The Peninsula Transport Strategy sets out the vision for transport in the region up to 2050, and our newly published Coach Action Plan is an integral part of this.
Our broader Transport Strategy defines four priorities that form the overarching framework for aims, objectives and actions in the Coach Action Plan:
- Easier Journeys
- Going Electric
- A Connected Peninsula
- Completing the Transport Network
Across Britain, over 450 million journeys are made by coach each year, equivalent to 40% of all passenger trips made by rail. Coach passengers spend over £8.3 billion in local economies across Britain – meaning each single coach passenger trip made can generate around £18 for the local economy. (CPT, 2024).
Our vision will also ensure that coaches are considered as a vital part of the fabric of the Peninsula – allowing movement, economic benefits, and providing a regional resource to be coordinated and integrated with other transport options.
It is important to note that coaches provide a distinctly different offer to buses across the region. Whereas bus provides important daily connections across shorter distances for commuting, education, retail and leisure purposes, coach provides longer distance scheduled connections, access to the region for the tourism market, and local group travel for a range of people and organisations.
Coach, like bus, is also used in the supply of home to school transport. In this market, coach is just one of several vehicle types supplying the market, however, for many coach operators, school transport contracts contribute significantly to the vehicles that are then used across other work around schools.
It is essential to recognise the excellent work already being done by our partners across public transport in the Peninsula, and that our role is no way to replace that.
We see Peninsula Coach Forum’s role as threefold:
- As a researcher,
- An influencer
- A facilitator
Our forum is best placed to bring partners together to overcome challenges faced by the coach market across the Peninsula.
Cllr Coker commented:
“The Peninsula Transport board members are pleased to back the STB’s pioneering ‘Coach Vision.’ This ground-breaking strategy shines a spotlight on coach travel as an accessible, and budget-friendly mode of public transport that not only connects our communities but fuels the success of our businesses and drives growth in our visitor economy.
“The innovative approach of the Coach Forum embodies the very heart of Peninsula Transport’s integrated transport aspirations. Coach travel isn’t just a way to get from A to B – it’s a dynamic contributor to our communities’ jobs market and has important knock-on effects on complimentary industries that are vital for the year-round economic health of the region.”
Read Peninsula Transport’s Coach Action Plan here: Peninsula Coach Action Plan (Final – January 2025)