This Award will be won by an authority that has made extra effort to deliver outstanding facilities for coaches and their passengers.

The performance of tourist attractions and the quality of visits can be critically affected by local highway authorities’ policies on traffic management, parking and road network development.

Enlightened local authorities:

• encourage use of public transport
• provide facilities for visiting coaches, their drivers and their passengers
• invest in infrastructure for coaches
• promote access to their area by public transport, including coaches.

Winners: Liverpool City Council

Liverpool has long been a destination for coach groups, including domestic and international excursions, theatre and concert trips, sporting visits and conference business.

The City Council identified the importance of serving the coach market and attracting greater numbers of day visitors to the city. It therefore approached stakeholders across the city to assist in collaborative working to meet these goals.

The City Council works closely with landowners and tourism partners to develop coach welcome and driver rest facilities in the city.  Three Coach Welcome Schemes have been established to date and a dedicated Liverpool Coach Parking Map showing the location of short-stay, medium-stay and 24-hour parking (including off-road parking) bays in the city was first published in 2009.

The Coach Parking Map is sent to all tour operators that pre-book to receive a Coach Welcome for the convenience of their drivers.

The judges were greatly impressed by the partnership working involved and by the progress that has been made, given that the City Council is working in a difficult political and financial environment. Hopefully, the work done will continue and develop.

Runner Up: Medway Council (Rochester)

Medway Council is no stranger to the UK Coach Awards, having won the award for Most Coach-Friendly Local Authority  in 2011 after being a finalist in 2009 and 2010.

Situated only 30 miles from London, Medway prides itself as being one of most coach friendly local authorities in the country.

Coaches visiting historic Rochester are provided with first-class facilities, including free coach parking, a driver rest room, a dedicated setting-down/pick-up point and a visitor information centre.

Medway works closely with the coach travel industry and destination partners to promote coach tourism and has provided valuable assistance to other local authorities to also become coach friendly. The judges felt that Medway’s continuing commitment to the coach industry was worthy of recognition once again.

Who could be nominated?

District Councils, County Councils and Unitary Authorities throughout the United Kingdom.

…and by whom?

Coach operators were asked to nominate towns and/or cities whose provision for coaches they had admired during the last 12 months. They were asked to explain why they thought the nominated town or city deserved this award.

Criteria and Entry Requirements:

A judging process supplemented the nominations, including an assessment of the authority’s overall tourism and transport policies, future plans and sustainability. The process may if necessary include an element of ‘mystery shopping’.