Hovertravel Adapts to Provide Lifeline Services during Pandemic Lockdown
When the pandemic first took hold, Hovertravel – a hovercraft company operating a rapid transport service between the Isle of Wight and mainland Britain – was facing difficulties.
With revenues dwindling as a result of the pandemic, it might have chosen to go into hibernation and depend upon government support schemes. Instead, the firm looked for new ways to operate that would prevent islanders from becoming even more isolated during the pandemic, while adapting its services to remain viable afterwards.
With assistance from an array of stakeholders – from local councils, unions, and NHS workers to banks such as Barclays – Hovertravel secured an emergency timetable for travel between the mainland and its 140,000 residents on the Isle of Wight. It also agreed to provide essential services for critically ill cardiac patients who urgently needed access medical care not available on the island.
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Part of this saw it adapting its crafts in order to transport patients safely via stretchers, with a significantly shorter travel time and cost than those of a helicopter service. It also agreed to carry out other services including ferrying NHS workers, firefighters and PPE items around; carrying blood and organs required for transplant; freight transport; and delivering online shopping orders.
Management at Hovertravel are being praised as they took on considerable financial risk in order to meet the needs of the local community rather than just taking advantage of state aid programmes. Thanks to their commitment during these difficult times their financial performance has since outperformed pre-pandemic charts.
The firm is also now seen as a critical life-line operator by the emergency services, local authorities and the Department for Transport, and has picked up a number of awards, including Best Passenger Transport Provider 2020 from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, a ‘Community Recognition’ award from Ryde Town Council, the Freedom of the City from the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth – and The IFT’s 2022 Community Impact Award.
This coincides with the publication of a new report from the Institute for Turnaround which says that struggling businesses hoping for a reprieve from challenging conditions in 2023 face disappointment. It warns that inflationary pressures, rising energy prices and labour shortages mean demand for turnaround expertise among distressed businesses will continue to grow this year.
You can read the report here:
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