Stanley Travel sees 22 bookings cancelled in ONE day over Covid Omicron fears

The co-director of Stanley Travel, Andrew Scott has slammed the Government for a "lack of support" after almost 100 bookings were dropped since the announcement of "Plan B" restrictions, last week.

The company, which has been based in Stanley for the last 60 years, saw 22 bookings scrapped on one day alone, this week, as it said the mass cancellations were "crippling" the industry.

Read more: County Durham and Darlington MPs on crucial Plan B vote

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Mr Scott said it had been left in a difficult position after schools and major clients scrapped their plans at the last minute due to fears over Covid and rules.

He said: "Just to put things into perspective, we normally see around 50 to 60 private hire jobs a day, today we've had 22 of them cancelled, which is almost half of that day's work."

Last week, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed tighter measures, including the re-introduction of work from home guidance, as fears over the spread of the Omicron variant grew.

Read more: Workers at Nobia in Darlington claim Covid measures are being ignored

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister and top health officials have this week been advising people to "think carefully" before going out during the Christmas season as Covid rates continue to rise.

However, this has prompted widespread cancellations across the transport, hospitality and tourism sectors in the North East - and wider UK - as people change their minds and cancel their plans.

Mr Scott, who said the industry was beginning to get back on its feet after almost two years of on-and-off restrictions, said such cancellations had come as a huge blow at a time when the industry is at its peak.

'This should be a busy time'

He said: "September, when schools went back, was a catalyst for everything to get back to where we were before the pandemic.

"We saw a chance to work hard to get customers and clients back onboard and to say 'travel is safe, we're good to go,' and we got there.

"This should be a busy time, we make quite a lot of revenue and that then takes us through to the quiet period of around February and March time."

Mr Scott, who directs the company along with his brother, said it was not just bookings that had been impacted since the announcement, with many now avoiding scheduled holiday trips.

'Numbers have dropped right off'

Stanley Travel has seen a decline in passengers

He said: "We've had passengers still go on trips away to the likes of Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, but the numbers on them have dropped right off."

With around 80 staff on its payroll, and a further 60 self-employed taxi drivers dependant on the company, Stanley Travel was largely supported by the Government's furlough scheme during the lockdown.

Last year, the bus division of the business received further support as it continued to operate for key workers, while Mr Scott said the coaching division "missed out" on any support as it was deemed non-essential. 

But fearing of the financial impact once again, Mr Scott warned unless the Government intervenes this time around, staffing numbers could be reduced - while smaller and younger coach firms could collapse.

He said: "We employ a lot of local people, we got supported with furlough and that was a saviour to us, but today we've had 22 cancellations and that's meant 15 people have had to be stood down.

"It's going to impact them and if this were to continue happening, we would have to start looking at reducing numbers - it's like another lockdown."

Mr Scott warned that the coach industry needed "urgent support," saying that they continued to play a huge role in providing jobs and school transport.

He added that without such support, large numbers of school services could face disruption as the providers awarded council contracts would no longer be in business.

'It is inevitable that businesses will suffer'

Last night, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents the bus and coach sector, said it was vital that the industry is urgently given the support it needs.

A spokesperson for the CPT said: “We are unfortunately hearing reports of cancellations from operators across the country at what is traditionally a very busy time of year.

"Operators had slowly begun to recover from an incredibility difficult 20 months, with significant disruption to their businesses but inexplicably a lack of government support.

“With people being encouraged to minimise social interactions it is inevitable that hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses will suffer.

"It is vital that these sectors, which includes coach operators, are given the support they need as a matter of urgency to help project 10,000s of jobs.”

On Thursday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak faced further pressure to intervene and provide extra support to hospitality businesses suffering from mass cancellations.

One Conservative MP, Greg Smith said the new measures and advice from health chiefs were "going to hit the economy hard."

He said: "With panic setting in, people are cancelling bookings, so it's vital government recognises the consequences of these restrictions.

"Much as I hate the idea of yet more state borrowing, the right thing to do is support businesses hit."

Meanwhile, Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed concerns and urged Mr Sunak to intervene.

In response to the concerns raised in the North East, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: "We know this will be a difficult time for bus and coach operators, and will continue to provide support, including the ongoing £1.5bn of emergency funding for the bus sector.

“We’re also committed to ensuring passengers feel safe on public transport by providing clear advice, and constantly updating our Safer Travel Guidance to help operators advise their customers.”

Take a look at the latest cases of Omicron across the UK on our interactive map below...

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