Dover: RHA Update on Coach movements this Easter Weekend

The RHA has spoken to the Port of Dover which has spelt out a number of steps to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s chaos that saw coaches stranded for up to 12 hours while they waited for a ferry to France.

Demand for coach travel is likely to be down by a third this weekend compared with last Friday and Saturday. Ferry operators have worked with coach companies to move journeys times around to avoid a crush. A new temporary holding infrastructure has been set up to process coaches if queues build up. Dover says they have worked with French customs to ensure adequate staffing.

In addition – P&O Ferries says discussions with port authorities over the situation this coming Easter weekend are “ongoing and dynamic” and aimed at minimising disruption.

Easter is a traditionally busy time for coach travel and questions are being asked about why the system was so unprepared for a high volume of coach trips.

Dover and ferry operators point out that the post-Brexit requirement to individually scan and stamp all passports for passengers entering the EU has created capacity problems at the port which has a limited road and holding infrastructure. That means a coachload of 50 people takes much longer to process by the border staff than lorries and car passengers. It took up to an hour to process a single coachload last weekend.

The RHA is concerned that checks will take even longer when the EU introduces the new requirements for biometric data checks – the Entry Exit System or EES – scheduled for the end of this year.

RHA coach members have complained that there simply weren’t enough French customs staff on duty to handle the volume of passports – a major reason for the delays.

One coach member said: “The government needs to talk to the French to make sure they have enough staff on duty – we need more staff to stamp passports”.

Officials at Dover say the main reason for the delay was the number of coaches exceeding the port’s capacity.

The RHA calls on the authorities, including ports and ferry companies as well as the French and UK governments to urgently work together to improve border processing time. We believe that its wrong that people who choose an environmentally friendly method of transport – coaches as opposed to cars – should be punished in this way. It potentially damages the tourism coach sector as well as causing passengers anger and frustration.

The Department for Transport says it’s in close contact with all parties over the delays.

In the longer term, the RHA is urging all those involved to work together to improve the border operation at Dover, so that essential users like coaches and lorries can travel as smoothly as possible through the Short Straits and avoid future unnecessary delays.