Timberbush Tours has marked its 25th anniversary by rolling out a multi-million pound coach replacement programme, as the company’s founder urges the Scottish and UK governments to offer more support for the transition to zero emission coach travel.
The Edinburgh-based coach tour operator is in the process of taking delivery of £1m worth of new vehicles ready for the 2023 summer season and is placing orders for a further £3m of vehicles over the balance of this year and into 2024.
Timberbush has worked with Coach Traders, the Scottish agents for bus and coach manufacturer UNVI, to provide its latest intake of 16-seat Mercedes coaches, and similarly with MAN for its larger 53-seat coaches, sourced directly from manufacturer.
While these vehicles are some of the most fuel efficient on the market, the reality is that Timberbush - in common with the wider coach tour industry - is not yet able to invest in suitable zero emission vehicles.
Timberbush founder Gary Voy explained that the reality is, at present, options for viable vehicles that could allow a transition to zero emission coaches are almost non-existent; nor is there adequate infrastructure to support them even if there were.
“There has been government support for the urban and rural bus industry - completely distinguishable from the coach travel market – as many embark on a shift to both electric and hydrogen vehicles but so far, there is lack of serious support for the coach travel industry to do likewise.
“Until very recently, the coach industry had not been recognised as a key part of that transition.”
Through the Energy Saving Trust, studies of coach tour operators - including Timberbush - were commissioned to better understand their needs in transitioning towards a zero-emission fleet.
This study considered routes, operating model, fleet make up and replacement plan, charging infrastructure and suitable zero emission alternative vehicles, to identify ‘blockers’ to progress.
These included the lack of suitable, viable and affordable vehicle options and the sparse network of charging facilities.
The study reaffirmed what most of the coach tour industry already knew, but now with greater evidence, that there is a long road ahead before zero emission operations can be achieved.
Voy has questioned why both governments have stated ambitions for achieving net zero, but there is no real timetable in place for either to look seriously at what the coach tour industry needs to make the transition to a more environmentally-friendly fleet.
Investments being made now by Timberbush in fleet replacements could have been invested in zero emission vehicles had the key dependencies been viable.
“To reiterate, the challenge for the coach industry ahead of the phasing out of non-zero emission vehicles, expected in 2040, is the availability of vehicles and supporting infrastructure,“ said Voy. “We need quality, affordable, mass market vehicles that are fuelled by alternatives and critically, have adequate range.”
It’s a long way from the origins of the business when he and his wife June set up Timberbush Tours in 1998.
Back then, environmental concerns were yet to be fully acknowledged, but now businesses like Timberbush need to continually innovate and invest in skills and technology.
Voy added: “A coach operators’ ‘green’ credentials play an increasingly important part of customer choice, we therefore need to keep moving forward doing all we can and persuade government to heed our calls and to respond to our concerns.”
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