The coach industry is indeed a fascinating one. Operations vary from family-run businesses of all sizes, big and small, to divisions of large bus companies or franchised units recognisable in the UK and even worldwide. Some come and go very quickly whilst others have survived and adapted quickly to changing demands.

Covid-19 and other global events have brought all sort of uncertainties to bus and coach operators across the world. Untold damage was done during the peak of the pandemic in 2020/21, with companies folding, reduced passenger usage, fewer orders for new vehicles, a reduction in financial assistance from the government after initial help in the lockdowns, high staff sickness rates and indeed difficulties with the supply of materials to bus and coach manufacturers. Escalating fuel costs was another underlying issue. Twice during 2020 – on 20 July and 1 September – hundreds of coach drivers honked their horns in central London for the Honk for Hope campaign in a bid to draw attention to the crisis facing the industry due to the coronavirus pandemic and looking for government support. A smaller procession of coaches took part in Edinburgh on 6 August 2020. A chapter in the book illustrates some of the participants, old and new, from small and large operators. I have included a significant number of photos from these days as they demonstrate just how varied and colourful coach companies can be in terms of age and variety of vehicles. Sadly, the loss of trade during the pandemic saw many familiar operators disappear forever or cut back on their services.

Timberbush Tours, one of Scotland’s longest-running tour operators, celebrated twenty-five years in the business during 2023. Pictured at Lawnmarket is MAN Neoplan Tourliner OU24 ZTX. (Touring by Bus and Coach, Amberley Publishing)

In addition to these challenging days, everything has been moving towards a desire to achieve early net zero, with fewer emissions and more ‘clean’ vehicles on the roads. Whilst service bus operators have been quick to start building up electric and hydrogen fleets, coach operators have been more hesitant, given the infrastructure problems associated with powering up coaches on long-distance work. Of course, coach manufacturers including Yutong have lost no time in developing options, with examples now appearing throughout the UK.

One of the more positive things to come out of Covid-19, however, was the increased demand for ‘staycation’ holidays; the rise in the number of bookings greatly aided surviving coach operators. Although foreign travel has since become popular once more, UK destinations and themed holidays still sell well. Whilst healthy bookings are a good thing, coach operators have also faced other problem factors. In many cities, towns and villages, places for coaches to park are now restricted and are very difficult to access. Passengers do not appreciate being set down and picked up far from where they are wanting to go. Likewise, drivers need to know the best options, and tour arrangers have to be aware of potential difficulties. Tour schedules can require short-notice changes, with alterative locations visited if some are not coach friendly. And if some journeys involve going on ferries, weather and availability of vessels can cause all sorts of difficulties in keeping to times and routes.

Touring
Open-top electric buses could be a common sight soon. In summer 2024, West Coast Motors introduced ten new open-top Wrightbus StreetDeck BEV Electroliners to complement its diesel open-toppers on its red and yellow City Sightseeing Glasgow tours, with 12402 (SC24 WFA) being an example. The use of these buses align with Glasgow’s strong green credentials and shows the operator’s dedication to meeting Scotland’s climate-change goals. (Touring by Bus and Coach, Amberley Publishing)

Meanwhile, open-top bus tours have regained their popularity. There are a huge variety available up and down the country, and overseas too, with some now in transition to being repowered or delivered as brand-new electric buses. In addition to illustrating some of those available in the UK, I’ve included a few recent photos from Dublin, which I hope are interesting and representative of the tours you can expect to see. Along with the traditional hop-on, hop-off-style tours, there are open- and closed-top buses offering murder mystery, ghost trips, afternoon tea, full meals, prosecco and even beer gardens. The iconic London Routemaster bus provides many of these tours, but equally there are more modern vehicles that also operate these fun events.

The photos in this book cover the last six years or so. With so many companies around I can only show a small proportion of them, and because I live in Scotland lots of the photos have been taken this side of the border. There is, however, a good selection of different manufacturers, bodywork styles and seating capacities. With such constant development and change, it will be interesting to see how things progress over the next few years.

Touring by Bus and Coach by Richard Walter is available for purchase now.