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Coach operators have warned that school transport, among other services, could be cut as rising fuel costs are pushing businesses to “breaking point”.

The price of diesel hit £2 a litre for the first time on Thursday, 1 October, which is likely to cause issues not just for vehicle operators but for industries across the supply chain.

Alison Edwards, director of policy at the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), told The Independent that fuel costs surging to unsustainable levels are “pushing coach operators’ already tight margins to breaking point”.

The CPT represents 800 members across the bus and coach industry. It says that coaches are one of Britain’s “hidden” public transport networks that, alongside providing hireable services, also step in when other parts of the transport network fail, such as during train cancellations.

“It is time for urgent action. Without intervention, soaring prices will mean difficult decisions on the availability of services – including home-to-school transport – and the viability of businesses,” Ms Edwards added.

“Fewer coach journeys will mean fewer school and educational trips, reduced transport options for community groups and sports clubs, and fewer visitors spending money in towns, cities and attractions across the UK.”

Local authorities across the country were given a £3m boost from the government in December 2025 for bus services.

Ms Edwards says that the government now “must step in” and support the coach sector by providing temporary help with the cost of diesel.

She says help is needed for the many small independent operators, 85 per cent of which are family businesses.

“Coaches form a hidden backbone of public transport. Independent KPMG research commissioned by CPT found that coach passengers generate £8.3 billion of spending in local economies each year, including £5.4 billion at tourist destinations.

“In usual times, they receive no government investment. But the industry needs help as the cost of diesel hits a record high,” she said.

The price of a litre of fuel in the UK has risen 40.5 per cent since late February, when the US first launched strikes against Iran, while prices are also at a record high in the US, where much of the world’s supply is produced and refined.

Read more: What is happening with diesel – and should we be worried?

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