Stagecoach Invests £80m in New Buses

Key Highlights

• Nearly 470 new vehicles to be introduced in 2015–16, many with free wi-fi.
• £630 million invested in UK regions over the last eight years; £105 million in London since 2010; £20 million for megabus.com in Europe since 2013.
• Boosts British manufacturing and supports the UK supply chain.
• Britain’s lowest bus fares and continued passenger growth reinvesting profits.
• Cross-industry smart, multi-operator ticketing programme underway for key city regions.

Investment Overview

Stagecoach Group today announced an investment of more than £80 million in new buses and coaches for services in the UK and mainland Europe. A new fleet of nearly 470 vehicles—including many with free wi-fi—will be delivered in the 2015–16 financial year as part of the company’s policy to reinvest profits in improving services for local communities.

This order bolsters British manufacturing, with most vehicles built in the UK, supporting hundreds of jobs and smaller businesses in the supply chain—from drivers’ seats and toilets to wheelchair lifts and destination displays.

Fleet Composition

UK Regional Operations

• 50 ADL Enviro 400 Scania double-deckers
• 30 ADL MMC E400 Scania double-deckers
• 57 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
• 10 Wrightbus Eclipse Volvo single-deckers
• 28 ADL Enviro 300 Scania single-deckers
• 89 ADL Enviro 300 single-deckers
• 33 ADL MMC E200 11.9 m midibuses
• 27 ADL Enviro 200 midibuses
• 23 ADL MMC E200 10.8 m midibuses
• 42 Optare Solo minibuses
• 23 Optare Solo Slimline minibuses
• 12 Volvo Plaxton Elite 12.5 m coaches
• 44 Volvo Plaxton Elite i 15 m coaches (8 left-hand-drive)

London Operations

• 7 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
• 8 ADL MMC E200 10.8 m midibuses

All Vehicles

All new vehicles meet Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards, feature CCTV and, in many cases, free wi-fi. Deliveries begin in Spring 2015 following an annual competitive tendering process.

Suppliers

• CCTV: Synectics Ltd (UK)
• Wi-Fi: Icomera (UK)
• Drivers’ Seats: Chapman Drivers Seating Ltd (UK)
• Bus Passenger Seats: Lazzerini (Italy)
• Coach Passenger Seats: Fainsa (Spain)
• Destination Equipment: Hanover Displays (UK)
• Wheelchair Lifts: PLS (Passenger Lift Services) UK
• Coach Toilets: Shades Technics Ltd (UK)

Bus Fares

Independent research by transport consultants TAS in 2009, 2011 and 2013 shows that Stagecoach offers the lowest fares of any major UK operator. The 2013 study found weekly travel with Stagecoach was on average 12% cheaper than the next cheapest operator and 50% less than fares charged by Transport for London.

About Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group is an international public transport organisation with operations in the UK, continental Europe, the United States and Canada. The Group employs around 38,000 people and operates 8,300 buses and coaches, plus train and tram services. Approximately 2.8 million passenger journeys are made on Stagecoach buses every day.

Additional operations include the megabus.com low-cost coach network across the UK and Europe, major UK rail franchises (South West Trains, Island Line, East Midlands Trains, East Coast and West Coast in partnership with Virgin) and the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield. In North America, Stagecoach runs around 2,400 buses and coaches, including commuter, transit, charter and sightseeing services.