- Hundreds of new low-floor vehicles for local bus networks in UK
- Special order for innovative sleeper coaches for megabus.com network in Britain
- New left-hand drive coaches for megabus.com services to Continental Europe
- Total investment in buses and coaches for UK now over £445m in last six years
2013-01-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — Stagecoach Group today (9 Jan 2013) announced it is to invest more than £75 million in hundreds of new buses and coaches for its bus and coach operations in the UK and Continental Europe.
The Perth-based transport group has placed initial orders for more than 430 buses and coaches for financial year 2013-14. Most of the new buses and coaches will be produced in the UK, helping support hundreds of British manufacturing jobs.
The latest orders follow an annual competitive tendering process and the first of the new vehicles will be delivered from May 2013.
It brings Stagecoach’s total investment in new buses and coaches for the UK over the past six years to more than £445 million.
Highlights of the latest investment are:
- More than 380 low-floor double-decker, single-decker, midi and mini buses for Stagecoach regional bus networks in the UK
- A special consignment of 10 innovative double-decker sleeper coaches for megabus.com in the UK, providing 55 luxury seats during the day and 41 beds at night.
- 10 further inter-deck coaches for megabus.com services in Britain
- 10 left-hand drive 72-seat inter-deck coaches for use on megabus.com services in Continental Europe to replace existing 49-seat standard coaches.
- A total of 18 other coaches for inter-urban bus routes in the UK
All of the new vehicles meet the current Euro 5 emissions standards and a number will also be low carbon hybrid or gas versions. Full details will be confirmed following the announcement of successful applications from the fourth round of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Green Bus Fund. The DfT has allocated an extra £20 million to encourage further investment in greener buses and an announcement on successful bids is due in May.
Stagecoach is already the UK’s biggest investor in green hybrid electric buses, which produce 30% less carbon emissions than standard buses. The company has around 180 hybrid electric buses already in service in the UK, with nearly 60 more being introduced by the end of March 2013.
Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “This latest multi-million-pound investment is a great New Year boost for Britain. It will deliver better bus services to local communities across the country and will help support British manufacturing jobs. It is also great news for our customers, who continue to benefit from the best value fares of any major bus operator in the UK.
“We are continuing to see consumers switch to smarter, better value bus travel as motorists feel the effect of high fuel prices and the increasing cost of running a car. These new buses will also be better for the environment and continue our market-leading investment in greener technology.
“The new orders will also see further investment in our budget coach service megabus.com, which now carries more than five million passengers a year in the UK alone. We have placed a special order for new double-decker sleeper coaches, which will allow us to run a luxury service during the day and offer greater comfort to our customers on overnight services.”
Details of the new orders are as follows:
- 113 ADL Enviro 400 Dennis and Scania double-deckers
- 98 ADL Enviro 300 Dennis and Scania single-deckers
- 140 ADL Enviro 200 Dennis midibuses
- 1 Optare Versa midi-bus
- 32 Optare Solo mini-buses
- 10 Plaxton Panther Volvo B13R coaches
- 8 Plaxton Elite Volvo B13R coaches
- 10 Plaxton Elite Volvo B11R coaches
- 10 Van Hool Altano TDX 21 left-hand drive coaches
- 10 Van Hool Astromega double-decker sleeper coaches
For further information about Stagecoach bus services, visit www.stagecoachbus.com.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Bus fares
- Stagecoach has twice been independently assessed as offering the lowest fares of any major bus operator in the UK. The research was carried out by independent transport consultants TAS in 2009 and 2011. The 2011 study found weekly bus travel with Stagecoach was on average 17.5% cheaper than other bus operators and the difference could save passengers an average of nearly £150 a year. TAS analysed nearly 1,100 fares across different regions, area types and operators for its National Fares Survey 2011. The research covered Stagecoach, First, Go Ahead, Veolia Transdev, National Express, Arriva, independent operators, and municipal bus companies.
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 the 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 links around 120 key locations 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.
For media enquiries, please contact: Stagecoach Group Communications on 01738 442111 or email media@stagecoachgroup.com