Aberystwyth’s Vale of Rheidol Railway has joined a select number of UK visitor attractions to attain the Coach Friendly Status from the Confederation of Passenger Transport
The status is an industry standard designed to recognise and reward tourist attractions that go the extra mile to provide a warm welcome to groups arriving by coach. Vale of Rheidol spokesman, Will Smith said, “At the moment, around 30 tourist attractions in the UK have received this award. We are really pleased to have joined this elite group!”
The award was presented by CPT President Ian Luckett at the CPT’s Wales Coach Commission conference in Aberystwyth.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) is the national trade association for the bus and coach industry. The Coach Friendly Visitor attraction status was launched in 2016 to complement CPT’s Coach Friendly Towns, Cities & Villages status. The accreditation recognises and rewards visitor attractions across the country who understand the requirements of coaches and their customers by providing suitably located and first-class facilities. For a list of status holders and the criteria for acceptance, see www.coachfriendly.co.uk.
In 2016, the railway’s commitment to coach tourism was recognised when it won the Heritage Railway of the Year category in the National Coach
Tourism Awards. It was a finalist in the same competition in 2017.
CPT assessed Coach Friendly Visitor Attractions guarantee to provide:
- Exceptional coach, driver and passenger facilities;
- Dedicated information (for coach tours) on an easy to use website;
- Clear directional instructions and signs for visiting coaches and their parties;
- Evidence the attraction welcomes coach groups and liaises with local bodies on issues relating to coaches (ie planning, traffic);
- Dedicated and adequate coach parking;
- Facilities for group comfort (toilets, refreshments, waiting areas etc);
- Facilities for disabled visitors.
For more information on visiting the Railway please click here
