AquaBus

ready to

set sail

Sightseeing

tours' bumper

launch

The newspaper of Stagecoach Group Issue 66 Spring 07

By Steven Stewart

Stagecoach Group has been selected as the preferred

bidder to operate and maintain the Manchester Metrolink tram network.

The announcement from Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) will see Stagecoach Metrolink taking over the 37km system and the associated infrastructure.

The contract will run for 10 years and is expected to begin within the next three months.

It will include managing a number of special projects sponsored by GMPTE to improve the trams and infrastructure to benefit passengers.

Stagecoach Metrolink will also be responsible for operating tram services on the new lines to Oldham, Rochdale, Droylsden and Chorlton.

Nearly 20 million passengers travel every year on the network, which generates an annual turnover of around £22million.

Stagecoach already operates Supertram, a 29km tram system in Sheffield, incorpo-rating three routes in the city.

Ian Dobbs, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group’s Rail Division, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder to run Manchester’s Metrolink network, one of the UK’s premier light rail systems.

“Stagecoach operates the tram system in Sheffield, where we are now carrying a record 13 million passengers a year, and we will build on our operational expertise to deliver a first-class service to passengers in Manchester in partnership with GMPTE.

“We have developed an excellent reputation for delivering high-quality bus services in Manchester over the past decade, and we are already working hard on our plans to improve Metrolink’s quality of service to customers and attract more people to the tram.”

GMPTE’s Interim Chief Executive, David Leather, added: “Metrolink is one of

Metrolink bidright on trackStagecoach Group out in front for 10-year tram contract

”We will build on our

operational expertise

to deliver a first-class

service to passengers

in Manchester.”

Ian Dobbs

the most successful light rail systems in the UK. We attracted several high calibre bids from experienced European companies for the contracts to operate and maintain the Metrolink system.

“The bids have been rigorously evaluated to make sure that we get value for money – and that the new operator can continue to provide a high quality service on the

Metrolink network. “Stagecoach already has significant

experience of operating a major UK tram system in Sheffield and I look forward to working with the company to provide first class services for Metrolink passengers.”

Metrolink operates four routes:• Altrincham - Manchester City Centre

- Bury

• Altrincham - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station

• Bury - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station

• Eccles - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station

Last year, GMPTA secured £538 million to extend the Metrolink network to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden in Tameside, and

Chorlton in South Manchester.It also has plans to take Metrolink into

Oldham and Rochdale town centres as well as to Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury and Manchester Airport .

When the Metrolink expansion is complete, the network will cover nearly 60 miles making it the biggest light rail system in the UK.

Growing places: Plans are in place to tempt more people on to the tram in Manchester.

New alliance

forged for

rail bid

Meet the

megabus.com

A-Team

Spring 072

ContactsEditor: Steven Stewart, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth PH1 5TW.Tel: +44 (0)1738 442111, Fax: +44 (0)1738 443076

www.stagecoachgroup.comIf you have a story for On Stage, please get in touch with your local contact below:

Stagecoach Group Steven Stewart 01738 642040

UK BusStagecoach East Scotland Lisa Henry 01383 516454

Stagecoach West Scotland Allan Henry 01292 613515

Stagecoach North East Jodine Milne 0191 566 0236

Stagecoach North West Colin Nicholson 01772 255752

Stagecoach Manchester Karen Coventry 0161 276 2727

Stagecoach Merseyside Clare Tresnan 07711 950 019

Stagecoach East Midlands Phil Cartwright 01246 222018

Stagecoach Oxfordshire Chris Child 01865 405511

Stagecoach in Warwickshire Adam Rideout 01604 662283

Stagecoach East Adam Rideout 01604 662283

Stagecoach Cambridgeshire Ed Cameron 01223 423578

Stagecoach West Nathan Williams 07753 775 193

Stagecoach Wales Nathan Williams 07753 775 193

Stagecoach South East Helen Martin 01243 536161

Stagecoach South Helen Martin 01243 536161

Stagecoach South West Mark Whittle 01392 889747

National Transport Tokens Sajda Khan 01254 680180

UK RailSouth West Trains Lisa Davies 0207 620 5892

Island Line Stephen Wade 01983 812591

Stagecoach Supertram Julia Shaw 0114 2759888

North AmericaCoach USA Dale Moser 001 201 225 7575

Coach Canada Jim Devlin 001 705 748 1170

On Stage is published four times a year. Advertising connected directly or indirectly with Stagecoach is accepted. Charitable adverts will be included without charge, otherwise rates on request.

On Stage is distributed free to Stagecoach staff. Public subscriptions are available at £12 for one year or £20 for two years. Cheque payable to Stagecoach Group plc at the editorial address. The Editor is unable to enter into individual correspondence concerning the affairs of The Stagecoach Group.

Designed by The BIG Partnership Group Limited, Scotland.

Door-to-door service for rural communitiesAberdeenshire Council’s successful A2B dial-a-bus fleet has expanded with the launch of two services in partnership with Stagecoach Bluebird, creating four new driving jobs.

These are provided via two new low-floor minibuses funded by Nestrans, the transport partnership for Aberdeen City and Shire.

The new dial-a-bus service replaces a Stagecoach Bluebird timetabled service in the evening and now provides a door-to-door service to rural communities.

It provides direct transport for journeys that may not have been possible under the regular bus service. This allows users to book door-to-door journeys by phone and is open to everyone, including households not on the existing bus route.

Trips can be booked up to one week in advance. Fares are comparable with the current bus service, and Aberdeenshire Connect through-tickets are available for those travelling onwards to or from Aberdeen.

Councillor Alison McInnes said: “The introduction of the new low-floor minibuses will benefit residents of all ages and levels of mobility. The new demand-responsive transport services demonstrate the benefits of partnership working between Stagecoach Bluebird, Nestrans and the council.”

Charlie Mullen, Managing Director of Stagecoach Bluebird, added: “Stagecoach is delighted to be working as a partner with Aberdeenshire Council in these improved services, and is confident that the accessible vehicles will prove popular and improve travel opportu-nities considerably.”

Passengers using the UK’s biggest commuter rail

network have been promised a package of improvements over the next decade with the start of the new South West Trains franchise.

Stagecoach Group has operated South West Trains since it ran the first privatised train in 1996 and was awarded a new 10-year franchise by the Department for Transport last September.

The last decade has seen major changes on the South West Trains network, including replacing slam door trains with a £1 billion order of high-tech Desiro trains and radically overhauling the timetable, which has helped transform performance.

Further improvements are planned for the next 10 years, including:

• The refurbishment of 14 major stations• At least £20million of car park

investments• Installing ticket barriers at a further 13

stations• The introduction of Smartcard ticket

technology, compatible with Oyster in the London area.

Stewart Palmer, South West Trains Managing Director, said: “These are exciting times for both South West Trains and our passengers. They have got a lot to look forward to and we are going to have to work harder than ever to make sure we achieve the goals set.

“We are under no illusions about the challenges we face. Over the next 10 years, we will have to pay the Government more than £1 billion but, with more ticket barriers, more ticket machines and the extension of bargain ticket schemes such as megatrain.com, we are opening up a lot more opportunities to generate and collect revenue.”

Improving stations on the South West

Fleet upgrade at the doublein New YorkGray Line New York Sightseeing has been undertaking a major upgrade of its fleet of 74 double-decker buses, beginning with 13 new environmen-tally friendly vehicles.

The investment, valued at $6.5m, will make the company the largest fleet operator of clean air double-deckers in the US.

Following the introduction of 40 new Trident open toppers six years ago, the new TransBus Enviro500 open-top buses have begun operating throughout Manhattan.

The triple-axle clean-air Enviros have 82 seats – 53 on the upper deck and 29 in the air-conditioned lower deck.

The new vehicles are wider to provide extra space for passengers and two wheelchairs can be accommodated with access by a ramp at the front entrance.

A three-camera CCTV system ensures passenger safety, providing coverage of the top deck, the centre exit and the area behind the bus.

Pledge to passengersas new rail era dawnsSouth West Trains promises a decade of improvements

”We have progressed

steadily and are now giving

passengers some of the

highest performance levels

they have ever had. We must

continue to build on our

successes.”

Stewart Palmer

every station will be repainted at a cost of £9million.

A further 13 stations will have ticket barriers installed, with Aldershot, Andover, Bournemouth, Eastleigh, Fareham, Haslemere, Portsmouth Harbour, Raynes Park, Salisbury, St Margarets, Southampton Airport Parkway, Whitton and Winchester all set to benefit.

Other highlights of the franchise include:

• A significant increase in capacity, with 21% more mainline peak seats and a 20% increase in peak suburban capacity

• A promise to retain the presence of a guard on every service

• Installation of a further 160 self-service ticket vending machines to reduce ticket office queues.

Stewart added: “Capacity is going to be a major issue over the next decade, not just for

South West Trains but for the rail industry as a whole. We have to find an answer to this within our existing infrastructure, which is why we have reshuffled our rolling stock to provide longer trains on routes where possible to offer more passengers a seat.

“We have progressed steadily through the years and are now giving passengers some of the highest performance levels they have ever had. We must continue to build on our successes. This is the most complex franchise anywhere on the UK rail network, but we are up to the challenge and are ready to deliver.”

The new franchise also incorporates Island Line on the Isle of Wight. It operates over the eastern side of the island. It has 8.5 miles of track, which is predominantly single line, and serves eight stations between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin.

The Smartcard technology that will be introduced across mainland stations will also be extended to Island Line.

Trains network will be a major part of the next 10 years.

Around £40million will be spent on core station improvements, including better subways, lighting, waiting rooms, booking halls, toilets, shelters, seats and CCTV cameras on every mainland station and train. Additionally,

Stock answer: Further improvements are planned over the next 10 years.

Need to know

• South West Trains, the UK’s biggest commuter rail franchise, runs nearly 1,700 trains a day.

• The South Western franchise combines two existing franchises: South West Trains and Island Line. It includes services from London Waterloo to Woking, Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth, Exeter, Reading, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Guildford and Salisbury, with the Island Line operating between Ryde and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

• The new 10-year franchise started on February 4, with the last three years conditional upon preset performance criteria being met.

Spring 07 3

Extra seats help ease strike miseryHundreds of extra bus and coach seats were provided by Stagecoach in early March to help rail passengers hit by strike action.

Industrial action by signal workers in Scotland caused significant disruption to the rail network.

Stagecoach organised 1,200 extra coach seats for the inter-city coach network in Scotland, provided by Scottish Citylink and the leading budget operator megabus.com.

More than 20 additional coaches were on standby in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth to react to extra demand as a result of cancelled rail services.

Stagecoach also organised additional standby capacity on bus services in Fife, the North-east, Highlands and Ayrshire.

Robert Andrew, Managing Director of Stagecoach Scotland, said: “We are a major provider of bus and coach services in Scotland and we worked hard to ensure rail passengers had access to alternative transport on a number of key routes, particularly at peak times.”

Bobbies jumpon boardto get backon the beatIt’s better with a bobby on board… and now the boys in blue can travel free in Northamptonshire.

Stagecoach East is supporting the local police’s new initiative – Safer Community Teams (SCTs) – by allowing police officers, special constables and police community support officers (PCSO) to travel free of charge on all its routes.

The police introduced SCTs to help deliver the Government agenda for Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

The main aim of the initiative is to work closely with local authority partners and members of the public to address crime and antisocial behaviour which affects local communities.

When asked to provide free travel on the services Stagecoach East was very happy to assist, as it helps the local community and also gives people using the services the added security knowing that police officers are travelling on the buses too.

The support provided by Stagecoach will enable all the officers to travel on the services which operate in their area, helping them cover their beats more effectively as some are over a large area.

Stagecoach East Managing Director James Freeman said: “When we received the request to support Northamptonshire police we were very happy to oblige in any way we could.

“Being a former special constable I understand the benefits access to public transport gives to officers and how it can help them help the local community.

“Not only does it assist the officers, it also gives our passengers additional security when travelling on our services and compliments the security already used on some of our buses.”

We’d like to hear from you if you

have been involved in a novel project

aimed at boosting passengers.

Your On Stage contact is listed

on p2.

A tale to tell?

Love-a-duck! Is it a bus or a boat?

A bus that f loats and a boat that can navigate

the Big Apple’s streets…it’s not your average ho-hum tourist trip.

Miles better than the famous ‘duck’ (DUKW) boat design from the Second World War, New York Splash Tours is set to launch the half-boat, half-bus amphibious vehicle, offering New York City’s first ever land and water visitor experience.

While traditional duck boats operate in a number of other cities – including Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Atlanta – Splash Tours, operated by Coach USA and Gray Line New York Sightseeing, offers something just that little bit special.

The new AquaBus fleet, built in the USA to meet rigid safety and environmental standards, has been designed to evoke the memory of Henry Hudson’s famous ship, The Half Moon.

Starting in Times Square, on the east side of Broadway between 47th and 48th Streets, the route navigates the streets of Manhattan to the waters of the Hudson River. At the edge of the Hudson, the distinctive craft enters the AquaBus Theater for an exhilarating multi-media experience, simulating Henry Hudson’s journey, complete with the sights and sounds – and rushing wind – of an Atlantic sea voyage.

Then the AquaBus splashes into the Hudson River for an explorer’s eye view of the New York skyline, something Henry Hudson never saw. After returning to land, the AquaBus travels back to Times Square.

Splash Tours to launch New York’s first land and water visitor experience

”Splash Tours will

be the best, the

most unique, the

most exciting way to

experience the city by

land and sea – all in the

same vehicle.”

Tom Lewis

Fitting the bill: The AquaBus boats are causing a splash in New York City.

On each Splash Tour, the captain and first mate dress in period costumes and conduct a fun NYC treasure hunt on board.

The total trip time is approxi-mately one hour and each vehicle can accommodate 47 passengers (or should that be shipmates?) plus two crew members.

Tom Lewis, President of Gray Line

New York Sightseeing, said: “New Yorkers and people from around the world who visit the Big Apple expect the best, and New York Splash Tours will be the best, the most unique, the most exciting way to experience the city by land and sea – all in the same vehicle.”

The land and water experience operates from April to December.

Spring 074

If you have interesting news

about a vintage bus at work in

the community, then we’d like to

hear about it.

Your On Stage contact is listed

on p2.

A tale to tell?

There’s a cheery bunch in CorbyWhen staff in Corby heard about an 80-year-old neighbour being robbed in her own home, they were horrified and wanted to do something to help lift her day.

So Stagecoach East staff members Laura Wymant and Maureen Robinson decided to start a collection, asking all drivers and other staff members to make a small donation.

In all they managed to raise £25 and decided to buy her a bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates to help cheer her up.

Both Laura and Maureen went to see the pensioner to present her with the flowers, something which came as a complete shock to her.

Depot manager John Drew said: “When we heard what had happened we were all very shocked, and Laura and Maureen instantly decided they wanted to do something to help cheer her up.

“Everyone got involved and made a donation and the gifts helped put a smile back on her face.

“It was a really lovely idea and demonstrates the community spirit which is present in the Corby depot.”

Stagecaoch and the Virgin Group have teamed up with

GNER in their East Coast rail bid.

The Stagecaoch-Virgin 50/50 joint venture, inter city - railways limited (ICR) now has even more muscle in the pitch for the franchise.

Under terms agreed with the board of GNER Holdings Limited, GNER will have a 10% stake in the new franchise holding company at the time of signing a new franchise agreement if the ICR bid is successful.

Virgin and Stagecoach will jointly retain the remaining 90% shareholding as part of the new commercial agreement between the parties. The bid vehicle itself remains the same as the one which pre-qualified for the franchise.

In a joint statement, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Brian Souter and Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said: "We now have an even stronger team

developing our bid for what is one of the UK's flagship franchises and we look forward to working with the GNER team on our joint plans.

“The management capability within the GNER team, combined with the strong track-record of Stagecoach and Virgin in delivering high-quality rail services to passengers across the country, will allow us to submit an innovative and compelling bid.

“Virgin and Stagecoach have jointly bid for the ICEC franchise before and we understand the need to expand the capacity of the railway to improve customer service in the future.

“We look forward to building on the excellent progress made by GNER in managing the railway since privatisation.”

Commenting on the agreement, Bob Mackenzie, Chairman of GNER Holdings,

added: "GNER has always sought to provide excellent service and value for money, which is an ethos we share with our partners.

“This is a great opportunity to work with Virgin and Stagecoach to take performance on this flagship route to an even higher level.

“We are determined to work with stakeholders who rely on the East Coast franchise by meeting their aspirations for frequent, fast, accessible and good quality services in the future.”

The agreement between Virgin Holdings Limited, Stagecoach Group plc and GNER Holdings Limited has been approved by the Department for Transport. Final bids for the ICEC franchise are due to be submitted in June and the decision by government will be made in late summer.

Companies join forcesto strengthen rail bidGNER welcomed on board in new alliance for East Coast franchise

Traffic lightlabelling signalsnew trainof thoughtTraffic light labelling has been intro-duced by Virgin Trains on its range of retail sandwiches.

It is the first UK train operator to adopt Food Standards Agency guidance. New recipes have also been created to provide sandwiches making for healthier eating and the new labeling will give customers clear nutritional information on content.

Virgin Trains’ Contracts Partnership Manager Jill Dyal said: “We are always looking for opportu-nities to give our customers clearer and more detailed information, and this is why we are adopting the food labelling guidelines.

“The new traffic light system provides clear and open nutritional information, which helps our customers make informed choices about their onboard purchases.”

The new labelling and change to healthier eating recipes follows the introduction of Fairtrade hot drinks onboard all Virgin Trains. Over the last year, Fairtrade hot drinks, sugar, pepper and chocolate have been made available on board Virgin’s CrossCountry and West Coast services.

Team approach: GNER is joining Stagecoach and Virgin in their bid for the flagship East Coast franchise.

Heart of the community: Driver Laura Wymat (left) and cleaning supervisor Maureen Robinson show just how wide

the community spirit is at the Corby depot.

Languageno barrieron the busA first has been scored in Warwickshire with the issuing of Stagecoach’s first multi-lingual information leaflet.

It was produced after feedback from passengers who found it difficult to understand the leaflets in English.

As a result, the new leaflet was also printed in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. It contained several important pieces of information, including an introduction to where the route serves, how to catch the service, how frequently it runs and useful contact details.

Marketing Manager Adam Rideout said: “We’ve received some really positive feedback since dis-tributing the leaflet and we hope it has helped people to understand how easy it is to use the bus, no matter what their language may be.”

Stagecoach in Warwickshire is now considering introducing additional leaflets for other routes and services.

”The management

capability within the GNER

team, combined with the

strong track-record of

Stagecoach and Virgin,

will allow us to submit an

innovative and

compelling bid.”

Brian Souter

Spring 07 5

Politicians, transport experts and passenger groups have written to the Commission opposing its plans to force the Stagecoach-Scottish Citylink joint venture to divest some of its lifeline services.

More than 60 MPs, MSPs, local authorities, regional transport partnerships, councillors, passenger groups, trade unions and members of the public have expressed almost universal anger and concern over the proposals.

Dunfermline and Fife West MP Willie Rennie has put down a House of Commons early day motion expressing “profound concern” at the Commission's proposals. More than 20 MSPs have also signed a Scottish Parliament motion by Dunfermline East MSP Helen Eadie, which says the Commission's plan presents a "serious conflict" with Scottish Executive transport policy.

The scale of the opposition was revealed after the consultation period on the plans closed.

The Competition Commission plans to force the Stagecoach-Scottish Citylink joint venture to sell off some Saltire Cross services, which link Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh.

But Tom Wileman, Managing Director of the Stagecoach-Scottish Citylink joint venture, said: “It is clear that in every part of Scotland there is universal opposition and anger to the forced sale of part of the joint venture.

“This issue has united the political parties in Scotland and there is a consensus among a whole range of transport experts and the public that the Commission has got it wrong.

“As many of the responses make clear, the proposals also run counter to the Scottish Executive’s transport policy. The Commission should listen to the people of Scotland and put the interests of passengers first by abandoning these proposals.

“Nearly six months ago, the joint venture gave the Commission a wide range of under-takings on fares and service levels that would have ensured passengers continue to enjoy high-quality, value for money inter-city coach travel on a comprehensive stable network. The Commission has admitted that these undertakings would have been acceptable to it.

“But, despite this, the Commission has chosen to go down a path that has cost taxpayers around £1million, caused huge

uncertainty for coach passengers and diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds of valuable investment away from the Scottish coach network.

“We stand by the pledge we made to put our passengers first. Scots have made their voice heard loud and clear. It is time the Competition Commission listened.”

Despite the uncertainty and huge cost of the Commission’s ongoing inquiry, the joint venture has pressed ahead with plans to invest £6.5million in a new fleet of 15-metre coaches for Scotland, with the first vehicles coming on stream this month.

Passengers have responded positively to the improvements under the joint venture, with the number of people on the Saltire Cross services up 41% compared to 2006.

Mr Wileman added: “This investment is firm evidence of our good faith and putting the interests of our customers first. But future growth is being put at risk by the Commission’s perverse proposals.

“For our customers’ sake, we hope the Commission’s final decision puts passengers’ practical transport needs before the economic theory found in university textbooks.”

Submissions have been made by the following individuals and organisations:

A massive cross-party consensus has called on the Competition Commission to rethink its controversial proposals to break up

Scotland’s inter-city coach network.

Network break-up plancreates wave of protestFury as Competition Commission calls for dismantling of Scotland’s inter-city services

Lifeline services: Tom Wileman says the joint venture stands by its pledge to put passengers first.

Fife children reflect on safety messageMore youngsters in Fife were ‘seen and safe’ over the winter thanks to Stagecoach in Fife.

High visibility reflective waistcoats were donated to three pre-school groups to be used when the children are taking part in outdoor

activities and excursions. As well as being excellent road safety wear, they highlight the fact the children are part of a group.

The Cupar-based Ferryfield Playgroup and Triangle Under Fives Group, along with Newport Playgroup of Newport-on-Tay, have thanked Stagecoach for its support.

Doug Fleming, Stagecoach East Scotland Managing Director, said: “We are pleased to provide these waistcoats, which highlight such

an important issue. It is crucial that support is provided to emphasise safety initiatives within our local schools”.

Gill Brown, administrator for the pre-school groups, said: “We thank Stagecoach for its support in providing the waistcoats and enabling the groups to achieve the highest standards of safety possible.

“Be seen, be safe is an important lesson for young children to learn.”

MPs and MSPs• Brian Adam MSP• Fergus Ewing MSP• Murdo Fraser MSP• Helen Eadie MSP• Maureen Watt MSP• Nora Radcliffe MSP• Nicola Sturgeon MSP• Margaret Mitchell MSP• Stewart Stevenson MSP• Christine May MSP• Bill Aitken MSP• Brian Donohoe MP• Malcolm Bruce MP• Danny Alexander MP• Willie Rennie MP• Bruce Crawford MSP• Richard Lochhead MSP• John MacDougall MP• John Scott MSP

Regional Transport Partnerships• Hitrans• Tactran• Nestrans

Trade unions• TGWU (Aberdeen)• TGWU (Dundee)

Passenger groups• Bus Users UK• John Elliot, Convenor of Public

Transport Users’ Committee

Local authorities• Aberdeenshire Council• Aberdeen City Council• Highland Council• Perth and Kinross Council• Fife Council• Stirling Council• Moray Council• Dumfries and Galloway Council• Cllr Davie McLachlan (South

Lanarkshire Council, vice Chair of SPT)

• Cllr Bob Wynd (Highland Council, Chair of Inverness and East Highlands Local Economic Forum)

• Queensferry Community Council• Cllr Alan Livingstone (Perth

and Kinross Council, Chair of Tactran)

• Cllr Tony Martin (Fife Council)• Cllr Ron Lyon (Highland

Council)

Private individuals• Donald MacRae• Warren Mitchell• Tony Maxwell• Gareth Charman• Graeme Smith• John Sinclair• James Inglis• Raymond Taylor• Alisdair Goodall• Neil Gellatly, Transport Officer

for Dundee City Council• Stewart Dick• David Scotney

Transport operators and specialists• David Begg, former Chair of

Commission for Integrated Transport• Transport Edinburgh Ltd • Chartered Institute of Logistics

and Transport• CPT Scotland• Quality in Transport• Polish Transport Holdings • Alan Howes, consultant with

Colin Buchanan• Fairline Coaches

Other organisations• Highlands and Islands Airports

Ltd• Angus Transport Forum• Aberdeen Friends of the Earth• Highlands and Islands Enterprise• Cairngorm National Park

Authority

Time to reflect: Sarah Anderson (back row, centre),

Marketing Assistant Stagecoach East Scotland &

Bluebird, pictured with playgroup representatives and

the highly visible youngsters.

Spring 076

The £55million investment will benefit customers in Stagecoach’s growing provincial UK bus operations and brings the 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 minibuses and 25 coaches. The fleet of new vehicles will be delivered between May 2007 and the end of April 2008.

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.

The announcement 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 (see page 12).

Prospective passengers are asked about their current travel choices, their satisfac-tion 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.

Orders have been placed for more than 440 new vehicles for Stagecoach’s UK bus division as the company continues to

generate strong passenger growth.

Virgin Trains is leading the railway industry with its new website designed to make searching and buying the cheapest possible ticket far simpler.

The site provides customers with a one-stop-shop from enquiry through to ticket purchase. Already over 60,000 Virgin Trains customers have bought tickets through the new improved website.

Searching for, and identifying, the cheapest available tickets for a rail journey has long been a bone of contention for many passengers.

However, Virgin Trains, in which Stagecoach has a 49% share, has tackled this issue head on by developing and implementing a brand new search engine

which simplifies the process and enables passengers to identify and purchase the best rail fare available quickly.

Virgin Trains is also announcing a major campaign to make fares more transparent and raise awareness of the value for money of rail travel. The new search engine and simpler, more user-friendly website will present rail passengers with the cheapest advance purchase – or walk-up – fares available for their chosen journey. No longer are all fares shown, irrespective of whether they are available or not.

In a separate development, passengers who are unable to buy a Virgin Advance ticket for both the outward and return legs of their journey, or unable to specify an

exact train for one leg of a return journey, are now able to mix and match ticket types and buy a Saver Half Return (at half the price of a Saver Return) for either the outward or return leg of the journey. This money-saving facility is available for website bookings only.

There is still a perception that rail fares are expensive and a recent survey by watchdog Passenger Focus revealed that only 58% of rail passengers using Virgin Trains services felt they were getting value for money.

Commercial Director Graham Leech said: “We’re undertaking a number of activities in the next six months to show people how to find the best value tickets

available and how easy it really is to book, particularly online with our new website and search engine. We believe Virgin Trains is leading the industry, providing a fast, simple and easy-to-navigate process for identifying and purchasing the best possible fare.”

The simplification of the Virgin Trains website has been praised by Passenger Focus Chief Executive Anthony Smith.

He said: “There are some great deals on fares out there, but many passengers are telling us that the current ticketing system is too complicated to navigate. There is a clear need to simplify the way tickets are sold to help passengers take advantage of the cheaper tickets. Any move to simplify websites is a step in the right direction.”

£55m order keeps UK on the moveProvincial operations to benefit from 440 new state-of-the-art vehicles

Ticket buying enters new era with one-stop shop

Feltham proudly retains secure station status

In safe hands: Alan Keen presents Paul Denton with Feltham’s certificate.

Feltham station has been re-accredited under the Secure Stations Scheme with the local MP making a visit to present staff with the certificate.

Working in partnership with the British Transport Police, South West Trains had to ensure that the Middlesex station passed rigorous analysis set down by the Department for Transport.

This brings the number of South West Trains’ stations that have been accredited under this scheme to a total of 51.

Mr Keen, MP for Feltham and Heston, said: “I was pleased to con-gratulate staff at the station because the re-accreditation shows their dedication and determination.

“Feltham station is a great asset to the area and I welcome the initiatives that the station is implementing to

combat crime.“The station still has a long way to

go but the staff realise this and they are working towards creating a safer environment for all those who come and go through Feltham station.”

Paul Denton, Crime Reduction Manager at South West Trains, added: “We are very grateful to the MP for coming to present this award – it is a fantastic recognition of the hard work that is going into reducing crime and deterring vandalism.”

The Secure Station scheme was launched in 1998 to encourage stations to improve security for both passengers and staff. To date, South West Trains and Network Rail have invested over £4 million installing a combination of help points and CCTV cameras across the network.

The new fleet…

• 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)

A grandway tocelebratebus travelThere were a thousand good reasons to celebrate 100 years of bus travel in the Aldershot area.

And they came in the form of two cheques for £500, presented recently to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham.

The money was handed over by Stagecoach Hants & Surrey Operations Manager Jim Mortimore and Aldershot & District Bus Interest Group Chairman Phil Jacob.

The donation was the result of historic bus and garage open day, held in Aldershot last summer to commemorate the centenary of the very first motor omnibus service in the area.

The event saw more than 60 veteran buses descending on Aldershot to give free trips over historic bus routes in and around the town.

Many of these were survivors from the Aldershot & District fleet running in the area during the 1950s and ‘60s. Stagecoach’s open day was held at its Halimote Road Bus Garage, home of Aldershot’s buses since 1914. South West Trains allowed the main Aldershot railway station car park – terminus point of the very first bus service in 1906 – to be used free of charge for the day as the main centre of operations.

Several thousand people attended the event, with the £1000 raised from the sale of programmes and other fund-raising activities.

Folkestonejourneysback in timeFolkestone Bus Station held a vintage bus day on Easter Monday so residents and enthusiasts would be able to enjoy free rides on a variety of buses from the ‘50s through to the ‘80s.

Jeremy Cooper, Commercial Manager at Stagecoach in Kent, said that as last year’s celebration of the 90th year of the formation of the East Kent Road Car Company proved so popular, the decision was made to dip into another day of nostalgia.

Enthusiasts brought their privately owned buses and added to the occasion by dressing in the uniforms worn by drivers and conductors from that era.

A selection of historic buses that used to ply the highways and by-ways of East Kent provided free travel from the bus station to Cheriton and Hythe to link with the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, and to the Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge.

If you have interesting news

about buses at work in the

community, then we’d like to hear

about it.

Your On Stage contact is listed

on p2.

A tale to tell?

Spring 07 7

Transpor t Secretar y Douglas Alexander has officially marked the star t of construction of the

Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.

Minister marks startof new guided busway World’s biggest scheme on target to help cut traffic congestion

When completed in 2009, it will be the longest dedicated guided bus route in the world.

Stagecoach is one of three operators which have signed the deal to run services on the busway.

One sect ion o f the new £ 1 1 6 . 2 m i l l i o n route wi l l r un along the site of a disused railway between St Ives and Cambridge.

A s e c o n d section wil l r un from Cambridge railway station to Trumpington park and ride site.

Work will also be undertaken to ease the movement of the buses through the centre of Cambridge.

Mr Alexander sa id : “This i nve s t m e n t c l e a r l y s i g n a l s the Gover nment ’s cont inu ing commitment to support and promote the economy of Cambridgeshire.

“Also, at a time when we are tr ying to tackle congest ion and promote more environmenta l ly fr iendly travel , this development aims to give people better public transport choices.”

By using disused railway routes the buses will not have to compete with other traffic to use existing road space. However, the vehicles will run on normal roads through Cambridge city centre and between Huntingdon and St Ives, meaning journey times will be affected by any congestion.

Services along the busway will

run every 10 minutes, with real-time information at bus stops. A new bridleway and cycle route will run alongside the busway.

In 2001, the Cambridge to H u n t i n g d o n M u l t i -Moda l S tudy r e c o m m e n d e d that a guided bus system be put in p lace between Huntingdon and Cambr idg e to he lp a l l ev i a t e c o n g e s t i o n a long the A14 corridor.

The scheme has been designed to improve the r e l i ab i l i t y o f journey times by

public transport and improve air qual ity, with a reduction in C02 emissions result ing mainly from modal switch from car to bus.

Cambridgeshire Guided Busway will serve Northstowe, a proposed new town of 8,000 homes on the northern section of the guideway and Arbury Park, also to the north of Cambridge, which includes 900 new houses and 18,000m square of business space.

To the south, there is a proposed development of 2300 houses at Clay Farm as well as expansion at Addenbrookes hospital.

Whi le the Government wi l l provide 80% of the cost of the scheme, Cambridgeshire County Counci l wi l l be responsible for providing the remaining funds and will pay any increase in cost above £116.2million.

”At a time when we are

trying to tackle congestion

and promote more

environmentally friendly

travel, this development aims

to give people better public

transport choices.”

Douglas Alexander

Parking perk: Dan presents Janet with her car park permit.

Lucky motorist wins free station parkingOne lucky passenger has walked away with a one-month permit for Guildford station’s newly-expanded car park.

The work, which took less than two months to complete, has provided an extra 44 spaces and Janet Edwards was chosen at random as she drove into the completed car park on the morning of March 5.

Dan Lucas, Duty Station Manager, who presented Janet with her pass, said: “It’s always nice to put a smile

on a passenger’s face in the morning and I hope the pass comes in handy. The extra spaces we have provided here at Guildford are going to bring immediate and long-term benefit to our passengers.”

The work at Guildford is one of a number of schemes South West Trains is delivering as part of a £20million car park expansion plan to provide improved facilities and more than 2,000 extra spaces across its network.

Guide dogs hop aboardat no chargeGuide dogs need to be trained to use public transport to help make buses as accessible as possible for visually-impaired passengers.

Stagecoach supports the development of future guide dogs and a reminder has gone out to all staff about letting guide dog trainers and puppy walkers travel free on all local services from the Highlands of Scotland to south-west England.

Young guide dog pups spend most of their first year with puppy walker volunteers, who teach basic obedience and get them used to a home environment and the noise and bustle of towns, which includes taking them on buses, trains and taxis.

As a partner of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, in 2205 Stagecoach launched its travel-free initiative, which is available to 200 trainers and 1100 puppy walkers.

Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, reminds staff that puppy walker volunteers have special ID cards allowing them to travel free with the guide dogs.

“Our frontline drivers are crucial in making the scheme work smoothly and, with new employees joining all the time, we wanted to make sure all our staff were aware of this excellent initiative,” he said.

Track recordcommendedat rail awards Stagecoach Group has received national recognition for its rail and tram services at the 2006 HSBC Rail Business Awards.

megatrain.com and Supertram, the Group’s light rail operation in Sheffield, were both commended at the prestigious awards.

Judges shortlisted megatrain.com, which has attracted more than 200,000 bookings since its launch in autumn 2005, in the Rail Marketing Campaign of the Year category.

Supertram and Atkins’s refurbishment of the tram fleet on the 28km network in Sheffield was shortlisted for Rolling Stock Excellence of the Year.

Virgin Trains is investing over £400,000 in Liverpool and Merseyside this year as soaring numbers of passengers on the fast Virgin Pendolino rail link to London puts airline travel to flight.

In the week that air carrier VLM reduced its service between Liverpool and London to just two return flights a day, Virgin Trains, 49% of which is owned by Stagecaoch, began discussions with Network Rail about the possible introduction of extra peak hour trains on the Liverpool-London route.

The two extra trains take the number of return services between Liverpool and London to 16 a day on weekdays – more than 7,000 seats a day.

With 50-seater Fokker aircraft, VLM offers just 100 seats a day in each direction - less than 1.5 percent of the total rail/air capacity on the route.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority,

in the 12 months to October 2006 Virgin’s Pendolinos were consistently on time more often than VLM’s flights between Liverpool and London. Throughout the year 92.3% of Virgin’s services arrived on time compared to just 80.5% of VLM’s flights*. At the same time passenger numbers on the Virgin Pendolino service increased by 11% against a 26.2% fall in those flying between the two cities.

Virgin’s improved punctuality has increased the number of passengers using all Virgin’s West Coast services. Numbers have increased by 39% from 14 million to 19.4 million since Virgin took over the franchise in March 1997.

Virgin West Coast Managing Director Charles Belcher said: “This is a clear sign that rail is making a major difference on these key routes. More and more people are taking advantage of reduced journey times,

value for money tickets and more frequent services.

“We appreciate airline competition which gives a benchmark against which passengers can measure the superiority of the train in terms of comfort, ease of station access and on board facilities. The train really does provide the most valuable travel time.”

Virgin Trains is supporting current improvement works at the Liverpool’s main Lime Street station. The company is also committed to providing a new First Class Lounge for its passengers at the station and is working closely with Merseytravel and Network Rail.

Major improvement work began at Runcorn station in March, reflecting the importance of the station to business and leisure travellers. A First Class Lounge and Standard waiting area will be provided, served by a new buffet. The booking office

Liverpool link beats the plane

and retail area will be moved and upgraded, and access improved for mobility impaired customers.

Station staff will benefit from improved facilities, while new cladding will enhance the exterior of the station building.

Recognising the importance of the Liverpool area to the success of Virgin

Trains’ business, a general manager for the area has been appointed. Gary Iddon (32) has headed up Virgin Trains' resources organisation for the last seven years.

*Airline punctuality is based the most recent figures available from Civil Aviation Authority. On time is 0-15 minutes late according to the Civil Aviation Authority airline industry standard.

Taking off: The Liverpool link is leaving the plane in its wake

Spring 078

Britain’s longest coaches have taken to the road

following an £11million investment by Stagecoach Group.

Manufacturers Volvo and Plaxton are supplying 45 state-of-the-art 15-metre (50ft) coaches for the market-leading budget travel service megabus.com and inter-city coach operator Scottish Citylink.

Designed to carry as many passengers as 13 fully-loaded cars and three metres (10ft) longer than a traditional coach, the first of the vehicles was delivered to Stagecoach’s headquarters in Perth mid-February.

All of the new 65-seat vehicles, the first of their kind to be manufactured in the UK, will be on the road by the end of May 2007.

Fitted with seatbelts, air-condition-ing and toilets, the coaches are fully

accessible and have a special lift for wheelchair passengers. They have a special rear-steering tag axle for greater manoeuvrability and also feature envi-ronmentally-friendly Euro IV engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology.

Passengers in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth are among the first to travel on the new coaches. The new vehicles will also be used on routes linking London, Manchester,

Budget trabetter… an

Inside the megabus.com network

Tomorrow's transport: The new megabus.com Plaxton

Panthers are the longest coaches on the road in the UK.

Giving credit where credit is due is the thinking behind megabus.com’s prestigious A-Team awards, which have made a welcome return.

Special badges are presented to members of the megabus.com team who are judged to have gone the extra mile in one way or another.

Two awards were recently made by Network Manager Ian Laing.

The first was to Jane Brown, from Rugby depot, who transported two stranded passengers to Glasgow by car after they had missed a connection and was appreciated so much that she was offered breakfast on her ar r ival in the city!

The second award was presented to George Smith, from Dunfermline, who, after breaking down on the Southbound M20, went out his way to ensure his passengers were safe

and comfortable, despite the fact that it happened in the middle of the night.

George truly deserves this award – he did such a good job that not one complaint was received by the Customer Care team in Perth.

Final ly, Per th Control ler Bi l l Wabnik was nominated by Macsood Carrie (also known to all as Sooty) for his hard work and dedication in Perth Control.

Bill ’s calm and cool approach over a very busy festive period was much appreciated and ensured that the network operated as smoothly as possible.

Any member of staff can be nominated for an A-Team badge if their manager thinks they have given that bit extra.

Nominations should be sent to ian.laing@stagecoachgroup.com

Road worthy: Jane Brown, who came to the rescue of two stranded passengers, receives her

A-Team award from Network Manager Ian Laing.

Changing facesChanges in the management at megabus.com recently have included Ian Laing, who is now Network Manager, ably assisted by Perth

Control Manager Macsood Carrie, Kirsty Little, Customer Care Manager, and Julie Gwynne, megabus.com Manager, Warwickshire.

Inside the megabus.com network

The team that loves itwhen a plan comes together

Abo

ve

and

beyo

nd New 15-metre coaches can carry as many passenge

Spring 07 9

Newcastle, Preston, Sheffield, Cwmbran, Cardiff, Plymouth, Exeter and Bristol.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This new investment will provide a further step-change in the quality of service for inter-city coach customers in the UK.

“We believe it will help attract more people from cars and low-cost airlines and on to coaches. They offer excellent convenience and value for money, and are the greener way to travel.”

avel is nownd bigger

”This new investment will provide a

further step-change in the quality of

service for inter-city coach

customers in the UK.”

Brian Souter

Inside the megabus.com network

Inside the megabus.com network

Seasonal calm: Perth Controller Bill Wabnik (right) receives his A-Team badge for keeping cool

and calm over the festive period.

Man with the mouse: New web administrator Danny Bentham.

megabus.com now has its own Website Administrator, reflecting the growth in the service.

Danny Bentham, who worked with megabus.com in London and

on the South Coast before moving to Stockport, is responsible for ensuring that the website, for both customers and staff, is up to date and running smoothly.

Webmaster extrordinaire

Night watchman: Ian presents an A-Team award to George Smith, who kept his passengers happy

during a night time breakdown.

Smooth

opera

tor

In saf

e

hand

s

Cyb

ersp

ace

cont

rol

What’s the buzz about this bus?

With its rear-mounted horizontal engine, the Volvo B12B permits a low floor height and offers unsurpassed flex-ibility and comfort. Based on Volvo’s new TX product

platform for intercity buses and tourist coaches, it integrates new technology and electronics that contribute to greater

operating reliability, higher availability and lower total costs.

Economical and flexibleThe frame is a precision-welded box-section construction of stainless steel

with a flat upper face. It offers virtually unlimited potential for designing the bus to suit individual needs and considerably

simplifies the bodybuilding process. At the same time, it forms a structure with high corrosion resistance, a long service

life and minimal maintenance needs.

A pleasant tripWith the Volvo B12B, every journey is quick, safe and comfort-

able. The entry step is low and convenient, and it can be lowered still further with the kneeling function. The powerful new 12-litre engine produces high torque throughout the rev band and offers exceptional driveability. You can change gears smoothly with the new manual gearbox, or let one of the automatic transmissions do the job for you. Air suspension and independent front sus-

pension ensure a high level of comfort.

Low environmental impactThe vehicle is approved according to Euro 3 which means that emission levels are low. There is also a choice between

three alternative methods of exhaust gas treatment. The Volvo Exhaust Filter reduces emissions of hydrocarbons,

carbon monoxide and particulates by between 80 and 90% and requires the use of low-sulphur diesel fuel (< 50 ppm).

Care for the environment also encompasses other aspects of the Volvo B12B. For example the use of environmentally

hazardous chemicals have been reduced in accordance with Volvo’s chemical-product blacklists, and both manufacture

and assembly of the main components take place in factories that are certified according to ISO 14001.

High reliabilityA new uniform electronic system monitors all the electronically

controlled components and contributes significantly to high reli-ability. The driver receives continuous information about the bus’s

functions, and is alerted if something unexpected occurs. The operator and mechanic can monitor in detail just how the bus has

been driven. And when it comes to fuel consumption, you’ll be surprised at just how much power can be had from every drop

of diesel fuel.

ers as 13 fully-loaded cars

Spring 0710

Passengers have switched from the train to

Stagecoach’s Oxford Tube service to London after the company offered customers free email and web access as part of a trial of Wi-Fi technology.

Around 4,500 users registered for the service during the three-month trial, which saw all 25 state-of-the-art vehicles in the Oxford Tube fleet equipped with Wi-Fi technology supplied by Moovera Networks.

Research by Oxford Tube has revealed that a number of commuters have transferred from the railways and from the rival Oxford Espress coach operator due to the popularity of the free Wi-Fi service.

The trial was such a massive success – with more than 16,000 online sessions and an average duration of 42 minutes – that the service was made permanent.

Oxford Tube is also improving its timetable with the introduction of two extra morning peak journeys to meet the increased demand.

Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: “Many of our passengers on Oxford Tube are commuters and students, and we have had a huge amount of positive feedback about the Wi-Fi service.

“It puts Stagecoach at the forefront of offering next-generation on-board services for coach customers and we are delighted it is helping win new passengers to Oxford Tube.”

Oxford Tube, which runs a 24-hour service every day of the year with coaches leaving up to every 10 minutes at peak times, is Europe’s most frequent express service.

The entire fleet was replaced two years ago at a cost of £8million – the UK’s biggest investment in new vehicles on a single route – allowing more than 6,000

passengers a day to travel on the service to London.

The 81-seat double-decker coaches are fully wheelchair-accessible with low-floors and air-conditioning. Featuring reclining seats, generous leg room, seatbelts, toilets and powerpoints for laptops and mobile phones, they are also equipped with CCTV technology for additional passenger security.

Stagecoach’s trial of the Wi-Fi technology also included the first major deployment of Moovera’s moovTrac vehicle tracking system. It gives Stagecoach a real-time at-a-glance view of its fleet and precise locations of individual vehicles on the road via the web.

Jim Baker, founder and Chief Executive of Moovera Networks, said: “We’re delighted that the Wi-Fi trial has been such a great success. The sheer number

of users who have taken advantage of the service over the last three months clearly demonstrates its popularity.

“With the Oxford Tube Wi-Fi and built-in GPS tracking, Stagecoach has pioneered a new class of in-vehicle communications. It’s a terrific way to further differentiate the service from others.”

Oxford Tube services run up to every 10 minutes between Oxford and London – stopping at Lewknor, Hillingdon, Shepherds Bush, Notting Hill, Marble Arch and Victoria.

A secure e-commerce website, www.oxfordtube.com, allows customers to book single, return and period tickets online as well as access timetable and service information.

Oxford Tube also supplies complementary breakfast and newspapers on its early morning commuter services.

Free Wi-Fi service tempts passengersCustomers attracted by email and web access on the move

”With the Oxford Tube Wi-Fi

and built-in GPS tracking,

Stagecoach has pioneered

a new class of in-vehicle

communications. It’s a

terrific way to further

differentiate the service

from others.”

Jim Baker

County keen to keep commuters connected

Impressive connections: James Freeman at the official launch with local councillors and some

eager passengers.

It’s now easier than ever to make the right connection in Northamptonshire.

Stagecoach East has introduced a new and improved route 18 – now called Connect 18.

The official launch took place at The Rowell Charter Inn in Rothwell and was attended by local dignitaries and councillors.

Following an initial introduction, the service officially slipped into gear with the cutting of a ribbon and a trip on one of the new buses around Rothwell.

Connect 18 now runs an exclusive fleet of Northamptonshire County

Council branded low floor, easy accessible buses with a dedicated team of drivers. The route serves Market Harborough, Braybrooke, Desborough, Rothwell, Kipton Fields and Kettering.

Stagecoach East Managing Director James Freeman said: “The development of Connect 18 comes as part of our continued commitment to improving passenger transport accessibility and comfort from Northamptonshire’s town and villages.

“It follows the popular Route 19, which was launched last year, and enables more people to travel comfortably around the county.”

Key service: Laptop users are lapping up Oxford Tube's Wi-Fi offer.

Campaign calls on public to cash in and go greenGo greener, go cheaper – that’s the message in the latest marketing campaign for Pendolino trains.

The £3.5 million campaign is part of a year-long plan to encourage more travellers to book on Virgin Trains to help reduce carbon emissions – and save money.

Pendolino trains are at least four times less polluting than cars or planes, emitting at least 76% less CO2, and also return 17 per cent of electricity used back to the National Grid every time they brake – enough to provide power for 11,825 homes for a year.

There’s also the fact that every weekday 50,000 bargain fares are available across the Virgin Trains network.

The ‘Go Greener, Go Cheaper’ advertising includes television, press, radio, outdoor, online and direct marketing.

Craig Inglis, Virgin Trains’ Sales and Marketing Director, said: “This campaign shows the UK’s consumers that not only can they make huge money savings by travelling with Virgin Trains, they can also significantly reduce their carbon footprints. This serves yet another blow to car and domestic air travel in this country.”

Time to getwild aboutTrust deal

If you’re wild about nature in Canterbury, then you’re wild about the bus.

A free visitors’ scheme by the Wildwood Trust near Herne Bay has been launched for children, students or seniors travelling to its 40-acre wildlife sanctuary by bus.

And Stagecoach in East Kent Commercial Manager Jeremy Cooper was invited to meet some of the tamer creatures hand reared by the Trust when the innovative scheme was unveiled.

He said: “It’s definitely a ‘wise’ move to catch the bus to not only take advantage of the free entry scheme but to reduce traffic and pollution that has an adverse effect on our wildlife.”

Wise move: Keeper Cali Bebbington with

April the polecat and Jeremy with Oakley

the tawny owl.

Need to know

• Oxford Tube was launched in 1987 with a 30-minute frequency and since 1993 has run 24-hours-a-day. It runs every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

• Annual passenger volumes have grown from 230,000 in 1987 to nearly 2million today.

• On average a passenger boards the Oxford Tube every 20 seconds.

• The Oxford Tube fleet of coaches travels the equivalent of nearly three times around the globe every week!

Spring 07 11

Fife’s airport bus has notched up an incredible 50,000 passenger list in its first year of operation.

The Airdirect 747 operates from Inverkeithing rail station via Ferrytoll Park & Ride to Edinburgh Airport, and also serves the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters at Gogarburn at peak times on weekdays.

The service offers convenient and fast transport to the airport, with journey times from 30 minutes. The first service leaves Inverkeithing at 0445 and the last departs at 2315.

Airdirect 747 was launched in February 2006 under a three-year Kickstart scheme. Stagecoach, the Scottish Executive and Fife Council together devised the route to provide Fife and North East Scotland with a new, direct, public transport service to Edinburgh Airport.

The partners jointly committed £972,000 to the service, which benefits from three new state-of-the-art, low floor buses that have the latest environ-

mentally friendly engines and CCTV to give added security for passengers.

Doug Fleming, Managing Director Stagecoach East Scotland, said: “We are very pleased that the number of people choosing to use the Airdirect 747 service continues to increase.

“Following the success of other Kickstart projects in the UK, it was our joint aim to improve the transport links to Edinburgh Airport.The figures have proved that the new route has been a popular option for travellers and commuters alike and we hope this will continue over the coming years.”

Fife Council’s Transport & Environment spokesperson, Councillor Jim Philp, added: “Reaching almost 50,000 passengers in the first year shows that this Airdirect 747 service is proving its worth and is a valuable public transport option for people travelling to the Airport. We hope to continue to explore new opportuni-ties with Stagecoach to improve the service.”

The UK’s first integrated budget coach and rail

online booking service has been launched by Stagecoach – making low-cost travel accessible to millions of Brits.

Customers using the market-leading megabus.com and megatrain.com budget travel sites can now access both coach and rail options in one easy search.

The online retailing system gives visitors to the new consolidated website access to a total of 530 daily departures to around 50 locations across the UK from just £1.

Customers can now search the new site for travel to their destination and will be given both rail and coach options where they are available.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This latest innovation will make access to low-cost coach and rail travel even easier for millions of people every year.

“megabus.com and megatrain.com have transformed inter-city travel in the UK and we believe the new integrated online booking service can stimulate further growth

Integrated megasitewidens budget dealsPassengers attracted from car and airlines to green travel option

”This latest innovation will

make access to low-cost

coach and rail travel even

easier for millions of people

every year.”

Brian Souter

in the future.“We are all now far more conscious

of the environmental impact of our transport choices and an increasing number of our passengers are choosing our services rather than the car or airlines because they know coaches and

Airport bus takes off with 50,000 passengers

Quids in: The integrated 'mega' sites make coach and rail travel even easier.

Runway success: The Airdirect 747 that has soared away in its first year.

Chicago hubservices fivemore citiesThere’s a new sensation blowing though the Windy City – megabus.com in the US just got bigger.

April 2 brought the expansion of its intercity, express bus service to five additional cities and is now available to and from Ann Arbor, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky. and Pittsburgh – all with direct routes from Chicago.

With the addition of these five cities, megabus.com will have services available from its hub in Chicago to a total of 13 cities. This includes the previously serviced cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapol is, Mi lwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Toledo, Ohio.

“As before, passengers who book travel far enough in advance can secure tickets for as low as $1,” said Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group. “Other customers will pay better than competitive fares via the internet.”

Booking for megabus.com travel is done online, with the website providing information on routes and arrival and departure times. It allows passengers to quickly book their travel and purchase tickets from the comfort of their home, office or wireless handheld device.

peak fares on offer on the South West Trains and Virgin CrossCountry rail franchises, covering around 20 desti-nations across the UK.

Both megatrain.com and megabus.com have won a number of national awards for innovation.

trains are the ‘greener’ way to travel.”megabus.com connects more

than 30 destinations across the UK and carries more than two million passengers a year.

Stagecoach Group’s innovative budget rail initiative, megatrain.com,

has clocked up more than 200,000 passenger bookings. Around two million people have visited the megatrain.com website since the service went live in autumn 2005.

Up to 1,000 customers a day are taking advantage of the bargain off-

RefurbishedSWT stock ready to rollSouth West Trains has taken delivery of the last of eight Class 159/1 trains, newly refurbished by Wabtec Rail in Doncaster.

The eight three car trains have replaced nine two-car Class 170s, to provide extra capacity on the busy West of England route.

Design work is now under way to install Passenger Information Systems (on-board information screens and audible announ-cements) and CCTV on the trains.

Work will now start on refurbishing 11 two-car Class 158s, also provided by Porterbrook, which will also operate through the West of England.

Mac Mackintosh, Engineering Director, said: “It’s great to see the final Class 159/1 arriving at our depot in Salisbury.

“This is a fantastic refurbishment offering passengers improved facilities and a more reliable train.

Spring 0712

DMA’s Telemarketing category on 2004, and the team was a finalist in both the 2005 National Business Awards and the National Business Awards for Scotland.

Neil Mackinnon, Data & Market Analyst, said: “Our tailored approach has been recognised as a means to gauge customer satisfaction from existing users on one hand and promote the bus as an alternative mode of transport to car users on the other.

“We are keen to grow the public transport business and our partners are also interested.

“To date we have completed projects in partnership with the Greater Manchester

Public Transport Executive (GMPTE), Wiltshire County Council and Trent Barton. We will also be working in partnership with Northamptonshire County Council, amongst others, over the coming year.”

If you have been involved in a

project aimed at growing passenger

numbers, then we’d like to hear

about it.

Your On Stage contact is listed

on p2.

A tale to tell?

It’s good to talk, according to that old adage, and Stagecoach

has certainly been keeping the communication channels open.

Five years ago, the telemarketing team in Perth was set up to talk directly with people living wherever Stagecoach operated across the country.

And that team has proved successful on a number of fronts.

When speaking to someone who uses the buses, it provides a sharp insight into what he or she thinks of the service provided. On top of that, the team has been hitting well above the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) average for convincing non-customers to try out Stagecoach services.

Having initially focused on telemarket-ing, the team has also branched out into direct mail, inbound telephone campaigns (where the customer phones in), fulfilment (sending out information packs) and print management.

Since launching in April 2002, there have been:

• 67 direct marketing projects (just over one project every month on average)

• communication with over 460,000 customers and potential customers

• 30,000 survey questionnaires completed

• 230,000 travel vouchers issued, helping grow bus operations.

Stagecoach’s marketing approach is unique amongst the transport industry and the success of the team is not only illustrated by how well it performs against DMA benchmarks, but also by the award nominations picked up along the way.

These include a special commendation in 2004, the runner-up spot in the 2005 UK Bus Awards, a bronze award in the

Keeping lines openwith the customer

So, what do you think? That’s the question passengers have been asked who have tried out a new double decker demo.

Stagecoach East asked customers on the X5 whether the demonstration bus was a good addition to the route.

The popular service runs between Oxford and Cambridge via Bedford every 30 minutes, seven days a week, and is used by thousands of people right across Bedfordshire.

The upgraded double decker bus was introduced on a trial basis to gain feedback from passengers to see what type of vehicle they would like when the coaches

OperatorlaunchespersonaltimetablesSouth West Trains’ passengers can now create their own timetable.

The service was launched on the South West Trains’ website in June 2006 and since then has proved to be a real hit with passengers with over 160,000 individual timetables created so far.

‘Create your timetable’ allows passengers to build a personalised itinerary.

All they need to do is log on to the South West Trains website, choose their departure and arrival stations and the day and time they want to travel.

It only takes a few seconds for the timetable to be created and then there’s the option to download it or have it sent to an email address.

Ian Johnston, South West Trains’ Customer Service Director, said: “Whether you’re a commuter or an off-peak traveller, this service is something which can benefit everyone.

“I am really pleased with the success of this and some of the comments we have received back from passengers describe it as ‘a great idea’ and ‘an excellent feature’.”

Telemarketing team just keeps notching up the successes

”Our tailored approach

has been recognised as a

means to gauge customer

satisfaction and promote

the bus as an alternative

mode of transport to car

users.”

Neil Mackinnon

Passengers' feedback shapes service’s future

Question time: Zoe Paget, Operations Manager

Stagecoach Bedford, with the questionnaires

about the double decker service.

are due for renewal.Features on the bus include greater

leg room, more comfortable seats, less disturbance by people as they get on and off, and space inside the vehicle for luggage.

Stagecoach East Managing Director James Freeman said: “We always want to improve the service we offer our passengers and introducing double decker coaches/buses is something we are considering, but it will very much depend on the feedback we receive from the people that know best.

“The kind of questions we are asking include how important it is to have a toilet on the service? Is it an advantage to allow the carriage of bikes and whether passengers enjoy having an upstairs or not?”

Stagecoach calling: The telemarketing team is the talk of the business.

Voyager trainsteams intorailway gala A Virgin CrossCountry Voyager train has contrasted the latest in West Country rail travel with the past glory of steam.

The Voyager ran from Bristol to Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway during two Spring Steam Gala weekends in March.

The state-of-the-art Voyager left Bristol Temple Meads and called at Weston-super-Mare and Taunton before connecting with an historic steam train at Bishops Lydeard for journeys to Minehead.

Five-a-sidechallenge in LiverpoolStagecoach Merseyside is hosting this year's National Passenger Transport Sports Association five-a-side football competition at Powerleague in Liverpool.

The event kicks off on Sunday, June 10, and for full details, including costs and rules, please contact: Mike Coates NPTSA Football Secretary on (01562) 710048 or e-mail mikecoates@onetel.net or Ron Ellingham on (07767) 428685 or e-mail istanron@yahoo.co.uk

Teams are also required for next season's NPTSA 11-a-side compe-titions. Further details are available from Mike or Ron.

Spring 07 13

Bus operators Stagecoach and Wilts & Dorset have joined forces to re-launch the bus route between Salisbury and Andover.

They have re-branded their vehicles to promote the special Activ8 ticket that will be issued and accepted by both companies.

With the support of Wiltshire County Council and Hampshire County Council, an extensive marketing campaign has been rolled out to win new customers on to Activ8.

At the launch, held at the Tidworth Leisure Centre, Alex Carter, Managing Director of Wilts & Dorset and Andrew Dyer, Managing Director of Stagecoach South, promoted the new service by displaying a giant ticket.

Both companies believe that Activ8,

which runs every half hour, will prove the most advantageous and sustainable option for people who need a reliable, comfortable and convenient link between Salisbury and Andover via Tidworth.

“We hope that the joint ticket offered by Activ8 will encourage more people to consider catching a bus a serious alternative to using the car,” said Alex.

Tidworth’s Deputy Garrison Commander, Colonel Richard Aubrey–Fletcher, praised the latest initiative supported by the Route 8 Quality Bus Partnership between both bus companies, the local authorities and The Ministry of Defence, as good public transport is vital to army personnel and their families.

Virgin Trains has led Britain’s charge in becoming the

fastest-growing railway in Europe, according to new figures.

As Virgin Trains celebrates its 10th birthday, it announced that the number of journeys made on its routes has risen by a staggering 61.5%, outstripping the national average of 40 per cent.

The two Virgin Trains franchises – Virgin West Coast and Virgin CrossCountry – have seen some of the biggest increases in passenger numbers in Europe, with new trains, faster and more frequent services and innovative ticketing all attracting millions more passengers.

In the last 12 months more than 42 million journeys have been made with Virgin Trains – 16 million more than when the company began in 1997.

Virgin CrossCountry has seen massive growth of 75% since 1997, with passenger numbers up from 12 million to 21 million, while on Virgin West Coast passenger numbers are up 39% from 14 million to 19.4 million.

On Virgin CrossCountry’s 10th

birthday, Managing Director Chris Gibb said: “We’ve taken a route that had ageing trains, infrequent services and long journey times and turned it into a modern, high-speed service with brand new trains and a turn-up and go timetable.

“Everyone at Virgin Trains has worked really hard to improve our service and we are proud that our customers now rely on us to deliver them to their destination on time and in comfort.”

As a birthday thank you to customers,

Virgin Trains has given away 10,000 free tickets through its website.

Customers have been enticed back to rail following the introduction of two new train fleets and a vastly improved timetable.

The number of Virgin CrossCountry weekday services has been increased to run half-hourly from Birmingham to Newcastle, Reading, Manchester and Bristol and hourly to Edinburgh, Carlisle and Plymouth.

The Virgin West Coast timetable has also been improved with the Manchester-London service revamped to run every 30 minutes. In the last three years, Virgin’s share of the London-Manchester air/rail market has risen dramatically from 38 per cent to 61 per cent.

The Voyager and Pendolino fleets have revolutionised train travel across the network and have slashed journey times. The Pendolino trains on Virgin West Coast decelerate using regenerative braking, which returns power to the National Grid, providing enough electricity to power 13,750 homes for a year. In a further environmental initiative, Virgin Trains is now working with its partners to develop a biofuel for use with the Voyager trains on Virgin CrossCountry.

From underdog to rail’s top dogVirgin Trains celebrates 10th birthday as passenger numbers soar

”Everyone has worked

really hard to improve

our service and we are

proud that our customers

now rely on us to deliver

them to their destination

on time and in comfort.”

Chris Gibb

At the forefront

of innovation

In the last 10 years, Virgin Trains has been at the forefront of innovation within the UK’s rail network.

Virgin was the first to offer a dedicated full internet booking service, and also introduced Virgin Value advanced purchase fares to give more customers a better deal. Since July 2004, more relaxed booking conditions have helped increase the number of these tickets sold by 40 per cent.

Virgin Trains also recently launched heavily discounted Print@home tickets on the Birmingham-London and Manchester-London routes. These are discounted tickets that are printed at home for use on pre-specified services.

The latest independent Passenger Focus survey shows overall customer satis-faction at 90 per cent on Virgin West Coast – the best of all high-speed, long distance operators. For attitude and helpfulness of staff to customers Virgin CrossCountry came top with 82 %.

Operators join forces on re-branded route

Joint operation: The official launch of the Activ8 which is aimed at making moiré people leave their

car at home.

Summer is on the way and it’s time to enjoy a 99!

Not the ice cream treat but the improved Route 99 between Hastings and Eastbourne.

It has replaced the popular, long established 710 service but is now more frequent and with more flexibility during rush hour traffic.

Stagecoach South East Operations Manager Paul Harding says that the enhanced service has been created to cope with the demand.

“With the availability of free travel to the over 60s, the route was becoming very busy,”

he said. “We tried putting more double-deckers

on the route, but decided to make this very attractive improvement to our service.

“A big improvement in the frequency like this will make a day out to Bexhill or Eastbourne by bus a much more relaxed experience, with more choice for our customers and less pressure to hurry back for a particular bus.”

The new timetable also offers bus users improved connections, enabling customers using Explorer Tickets and Sussex Countrywide Cards to travel further in a day.

Summer treat with a 99

Boost for Highland and Islands bus usersServices in the Highlands and Islands are becoming even more accessible with £1 million in grants helping buy 23 new low-floored buses.

Ross-shire and Moray are the latest areas to be given a boost with funding from HITRANS, the Highlands and Islands regional transport partnership, to help Stagecoach provide 11 low-floored buses.

Ranald Robertson, HITRANS Transport Development Officer, said: "By 2015 all buses must be accessible by law. This funding helps kick-start the process for bus operators, enabling them to buy new buses more quickly.

"One of our main aims is to make public transport more accessible for everyone in the Highlands and Islands and this is a great step in that direction."

Charlie Mullen, Managing Director of Stagecoach Bluebird, added: "This initiative demonstrates the strong partnership between HITRANS and Stagecoach, and has allowed investment in new vehicles to be considerably advanced."

In Easter Ross, the buses will operate services in local communities as well those to and from Inverness. In Moray, the vehicles will provide extra capacity on a popular local service, which has had increased use since smaller low-floor buses were introduced several years ago.

Ice to see you: Paul Harding with the service that can't be licked.

No butts…it’s a banon smokingStaff in Warwickshire are stubbing out ahead of the smoking ban in England in July.

Managing Director Phil Medlicott took the decision to make all Stagecoach premises smoke-free areas from March after successful discussions with the trade union.

Designated locations for have been agreed at the depots in Rugby, Nuneaton, Stratford and Leamington for smokers, but smoking is no longer allowed indoors or anywhere else on Stagecoach premises and staff have been given advice and information on how to quit.

Marketing manager Adam Rideout said: “The general feeling is that the no smoking policy is a good thing. We hope by introducing the policy early we can help our employees before the countrywide ban.”

If you have an interesting story

about your operations, then we’d

like to hear about it.

Your On Stage contact is listed

on p2.

A tale to tell?

Spring 0714

If you need to catch a train… then catch the bus.

That’s the message to daily commuters on the move from Corby to Kettering railway station.

Earlier this year, Stagecoach East took on the link bus route, offering passengers a new look and service, and things couldn’t be going better.

The service, renamed the X1, has a dedicated team of drivers, all of whom were sent to the Midland Mainline Training Academy prior to the re-launch of the route. This was to make sure they had a strong understanding of the service offered by the railway and their new role.

James Freeman, Stagecoach East Managing Director, said: “Our drivers were all asked to attend the academy to ensure they had a good understanding of what Midland Mainline do so they can complete

the network efficiently.“The training went so well we were

even told our drivers were some of the best people they had had through the training programme!”

The X1 operates a seven-day service, which runs for nearly 20 hours a day Monday to Saturday, with a slightly reduced service on Sunday.

As well as serving the railway station, the X1 also stops at Kettering Hospital – a halt which has proved to be incredibly popular as it’s perfect for visiting hours and all the buses used on the service are low floor.

James added: “Since taking over the X1 service our drivers have already received positive feedback from passengers.

“They have commented on the vehicles and staff, saying both are a big improvement.”

Stagecoach North East has launched the newly

franchised City Sightseeing operation in Newcastle/Gateshead.

Having bought the franchise from City Sightseeing parent company Ensign, Stagecoach kicked off the season with a brand new set of tour vehicles, converted from existing Sunderland-based Leyland Olympians.

The service was launched with a VIP tour for representatives from the region’s tourist industry, including Tourism Tyne and Wear, NGI and The Sage. At the event, Managing Director John Conroy surprised guests with the announcement that the service would run for free for the first weekend, as a welcome gesture from the new tour operator.

As a result, passenger numbers hit a record high over the weekend, with over 600 passengers a day boarding the service.

Operations Manager Peter Dean stated: “This is the first time I have seen the tour so full. Some customers had to wait for the next service due to the number of people on the buses!”

Bumper weekend startto open-top franchiseLocals flock to sample free trips on Newcastle’s City Sightseeing tour

‘Fare play’ to operators with £200m upgrade on rail ticketsTrain operators have completed a £200million pound investment programme to transform the way people buy rail tickets.

Passengers on South West Trains, Virgin and other UK rail routes will now have greater flexibility and improved convenience purchasing tickets.

The programme includes replacing 10,000 ticket issuing terminals, new self-service machines and new on-train ticket retailing systems, all offering the security of Chip and PIN card payment.

These new machines also provide the platform for the introduction of new ways of buying tickets such as smartcards, mobile and e-tickets.

Information provision is also much clearer, more accurate and faster to access.

In addition, the range of products the machines are able to offer is greater, and meet the railway’s obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The previous systems provided excellent service over the 20-year life-cycle, issuing in the order of 10-billion rail tickets.

The new developments will complement other established alter-natives to the ticket office, such as the popular Ticket on Departure machines that has seen usage grow by 30% in the last year.

Recognising that technology and the way passengers want to purchase their tickets are changing, train operating companies have invested substantially in implementing the new retail terminals to provide high street-style retailing across the national rail network.

This investment allows for the future application of emerging technology such as smartcards, mobile ticketing and e-ticketing. These systems will improve passenger convenience and flexibility, allow for increasing capacity and improve the envi-ronmental footprint of ticketing by reducing the reliance on paper tickets.

Rail Minister Tom Harris said: “Passengers want to be able to buy the right tickets, quickly and easily. I commend operators on responding to that need with this investment – good progress has been made. I encourage the industry to go further in developing the innovative ticketing systems that the rail network deserves.”

Antony Lain, CEO of Rail Settlement Plan at the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), added: “It’s out with the old and in with the new on Britain’s railways.

“We are making major improve-ments to the way people can buy rail tickets. This is further evidence of the substantial commitment train operating companies are making on behalf of passengers, to deliver reliable, convenient and simple ticketing.”

John Conroy added: “A large number of people who visit local tourist attractions actually live in the North East. We wanted to increase

Northern exposure: The brightly-coloured City Sightseeing service, which now comes under

Stagecoach’s wing.

First class service for train commuters

All linked up: The official launch of the X1 which is proving a big hit with passengers.

awareness of the service among those living locally, and invite them to see all of the fantastic tourist destinations there are along the route in Newcastle and Gateshead.

“The service is ideal for this purpose, as passengers can use their ticket to hop on and off all day to get about the city.”

The City Sightseeing-branded tours have been in the region since 2003 and the fleet has always been run out of the Stagecoach depot in Slatyford.

The service runs seasonally and comprises two tours, both beginning at Central Station. Sights on the tour include: Baltic, St. James’ Park, The Sage, Gateshead, The Biscuit Factory, Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Eldon Square.

Tickets are priced at £7 for adults and £3.50 for children and are issued on a 24-hour 'hop-on hop-off' basis, meaning passengers are free to use

the service whenever they wish for a full day.

Stagecoach also hopes to open up the service into the private hire market, allowing organisations to book a bus for a fixed time, for their excusive use.

Need to knowCity Sightseeing is owned by Ensignbus, based in Purfleet, and run by Peter Newman and his sons Ross and Steve.

The first City Sightseeing tour was in Seville in 1998.

The firm took off after Ensign bought back London Pride City Sightseeing in 2000 and started to invest heavily in brand extension and growth strategies.

Further info from www.ensignbus.co.uk and www.city-sightseeing.co.uk

A free launch: John Conroy sees off the City Sightseeing tours with Helen Fussell (right), Marketing Manager with The Sage, and Emma Hallington, Tourism

Tyne and Wear.

Spring 07 15

New Director takes up postJason Bush has been appointed Eng inee r ing Director with Stagecoach in East Kent & Hastings.

He joined the East Kent Bus Co as an apprentice in 1983 and, after the acquisition of the company by Stagecoach in 1992, Jason was one of the first to join the personal development program.

Jason is one of the few who has both operations and engineering manager experience, gained at Chichester and Winchester. He was moved to cover the maintenance operation for Dover and Folkestone from his previous post as Engineering Manager in Aldershot prior to his appointment as Director.

Paul Southgate, Managing Director for Stagecoach, said: “Jason has proved his capability within engineering and operational management. His experience will benefit the six depots that provide the regular servicing to our fleet.”

Based at the regional head office in Canterbury, Jason will oversee a team of 130 engineers, electricians, fitters, cleaners and administration personnel at those depots that provide routine maintenance and repair to the fleet of 320 buses.

Driver Andrewleaves the cabfor a new roleStagecoach East’s Kettering depot has welcomed a new addition to the manage-ment team.

Andrew Pike (56) has been appointed Assistant Operations Manager and is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

This is his first managerial role within Stagecoach, but before he became a bus driver he was the manager of a chain of shops.

Since becoming a driver, Andrew has clocked up 25 years as a coach driver, visiting towns all over Europe and held positions including Vehicle Liaison Officer for two years and was Chairman of the Bedford Trade Union for three years.

Andrew said: “The challenges have been what I expected and I feel I have the right skills and experience to do a great job.

“From being a driver, I understand both sides and will be able to give an informed decision when dealing with different situations.”

Loyal service: The dedicated staff at Fife and Bluebird pictured at their long service awards held recently at the Dean Park Hotel, Kirkcaldy.

A desire for a change of scenery has seen Warwickshire’s depot gain a new engineering manager.

Paul Morgan (54) has more than 27 years’ experience in the bus industry, but he was ready for a change, hence the move to Leamington.

His 21-strong engineering team looks after all the buses in the Leamington area, as well as all the Unibuses, ensuring they are maintained efficiently.

Paul said: “We have a superb engineering team here which is focused on ensuring all the buses are above the standards required and works hard to ensure this happens.”

Paul began as a mechanic and has worked his way up through the ranks. He lives in Birmingham and is married with two children.

Engineering Director Mike Bishop said: “Paul has been a great addition to the management team here at Leamington and has brought with him a wealth of experience and knowledge which will be well used within the depot.”

Two graduates of Stagecoach’s pres-tigious staff development course have been appointed to complete the management team at Warwickshire’s Nuneaton depot.

Mark Crannis is now Operations Manager and Jayson Smith is the Assistant Operations Manager.

Mark, who has been at the depot since last December, joined Stagecoach as a driver in Swindon in 2001. He quickly progressed up the career ladder, becoming the Depot Supervisor in Cheltenham in 2003, followed by a promotion to Depot Controller.

He then took the Assistant Operations Manager position in Aldershot in 2005. It was while at Aldershot that he began the staff development course, which prepares people for management roles within Stagecoach and accepts only 12 people a year from the entire group.

Jayson Smith, who also completed the staff development programme, joined Stagecoach as a driver in 2001 and was originally based in Morecambe, quickly becoming a Driver Trainer Relief Inspector.

Asked about the course and his new position, Jayson said: “I’m very proud to have been selected for the

Jason Bush – overseeing

a team of 130.

Change of scenery as Paul switches depot

Experienced hands: Paul who now heads a 21-strong engineering team at Leamington.

Nuneaton completes management team

New team at the top: Jayson Smith (left) and Mark Crannis.

development programme. It’s a tough process to get through but well worth it and definitely prepared me well for any situations which may occur in operations.”

Mark added: “I’m really enjoying the

challenges at the Nuneaton depot and it’s great to be working with Jayson as we were in the same training group.

“We have a good understanding of each other and this makes for a strong team for Nuneaton.”

Matt’s careereases into a higher gearA man who learned his trade in the bus industry at the sharp end by training as a driver is climbing the career ladder.

Matt Cooper (26) has been appointed Assistant Operations Manager at Stagecoach East’s Northampton depot.

He succeeds Andrew Sherrington, a placement student from Aston University, who has returned to his final year of studies.

Andrew filled the role throughout the summer following the promotion of Max Jones to Pricing and Analysis Manager at Stagecoach East’s head office.

Now he has been succeeded by Matt, a graduate of the University of Northampton where he studied human relations.

He was originally taken on as a management trainee by Julian Peddle, Managing Director of MK Metro. After a year at MK Metro’s head office, he moved to Northampton to set up – and look after – a new unit to operate tenders in the local area.

James Freeman, Stagecoach East Managing Director, said: “Matt decided early on to make his career in the bus industry.

“He learned about the job at the sharp end by training as a driver and, over the years, has worked in this role for a number of operators.”

Matt – committed to a career in the bus

industry.

Andrew – looking forward to the challenges

ahead.

Loyalty and dedication honoured

HERE & THERE

Spring 0716

Tyneside and Teesside pulled out all the stops to send a

bumper Christmas present to charity.

Stagecoach North East drivers reached record levels in their annual collections, with more than £13,000 going to local causes.

All of the drivers went to work in fancy dress in the run-up to Christmas and asked Stagecoach customers to donate to their collection tins.

Generous passengers raised a total of £6,785 during December with Stagecoach then matching this to bring the total amount to £13,570.

The initiative covered the whole of the company’s operating area, including Newcastle, Sunderland, South Shields, Darlington and Stockton.

Stagecoach North East Managing Director John Conroy said: “The generosity of our passengers in the North East is admirable.

“Through their contributions we have been able to help many worthy local causes and I would like to express our gratitude for each and every penny handed over. I would also like to thank the drivers who gave their time and effort to help realise this initiative.

“Many used their own time and money for outfits and props and we are extremely proud of everyone’s efforts.”

As far as Santa is concerned, the sleigh is passé… there’s less fuss with the bus.

As part of Perth Salvation Army Corps’ festive fund-raising, Stagecoach ran a vintage bus around the city with Father Christmas on board to greet passengers.

Drivers Brian Johnson and Eddie Muirie were responsible for Santa’s transport, while the bus conductor was Alan Codie. Chic Robertson spent the period collecting donations at the bus terminus and Phil Sharp completed the team as the man-in-red under the beard.

A representative from the Perth Salvation Army Corps said: “A total of £697 was collected by the team for which we give grateful thanks.”

Santa swaps his sleigh for the bus

Sleigh no more:

Santa Phil

Sharp swaps

reindeer power

for horsepower

aboard the

vintage bus.

Corps blimey: Captain Gordon Tucker from the Salvation Army accepts the

cheque for £697 from William Green, revenue inspector for Stagecoach, Perth.

Looking on are, from left, Captain Carole Tucker, Chic Robertson of Stagecoach,

and Harry Cooper, Salvation Army Community Manager.

Tyne and Tees show theirgenerous sides

Cheque this out: Staff from Tyne and Wear in a celebratory mood.

Looking up: The Teesside team after its bumper

effort.

Bumper donations to charity from drivers’ collections

All of the drivers were quick to praise the generosity of the people of Sunderland. “Without them we wouldn’t have been able to raise any of it, so we’d just like to

Macmillan comes to £375 so just from this one collection we can make a difference to at least five people’s lives.”

Slatyford driver Eddie Lowther has been helping with the Newcastle collections for many years, along with his wife, Carole, who works as a nurse on the intensive care unit.

Once the collections have been made, the money is used to buy presents and essential items for wards at Newcastle General, which the drivers deliver to the children in time for Christmas.

The drivers at Stagecoach also provide Easter eggs and selection boxes for the children’s wards at other times of the year and have previously bought a ventilator for the paediatric intensive care unit.

Eddie said: “Over the last 20 or so years we have had a lot of bus drivers who have been unfortunate to have one of their family in the unit as a patient. It is great to be able to help put something back.”

Sunderland

Newcastle

One driver, John Bell, was responsible for all of the money raised at the Stagecoach on Teesside depot, an astounding £1000.

John, who has been driving for 29 years, said: “The passengers have been unbelievably generous. I waited until the bus was quite full and then made an announcement telling passengers that if they would like to make a donation when alighting, that there was a collection tin at the front. Nearly everyone put something in, I’m amazed at how kind-hearted everyone has been.”

The Darlington collection was carried out in conjunction with the Cinderella pantomime in the town.

The money raised by Stagecoach passengers will be added to the total collected from theatre-goers, to be presented in one lump sum to the Darlington Memorial

Hospital children’s ward. Acting Operations Manager Tommy

Blacker said: “Once again, the drivers and passengers of Darlington have done a grand job in collecting money for this worthy local cause. I would like to extend thanks to everyone who donated and I am grateful to the drivers and other staff who gave their time to make this possible.”

The efforts of one driver raised an amazing £561 for the children’s ward at South Tyneside Hospital.

Calum Train dressed as Santa in the three weeks before Christmas.

Assistant Operations Manager Stephen Todd said: “This is phenomenal for one person to collect. Once again, Shields’ passengers dug deep and showed their generosity on board. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.”

Stockton

take this opportunity to say thanks to our passengers,” said Ray Green, one of the col-lecting drivers.

Macmillan Cancer Support spokesper-son Elvi Soria added: “It has been said that Sunderland people are some of the most generous in the country. Collections like this just go to prove that point.

“The money that is given makes a huge difference to the lives of people living with cancer, especially when you consider the hidden costs that come with being ill, such as travel costs to hospital and adjustments to living arrangements.

“The average grant given out by

Darlington

South Shields

Depot Total Charity Amount added by Stagecoach Total

Slatyford 1776.84 Newcastle General Children's Ward 1776.84 3553.68

1000 Newcastle Society for Blind People 1000 2000

Walkergate 1449.11 RVI Baby Care Unit 1449.11 2898.22

Sunderland 371.47 Macmillan 371.47 742.94

South Shields 561.62 South Tyneside Children's Ward 561.62 1123.24

Darlington 626 Darlington Memorial Hospital Children's Ward 626 1252

Stockton 1000 Butterwick House Children's Hospital 1000 2000

£6785.04 £13570.08