Scarborough coach manufacturer to cut 90 jobs

Alexander Dennis, the UK’s leading bus and coach manufacturer has announced plans to cut 90 jobs at its  Scarborough site.,

The firm which says the decision follows a “significant fall” in demand for new vehicles in the UK as a result of lockdown, social distancing and low passenger numbers.

The job losses at its Scarborough facility which is home to its coach building subsidiary Plaxton and employs 750 people, form part of 650 job cuts across the country.

Paul Davies president and managing director of Alexander Dennis said there was “no choice but to implement these tough decisions to protect the company’s future health.”

The business which was purchased by the Canadian NFI Group, one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, for £320m last year said that, “The Dennis brand is of huge significance to the company, with its proud history and heritage of automotive innovation dating back to its inception in 1895. We will fight hard to protect this legacy.”

However Davies called for more support from both UK and Scottish Governments to “facilitate demand for new buses and coaches, not only to prevent further damage to UK bus and coach manufacturing that could threaten additional production sites, but to help build back better with a green recovery that delivers cleaner air for our towns and cities.”