Bicester coach operator closes suddenly
Coach operator Heyfordian Travel has ceased trading. The family-owned business, established in 1947, can actually trace its transport roots back to the 1890’s when a branch of the family were the horse-drawn carriers in the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire from where the name Heyfordian originates. Haulage was the business of the family in the early 20th century with mechanised trucks introduced after the First World War.
The haulage continued after the Second World War when the founder of Heyfordian identified a need for passenger transport.
A statement on the company's website said : "It with the utmost regret that Heyfordian Travel Limited will be cease trading as of today Tuesday 1st August 2023.
"We are so sorry after 76 years of trading that unfortunately it has come to this. We just faced too many headwinds with inflation, rising costs, driver shortages and having massive interest charges on our bounce back loans that it has become impossible to continue."
The closure is already having ramifications locally. Be Free Young Carers, an Oxfordshire charity which works to improve young carers' well-being and opportunities through the provision of recreational, emotional and social support said this morning that it is having to cancel all remaining trips and events, due to financial uncertainty and lack of time to find alternatives during its busiest period supporting Oxfordshire’s Young Carers, due to the sudden news of Heyfordian Travel closure.
Only a few weeks prior to this sudden and unexpected news, Be Free Young Carers (BFYC) booked several coach hires for their summer respite activities. Now the small, non-government funded charity faces cancelling remaining trips and events, due to financial uncertainty and lack of time to find alternatives during their busiest period supporting Oxfordshire’s Young Carers.
Sabiene North, BFYC Chief Executive Officer said: “Whilst our charity appreciates the situation Heyfordian Travel find themselves in given the current climate, this has had a severe impact on the crucial support we offer our vulnerable young carers. With still over a month left of school summer holidays, we had committed and paid for a full programme of respite activities.
"We have not been contacted by Heyfordian Travel, so now find ourselves currently with no option but to potentially have to cancel our summer respite activity programme, if we can't find another provider or reclaim our funds. This will affect over 80 children and young people in Oxfordshire, who needed to desperately have a much needed break from their caring roles.
"With recent studies showing more than a quarter of young carers spending over 10 hours every day caring for loved ones in the school holidays, our team are now desperately doing all they can to salvage what had promised to be an exciting and essential lifeline of support.”
