Coronavirus: Essex coach hire firm pleads for government help

A coach firm says it has missed out on £600,000 in income during lockdown and could go under within two months.

Jackson's Coaches, based at Bicknacre near Chelmsford, is not in debt and its 20 staff have been furloughed, but the owner fears another spike in the Covid-19 pandemic could spell the end.

Eight vehicles at the Essex company have not run since lockdown began in late March.

The government said a generous package of support was available to businesses.

In May, it announced the furlough scheme, where the government pays 80% of wages to employees of private companies up to £2,500, would be extended until October.

Coach firm owner Marcia Jackson said: "We're not in any debt, but another couple of months we are going to be.

"Thankfully, furlough's taken a big worry off our shoulders. If the spike comes that they're talking about it's going to be even worse than this. I think without a doubt we'd fold."

The firm said it had missed out on a whole summer season as well as school trips, holidays, fishing outings and pensioners' days out because customers were too fearful about Covid-19 to use coaches.

Campaigns are continuing at a national level to help the industry.

Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: "If the government is providing money to restart tourism, coaches should qualify as part of that.

"We continue to call for a flexible extension to the chancellor's furlough scheme otherwise many operators will have no option but to consider large scale redundancies come October."

Many coach companies have been running convoys of vehicles around Westminster to highlight their plight and Jackson's Coaches said it was considering joining them.

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