Crossing the Channel: there is another way!
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-IIS YEAR coach operators are )le to choose from a wide giety of ferry operators plying ie English Channel routes. ew deals and new facilities are gion, yet one operator I spoke recently pays possibly a little lore for good service and unriAled speed.
Every Friday four coaches Derated by Provence Private ire of St Albans in Hertford'lire takes its passengers on a 3mping holiday to Port othuau in the South of France. Since Provence's associated )mpany Port Pothuau olidays have been running 'elusive camping holidays in le South of Prance, the )aches have crossed the hannel on hovercraft operated Hoverlloyd.
PPH was formed when elwyri Garden City Coaches ere taken over, and the fact at the coach operating )mpany and the holiday )mpany share the same initials no accident. The PPH services the South are an integral part the coach operation which Illy utilises four new 12-metre olvo B58 Duple Dominant )aches every weekend during ay to October. Hoverlloyd operates four SR N4 hovercraft between Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate, to Calais and are generally pleased to take all but day-tour coach traffic.
The trip across the Channel usually takes only 40 minutes and although the ride is not particularly comfortable at least for some they're soon put out of their agony. For the driver and the operator the time saving can be crucial as it can provide either a more attractive itinerary or can even allow a destination to be easily reached in one day within the constraints of the drivers' hours regulations.
The Hoverlloyd hovercraft is driven by Rolls-Royce turbo prop engines similar to those which power a Britannia aircraft, and holds 278 passengers and 35 cars (or one coach and 28 cars).
During an -average"' year, bad weather stops hovercraft flights from operating only about 12 times and then usually only because the flight would be intolerably uncomfortable for passengers.
recently visited the Pegwell Bay International Hoverport and was impressed by the way coach parties were handled with minimum fuss to enable speedy embarkation.
During the day, four coaches operated for Port Pothuau Holidays by Provence Private Hire, as well as a number of coaches from other operators, went through the Hoverport.
On arriving at the hoverport, the coach drops its passengers who are then individually issued with their boarding cards.
The coach drivers then return to the vehicle and drive through passport and ticketing facilities to the embarkation lane.
When I visited the hoverport, coaches offen seemed to be accommodated on the next departing craft, if space allowed, despite usually being booked on a later hovercraft.
The operator who had taken the precaution of allowing a generous time margin on the British leg of the journey is thus often rewarded by an earlier crossing — a situation which would not necessarily apply on cross-Channel ferryboats.
As soon as the incoming hovercraft is completely unloaded the coach (or a maximum of two coaches) is driven on to the craft. They are always parked at the centre of the craft and are strapped to the deck to avoid the possibility of accident damage if the sea is rough.
The coach passengers, unlike car passengers who load with their cars, board the hovercraft with the foot passengers.
Stewardess duty-free service is available, but the flight is short enough to avoid the likelihood of passengers overindulging, a phenomenon not that unusual on conventional car ferries.
On arrival at Calais, the passengers again disembark with the foot passengers and rejoin the coach when they have cleared the French customs and passport formalities. On most occasions the French customs authorities are content to allow luggage to remain on the coach.
The coach crews return to their vehicles with car passengers and they have to reverse their coaches from the craft. It is not possible to drive a coach right through as the ladder to the pilot's cabin provides an obstruction.
The coach driver then takes his vehicle through the passport and frontier facilities and, if everything is in order, he has usually arrived at the covered coach stop facilities at the front of the hoverport at the same time as his passengers.
On average, within fifteen minutes of the hovercraft coming to rest at Calais the coaches are on the road towards Paris and the South of France — about half the time it would take by a conventional sea journey.
On the return trip to Ramsgate, formalities are just as informal. The only essential difference is that on most occasions the luggage is offloaded from the coach at the hoverport on to a conveyor belt to be claimed by passengers who then obtain customs clearance and rejoin the coach.
On the day I visited Pegwell Bay, coaches were only taking about 25 minutes to disembark from the craft and clear customs before they again were ready to continue their journey.
For PPH, the convenience and speed of the hovercraft far outweighs the extra cost. It allows the operator to schedule coaches to pick up passengers to arrive at a destination at a civilised hour, and it permits the two-driver operation to be carried out easily within drivers" hours regulations.
On one particular regular departure, Port Pothuau passengers are able to enjoy a full evening in Paris — an added sales feature and a break for both man and machine on their way to the Mediterranean.
As well as the four new Volvo's already mentioned PPH also operates two Van Hoolbodied Ford R 1 1 14 coaches, two AEC Plaxtons, one Leyland Leopard Plaxton, one Bedford YMT Caetano, and a Ford-based Faro 3 midicoach —,and the fleet undertakes all kinds of everyday coach operation.
PPH managing director Val George told roe that PPH has enjoyed the working relationship with Hoverlloyd since the South of France holiday operation was conceived two years ago.
Only on one occasion had it not been possible to transport the coach by Hovercraft due to bad weather and Hoverlloyd have always been very helpful.
Once, when a coach broke down Hoverlloyd allowed both coach and breakdown vehicle on the hovercraft.
Much of Port Pothuau Holiday business is repeat, as holidaymakers come back year after year and the speedy service given by Hoverlloyd and its hovercraft Sure, Swift Sir Charles and the Prince of Wales, contributed to the success which results in the continuing happy relationship between the two operators.