a Government Minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Find out more about how Parliamentary debates work:
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/debates/