Stagecoach East Scotland becomes the first in Scotland awarded with five star rating for its environmental performance

Perth, Scotland, 2014-6-11 — /Travel PR News/ — Stagecoach East Scotland has become the first in Scotland to be awarded a coveted five star rating for its environmental performance.

The company – part of Perth-based Stagecoach Group – was assessed under the ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme, run by Dundee City Council.

Presenting the firm with its certificate Vari McDonald vice convener of the city council’s environment committee said: “The ECO (Efficient and Cleaner Operations) Stars scheme provides recognition and guidance on environmental best practice to operators of goods vehicles, buses and coaches whose fleets are either based in or regularly serve Dundee.

“Signing up to the free scheme provides tools and on-going support for operators to reduce costs and their environmental impact, and it also helps in the council’s continuing drive to reduce air pollution.

“I am delighted that Stagecoach East Scotland is the first bus operator in the country to be awarded five stars and have no doubt that the example they have set will be picked up by other fleet operators.”

Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Scotland added: “We’re committed to improving our environmental performance, not just through our vehicles but through our infrastructure and staff behaviour too.  Being the first operator in Scotland to achieve this high 5* star rating is a testament to the efforts of our local team, from the safe and efficient driving on the roads to the senior management investment decisions.”

The certificate was awarded to Stagecoach during the Group’s annual Green Week – a programme of events to highlight the company’s environmental initiatives to customers and staff.

Organisations joining the Fleet Recognition scheme receive access to fleet specialist advice, including an assessment on each of its vehicles by an industry expert and an overview of the way the fleet is managed.

This process leads to a star rating between one and five and tailored guidance on the key measures to take to increase their star rating and thus improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

ECO Stars is backed by the Scottish Government which awarded Dundee City Council £33,000 last year to set up the local scheme.

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact: Stagecoach Group Communications on 01738 442111 or email: media@stagecoachgroup.com

Notes to Editors:

STAGECOACH GROUP

• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The Group employs around 35,000 people, and operates bus, coach, train, and tram services.
• Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators with around 8,000 buses and coaches. Around 2.5 million passengers travel on Stagecoach’s buses every day on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Group’s business includes major city bus operations in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge. Low-cost coach service, megabus.com, operates between around 60 towns and cities across the UK.
• Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast inter-city rail franchise.
• Stagecoach also operates the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield.
• In North America, Stagecoach operates around 2,900 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. Megabus.com serves more than 100 cities in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter and transit services, contracted bus services, charters, sightseeing tours and a small number of school bus services.

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