Michael Fisher
Coach tour and private bus operators say they need a more substantial stimulus to stay afloat. Last week the industry’s representative body said the future was bleak because of Covid-19 restrictions. The Coach Tourism and Transport Council (CTTC) called for a government subsidy of €32 million to be pumped into the sector to put 11,000 buses back on the road. Last Friday the Minister for Transport Catherine Martin TD announced that the government had decided to establish a €10 million Business Continuity Fund for coach tourism operators as part of the July Stimulus Plan.
The CTTC said this was welcome but the amount fell short of what would be required to help coach tour operators in business. Over the past number of months, the national organisation has continuously expressed the need for direct support to the sector, which is facing financial peril. Coach operators transport two million tourists around Ireland…
