Welcome to #honkforhope!
WHAT IS #HONKFORHOPE?
#honkforhope is a pan-European initiative to save coach companies across Europe. It was born on April 29th 2020, when Alexander Ehrlich, director of the City Tours group of companies (offices in Austria, Germany, Italy and Poland) handed over the petition "Save tourist buses in Europe" to the Austrian government during the first pan-european motorcoach ralley taking place simultaneously in Vienna, Dresden, Bratislava, and many other cities in Europe. Subsequently, there were action days in many other countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Albania, Ukraine and other countries of Europe. We fight for survival of motorcoach travelling business in all its variety and totality, anywhere in Europe, and are also connected and solidarian with our colleagues in USA.
THE FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS OF #HONKFORHOPE
The fundamental messages that we want to convey to the citizens and governments of Europe (identical messages in all countries!):
- Do you want citizens of your country to be able to travel again after coronavirus? Then please save the tour buses in your country.
- Do you want people from other countries to return to your country after the coronavirus to spend money in hotels, restaurants and museums? Then please save the tour buses across Europe.
- The coach is a symbol of travel. Traveling is freedom. The freedom to travel is the engine of the European Union. The tourist bus is the torch of hope on the way back to our beloved, united Europe!
WHAT IS #HONKFORHOPE ASKING FOR?
The exact things we ask for depend on the respective countries, particularly the amount of money required as a compensation per vehicle and standing day. These details are being formulated and agreed upon on a national level. General claims that are valid for all countries:
- To survive, we need a non-refundable compensation for the standing days during the COVID-19 lockdown.
- We require to be equally treated and considered as other transportation means (airlines, trains and public line buses).
- We need clear guidelines regarding the re-opening of tourism, as well as senseful and equal rules concerning COVID-19 prevention measures.
HOW IS #HONKFORHOPE ORGANIZED?
#honkforhope is a general framework in which there is space for each individual initiative, according to the respective structure of the bus sector in different countries. We do not care if one of our members is a single company, a spontaneous group of collaborating companies or an institutional federation. Furthermore, there is no interest in interfering with the details of what the various initiatives require in detail from their governments. However, we are convinced, and we request this of all our members, that the emphasis on the three basic uniform messages in all communications in our sector to the authorities and the media is the strategy that will allow us to get out of this pan-European crisis, all together.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH #HONKFORHOPE?
There are the following ways to get in touch with #honkforhope:
- By Telegram: https://t.me/honkforhope
- By postal letter: #honkforhope - Verein zur Förderung der Interessen des Busreisegewerbes, Rosaliagasse 19/6, A-1120 Wien, Österreich
- By Email:
If you want to plan own #honkforhope actions, here is a guideline how to best do it: English: manual how to best co-operate with #honkforhope
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS OF #HONKFORHOPE
German: Der Reisebus ist ein Symbol für Europa (29.04.2020)
English: Austrian petition "save motorcoach travelling business in Europe" (April 29th, 2020)
German: Deutschland-Petition "Rettet das Busreisegewerbe in Deutschland" (14.05.2020)
English: how to sign the petition offline
German: Das #honkforhope Hygienekonzept zur COVID-19 Prävention im Reisebus
HOW TO JOIN #HONKFORHOPE?
English: membership application to join #honkforhope
We need 50.000 signatures until 24.06.2020