The Port of Dover and its partners have announced plans to ensure smooth operations at the port during the UK’s peak holiday period, including an improved experience for coaches.
This follows significant delays and disruption during previous travel seasons, prompting the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) to call for crisis talks between the government, the port, ferry companies and coach operators to overcome ongoing issues.
Thanks to this plan, coaches are now expected to benefit from a designated Coach Processing Facility, additional border control infrastructure, and improved flow rates during the upcoming peak summer period.
Doug Bannister, CEO, Port of Dover, said:The Port of Dover is a hugely popular choice for families to get away to Europe for the summer holiday and we expect this year to be no different.
We have worked hard with our partners to deliver a series of improvements to our shared operation, engaging in extensive planning for the peak period, and making continual investments that support the ferry operation and protect the local community.
The collective operational plan at the Port of Dover for the summer holiday period now includes:
- Working closely with coach customers and ferry operators to spread travel demand during peak times
- Improving flow rates for all traffic types, including cars, coaches and HGVs
- Reinstating the designated coach processing facility on the approach to the ferry terminal to conduct the advanced passenger information checks and smooth movements to the Port
- Installing additional border control infrastructure to enhance coach processing capacity at the French border by 133% (from three to seven positions)
- Utilising two available additional booths to provide the Port with up to nine lanes of car traffic
- Sharing hour-by-hour projections for each day of the summer getaway with operational partners, enabling them to plan their resources and processes
