Safety travel back

from work.

More than 500 of the company’s staff are on the UK Government’s furlough job retention scheme.

The company says sales have “fallen off the edge of a cliff” and to date Edwards has lost approximately 97% of its usual revenue.

Of the companies we spoke to they are the only one that may be covered by Friday’s Welsh Government funding announcement, though they are awaiting further clarification on whether this is the case.

Nevertheless, director Jason Edwards says they are determined to show customers they can now travel safely by coach.

“We are only selling 50% of the seats. We have got to gain consumer confidence by showing them how safe and comfortable things are.

“We don’t want to be where we are – we want to be making money.

“Our coaches are cleaned every day to the highest standard and we have a track and trace system already in place.

“Our industry works on small margins anyway. We have two choices: we either stop and pack up, or come out fighting.

“We either adapt and make these changes work or we haven’t got a business to come back to,” he said.

Mr Edwards is confident the coach industry will survive. He said operating in the summer should help to see them through the challenging winter months.

He added: “If we are not allowed to open and trade and make a profit then we are going to have a really tough winter.

“There’s not going to be many businesses in tourism and leisure that will be able to see another winter through.

“We are ready to start taking customers on holiday again.

“We have got clean air flowing into the coach – the air inside is actually cleaner than the air outside.

“The coach industry will definitely survive – we are a thick-skinned bunch and will adapt to anything.

“It won’t be an industry we had before March but we will come out better and stronger for it.”