28/02/2007
- Provincial operations to benefit from 440 new state-of-the-art vehicles
- Investment for 2007-08 tops £65m as Britain gets on board the buses
- Telemarketing, partnerships and concessionary travel driving growth
Stagecoach Group plc announced today (28 February 2007) that it has placed fresh orders for more than 440 new vehicles for its UK bus division as the company continues to generate strong passenger growth.
The £55 million investment will benefit customers in Stagecoach’s growing provincial UK bus operations and brings the Perth-based group’s total spend on new buses for 2007-08 to nearly £65million.
Passenger numbers at Stagecoach’s bus operations have grown year-on-year by around 6%. The growth is as a result of a major ongoing telemarketing campaign, a package of innovative initiatives in partnership with local authorities, and new journeys under concessionary fares schemes.
Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: "Britain is getting back on board the bus. This latest investment will allow us to manage that growth and further improve our quality of service to passengers.
"Our market-leading innovation, highly successful telemarketing strategy and strong partnerships with transport authorities in metropolitan and shire county areas are a winning package.
"Buses are a key part of the solution to the growing problem of traffic congestion in our towns and cities, and we believe there is a huge opportunity to attract more and more people out of their cars and on to public transport in the future."
Vehicle manufacturers Alexander Dennis, Optare, MAN, Plaxton, Scania and Volvo will supply the latest Stagecoach orders. They include 127 single-deckers, 200 double-deckers, 75 midi-buses, 17 mini-buses and 25 coaches.
The fleet of new vehicles will be delivered between May 2007 and the end of April 2008.
Details of the new orders are:
- 200 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double-deckers
- 118 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 single-deckers (113 12-metre version and 5 12.8metre model)
- 75 Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 midi-buses
- 17 Optare Solo mini-buses (11 8.5metre vehicles and 6 9.5metre model)
- 25 Plaxton Profile Volvo B7R coaches
- 9 Scania OmniLink single-deckers
All of the new vehicles run on low-sulphur diesel, and are equipped with modern heating and ventilation. The buses also incorporate low floor access for parents with young children, people with disabilities and elderly passengers, and many feature a special ‘kneeling’ mechanism to help boarding from the pavement. All coaches are fitted with special lifts to assist boarding for wheelchair users.
It comes only a few months after Stagecoach placed a £9million order for 100 buses from Leeds-based manufacturer Optare, the first of which will be delivered in May 2007. Fitted with hi-tech MAN exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) four-cylinder engines, the Euro 4-compliant buses will be among the most environmentally friendly in Stagecoach’s fleet.
Stagecoach – UK Bus Operator of the year two years’ running - has expanded its successful telemarketing unit in Perth, which is aimed at attracting new users to bus travel. More than 50 direct marketing projects have been undertaken in the past two years, covering around half a million potential customers, picking up a range of business awards and contribution to rising passenger growth.
Prospective passengers are asked about their current travel choices, their satisfaction with existing bus services and offered seven days’ free travel to encourage them to use the bus. The innovative approach has resulted in conversion rates of more than 20% at Stagecoach bus operations across the UK.
For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680
NOTES TO EDITORS
Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators, connecting communities in more than 100 towns and cities. The company runs around 7,000 vehicles from Devon in south-west England to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. Carrying around 2 million passengers every day, Stagecoach has major city bus operations in Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge.
Full breakdown of bus orders:
- 175 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double-deckers (ADL E400 chassis)
- 25 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double-deckers (Scania 230UD chassis)
- 18 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 single-deckers (ADL E300 chassis – 12metre)
- 95 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 single-deckers (MAN 18.240 chassis – 12metre)
- 5 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 single-deckers (MAN 18.240 chassis – 12.8metre)
- 25 Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 midi-buses (ADL E200 chassis – 10.9metre)
- 50 Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 midi-buses (MAN 14.240 chassis – 10.9metre)
- 11 Optare Solo mini-buses (8.5metre)
- 6 Optare Solo mini-buses (9.5metre)
- 25 Plaxton Profile Volvo B7R coaches
- 9 Scania OmniLink single-deckers (13.7metre)
