Marketingboost forbus travel

Ferry serviceplan to cutcongestion

The newspaper of

Stagecoach Group

Issue 56

Autumn 2004

Afuturistic hybrid electricbus has gone on trial in

the UK as part of aforward-looking bid byStagecoach to encouragelocal authorities tointroduce the environ-mentally-friendly vehiclein their areas.

The state-of-the-art Designline-man-ufactured vehicle, which has alreadybeen successfully operated byStagecoach in Auckland, New Zealand,is being showcased around thecountry. Fitted with 30 seats andequipped with space for 20 standingpassengers, the vehicle has had slightmodifications for operational use in theUK.

Electronics on the bus are so sophis-ticated that an engineer can “dial” intothe vehicle by laptop from anywhere inthe world – and even send a messagethat will start the bus.

Emission-free

The £200,000 vehicle can runemission-free in densely populatedareas and its battery-powered

Cutting edge electric busdrives green credentials

Prime Minister Tony Blair has launchedthe UK’s first-ever 125mph tilting traintimetable, which will mean faster andmore frequent train services on Virgin’sroutes to London Euston.

Thirty of the new tilting Pendolinotrains are set to exploit the new 125mphlinespeed from London Euston toManchester, Crewe and Birmingham.This will be increased to 42 inDecember when all the old trains willbe taken out of regular service.

At the launch, the Lord Mayor of theCity of London, Alderman Robert Finch,unveiled the City’s name on one of

Virgin’s £11m Pendolino trains.The new timetable will see the

number of West Coast trains run eachday increase from 175 to 213. Thefastest trains will provide significantjourney time reductions of up to 21 percent.

Virgin Trains – in which Stagecoachhas a 49 per cent stake – has alsoconfirmed that further timetable andjourney time improvements will bespread over the next 15 months,culminating in the completion of thetrack engineering work to Glasgow byDecember 2005.

Sir Richard Branson said: “I havewaited five years to see Pendolino tiltingat 125mph and this is a very emotionalday both for myself and the rail industrythat has finally made it happen.”

Brian Souter, Stagecoach GroupChief Executive, added: “The WestCoast route used to be known as thePremier Line - today is a major step inwinning back the pride and deliverythat goes with that accolade.”

A total of 53 Pendolino trains havebeen built by ALSTOM in Birminghamand each nine-coach train costs around£11m.

PM launches fastest train in the West

Stagecoach leads the way with public transport of the future

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Brian Souter with the electric bus which has gone on trial in cities across the UK.

Sir Richard Branson and the Prime Minister are all smiles at the launch of the Pendolino.

technology makes it extremely quiet onthe road. Another feature is specialregenerative braking technology whichcharges batteries when the brakes areapplied and also uses a diesel turbineto charge batteries.

Managing Director of StagecoachUK Bus Les Warneford said: “The

hybrid electric bus has real potential toimprove the quality of life in our townsand cities and is further evidence ofStagecoach’s commitment tominimising the impact of ouroperations on the environment.

“We hope local authorities will seethe benefits of introducing the new bus

as part of their local transport strategy.”The bus spent some time operating

on Stagecoach’s award-winning service7 route in Perth. Cumbria, Oxford andWarwickshire are other locations whereit has run and also proved popular withpassengers and the media.

Stagecoach has already won the

UK’s first local authority contract to runa hybrid electric bus for a premierservice in Newcastle. Nine of thevehicles are set to run a serviceconnecting the city centre, theQuayside and new developments onthe Gateshead side of the River Tynefrom late spring next year.

Another exciting development is anew fuel additive, now subject tocommercial evaluation by Stagecoach,which has the potential to transformthe environmental and operationalperformance of buses across the UK.

The Group signed an agreementwith Cerulean International Ltd, theOxford-based subsidiary of the nano-materials company Oxonica Ltd, lastyear to trial the next generation productin up to 1,000 Stagecoach vehicles.

Initial trials of the innovativenanocatalyst technology in the northwest of England have pointed to a fiveper cent fuel consumption reduction aswell as a significant cut in carbondeposits in the engine and lowervehicle emissions. The second stage ofthe trial, covering buses in London, hasbeen extended by three months andshould be completed by the end of theyear.

2

ContactsThe Editor, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth PH1 5TW.Tel: +44 (0)1738 442111, Fax: +44 (0)1738 580407

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

Stagecoach Group Steven Stewart 01738 642040

UK BusStagecoach East Scotland Lisa Henry 01592 261461Stagecoach West Scotland Emma McNae 01292 613515Stagecoach North East Robin Knight 0191 567 5251Stagecoach North West Colin Nicholson 01772 255752Stagecoach Manchester Karen Coventry 0161 276 2727Stagecoach East Midlands Phil Cartwright 01246 222018Stagecoach South Midlands Adam Rideout 01788 562 036Stagecoach East Philip Norwell 01604 676060Stagecoach West Anne Dickinson 01242 545224Stagecoach Wales Stephen Evans 01291 623565Stagecoach London Benjamin Franklin 020 8477 7249Stagecoach South East Helen Martin 01243 536161Stagecoach South Helen Martin 01243 536161

Stagecoach South West Mark Whittle 01392 889747National Transport Tokens Sajda Khan 01254 680180

UK RailSouth West Trains Kathryn Rowe 0207 620 5238Island Line Stephen Wade 01983 812591Stagecoach Supertram Julia Shaw 0114 2759888

OverseasCoach USANorth East Roger Bowker 001 201 225 7581North Central Dale Moser 001 847 390 5800Coach Canada Jim Devlin 001 705 748 1170

New Zealand Dennis Elliot 00 649 309 3500

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

On Stage is distributed free to Stagecoach staff. Public subscrip-tions are available at £12 for one year or £20 for two years. Chequepayable to Stagecoach Group plc at the editorial address. TheEditor is unable to enter into individual correspondence concerningthe affairs of The Stagecoach Group.

Designed by Catchline Communications Group, Scotland.

Autumn 2004

Coach USA on boardfor blackout task force

Keeper kicks off new serviceThe people of Chesterfield welcomed the newimproved Service 51 at an impressive launchevent in September.

Crowds turned up in the autumnal sunshine tosee Stagecoach East Midlands Managing DirectorPaul Lynch and Derbyshire County CouncilCabinet Member Walter Burrows officially launchthe service.

Helping to ‘kickstart’ the event was Englandgoalkeeping legend Gordon Banks who startedhis professional career in Chesterfield. Alsohelping proceedings were a live band, the TownCrier, and members of Chesterfield FootballClub’s squad.

Service 51 has been improved through theUrban Bus Challenge Kickstart initiative, whichhas enabled the frequency on the Chesterfield-Clay Cross route to be increased to every 10minutes. Stagecoach East Midlands has alsoprovided nine new specially branded low-floorDarts, while Derbyshire County Council hasundertaken infrastructure improvements alongthe route.

Paul Lynch said: “We are delighted that,through ‘Kickstart’, we are able to work inpartnership with the County Council to help giveour customers improved services and facilities.This is a boost for the whole Clay Cross area.”

Welcoming in the new service are, from left, Walter Burrows, Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection andTransport; Paul Lynch, Stagecoach East Midlands Managing Director, and World Cup hero Gordon Banks.

New York’s readiness to respond toa blackout is much higher – thanks

in no small part to Coach USA.Coach USA has been a key member of an

Emergency Task Force, set up by New Jersey Transit.The task force was established in the aftermath of lastyear’s electricity failure which closed the Lincoln andHolland road tunnels and underground rail tunnels,trapping thousands of commuters on the New Yorkside of the Hudson River.

John Emberson, Southern District General Manager,represented Coach USA on the Task Force that drewup a plan for an orderly evacuation in the event ofanother emergency.

Measures have included new landing stages tocater for the large number of ferries on standby for anemergency and a temporary bus station to transportcommuters to various destinations in New Jersey andPennsylvania. Special emergency duties and runningboards have also been developed so that drivers canquickly operate to and from Liberty State Park insteadof New York.

Another innovation has been a guide, ‘Don’t GetStuck in the Dark’, listing travel alternatives in theevent of a major service disruption or emergency.More than a quarter of a million copies have beenhanded out at major transport centres, including thePort Authority Bus Terminal.

“This guide is a practical tool that will helppassengers understand their options in the event of amajor service disruption,” said George D. Warrington,Executive Director of NJ TRANSIT. “It’s somethingevery commuter should keep in their briefcase.”

Governor George E. Pataki added: “The majorblackout we experienced last August showed just howcritical it is for commuters to become aware of themany transportation options that are available to themin the event of an emergency.”

NJ TRANSIT is the nation’s largest statewide publictransportation system providing more than 752,600daily trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and11 commuter lines.

Stagecoach has scooped a number oftop prizes at the 2004 Bus Driver ofthe Year competition.

Edward Reid, from StagecoachEast Scotland, was runner-up in theevent, which attracted more than 100of the country’s top drivers.

He was just pipped to the top spotby First Essex driver Michael Wilson,who has been a bus driver for onlythree years.

But Edward still left the Blackpoolevent with a clutch of trophies,including the Alexander Dennis Cup,the Rail, Maritime and TransportWorkers’ Union Trophy and theMotor Transport Trophy. He also wonthe Stagecoach trophy for thecompany’s highest placed driver.

Stagecoach also enjoyed twoother successes at the event, which isheld each year in Blackpool.

Chris Prince, from Stagecoach EastKent, took away the Bright-TechShield for the Youngest NationalFinalist.

Stagecoach North East Driver JohnPage won the Allen and DouglasShield for the competitor to appear inmost national finals.

Les Warneford, Managing Directorof Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “All theStagecoach drivers who took part inthe competition, including ourwinners, are excellent ambassadorsfor the business. It is heartening tosee that our drivers are amongst thebest in the industry.”

The road to the final started earlierin the year when individual busoperators held qualifying heats thatreplicated the National Final. Theregional events were used to selectthe best drivers from each companyto go forward to the final.

Written tests challenged drivers’knowledge of the Highway Code andMechanical Principles, while they alsofaced a series of practical driving testson a route that included a mock-upof a bus station.

Drivers hitthe heights

South West Trains has added to its listof stations which have achievedSecure Station status.

The latest ones are London’sEarlsfield, Brockenhurst andBournemouth, bringing the total onthe network to 38. The Secure Stationscheme was launched in 1998 toencourage stations to improvesecurity for both passengers and staff.

To date, South West Trains andNetwork Rail have invested around£4m installing a combination of helppoints and CCTV cameras across thenetwork to meet the rigorousstandards set by the Department forTransport. South West Trains also has51 TravelSafe Officers in post, just fiveshort of the final quota due of 56officers.

Tony Holland, South West TrainsSecurity and Information Manager,said: “We are delighted with theaward of Secure Station status tothese stations. We are continuing towork tirelessly at South West Trains tointroduce further security measures atour stations in the hope that morepeople will be encouraged to use ourtrains.”

On route to be safe

3Autumn 2004

Further integration is vital to the futureof the UK rail network if it is to workin the best interests of passengers,taxpayers and investors.

That is the view of Stagecoach in itsresponse to the Government’s recentrail review, which outlined a newstreamlined structure for the industry.

Under proposals contained in theGovernment White Paper, The Futureof Rail:

• Track and train operators areexpected to improveperformance through closerworking at a local level.

• Network Rail is given a stronger

Integration key to future of rail network

Stagecoach in Warwickshiredrivers joined former MidlandRed employees at Leamington,Nuneaton and Rugby to celebratethe 100th anniversary of theBirmingham and Midland MotorOmnibus Company.

To mark the occasion, a busfrom Warwickshire’s current fleet,repainted in the old Midland Redcolours, will operate out of thesedepots over the coming year.

New garagefor London Stagecoach in London hasreached a milestone with theopening of its 10th garage.

The new depot – located inWaterden Road only a shortdistance from the Stratford facility– has two mess rooms for staff.Each of the mess rooms isequipped with drinks-makingfacilities, microwave and fridgefreezer.

General Manager Jon Batchelorsaid: “The staff seem to like theirnew surroundings.”

Waterden Road has taken onresponsibility for refuelling someof the megabus.com vehicles andit is also now home to the trainingdepartment and BTEC assessmentteam.

Routemasterslast the paceStagecoach was at the heart ofcelebrations this summer to markthe 50th anniversary of the iconicRoutemaster bus.

Three Stagecoach vehicles –RML2665, RML2456 and RML2760– took part in the event inFinsbury Park.

The buses were driven bySchedules Manager KevinCooper, General Manager JonBatchelor and Driver OperatorMark Beckham.

Developed by LondonTransport in the 1950s, theRoutemaster has become a well-known symbol of transport in thecapital.

Although initially designed tohave a lifespan of 17 years, fivedecades on many of the vehiclesare still in service.

The Routemasters aregradually being phased out andreplaced with new disabledaccessible low-floor vehicles.

role and is put in charge ofindustry planning, timetables andco-ordinating service recoveryfollowing problems on the track.

• Ministers will take charge of thekey strategic rail decisions, andwill also give Scotland, Walesand London more say overpassenger services.

• Regulation is to be streamlinedand The Office of Rail Regulation

will take responsibility for inde-pendently regulating safety,performance and cost.

In its response, Stagecoach said itsupported the Government’s aim toimprove the structure of the railindustry.

“As one of the UK’s mostexperienced rail operators running thecountry’s biggest rail franchise, wehave continued to stress the need for

greater integration on the railways toensure all agencies are pullingtogether to deliver a better service tocustomers.

“The ideas outlined in our Platformfor Change policy paper havegathered support. The integration ofinfrastructure maintenance intoNetwork Rail is now almost completeand, in partnership with Network Rail,we are now running the UK’s first

integrated control centre at LondonWaterloo.

“We believe that further verticalintegration is essential if Governmentis ever to optimise both the cost andperformance of the UK rail industry.The informal arrangement betweenNetwork Rail and the train operatorsproposed in the rail review should beformalised.”

Stagecoach said it continued tohave firm confidence in the futureprospects for business in the rail sectorin the UK and believed there was clearpotential to grow the market for travelby train.

Aspiring photographers inWinchester have been busycapturing images they hope willland them the top prize in aStagecoach competition.

The idea of the contest was topromote a special discount ticket tohelp under 16s get around duringthe school holidays. The newSummer Holiday Goldrider cost just£2 per day or £7 per week forunlimited travel on all routesoperated by Stagecoach acrossHampshire.

Nigel Deacon, Stagecoach in

Winchester Operations Manager,said: “We hope that the newdiscounted Goldrider ticket willhelp young people travel at anaffordable rate throughout theschool holidays. A leaflet was alsoproduced suggesting interestingplaces to visit using the ticket.”

HMV store vouchers worth £100were up for grabs for the photojudged to be the best taken from abus.

Stagecoach is launching Britain’s most sophisticatedtransport marketing effort this month in a drive to get

more people to travel by bus.

Top class campaigngets UK on the buses

Focus on best points of view

Local shoolboy Rob Sawyer, right,helps promote the competition.

The £250,000 campaign will use thedetailed customer research techniquespioneered by supermarket giants toencourage people to get out of theircars and onto public transport.

Stagecoach expects to target up to 20per cent of its bus networks over thenext two years, with a major focus onmums and commuters.

Detailed research, similar to thatused by the retail sector, is beingundertaken by Stagecoach to focus onpeople whose lifestyle is most suited toswitching to bus travel.

A new telemarketing unit, currentlybeing set up at the company’s head-quarters in Perth, will concentrate on anew town or city every six weeks.

The team will discuss prospectivepassengers’ current travel choices, theirsatisfaction with existing bus servicesand offer seven days’ free travel toencourage them to try the bus.

Specialist marketing communicationsconsultancy Story, whose clients haveincluded major financial services anddrinks companies, will work withStagecoach on the creative material forthe initiative.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach GroupChief Executive, said: “This is the mostsophisticated campaign ever undertakenin this country to attract more people topublic transport, particularly commutersand mothers. We will be using the samekind of detailed lifestyle research thatcompanies in the retail sector, particu-larly the supermarket giants, have usedto win new customers.

“Buses have huge potential to helpsolve the country’s transport challengesin the years ahead. They are flexible,cost-effective and can play a major rolein tackling increasing congestion in ourtowns and cities. Stagecoach is at theforefront of new ideas on how to delivermodal shift and we believe ourinnovative campaign can help generatea resurgence in bus travel acrossBritain.”

The ‘where you want to be’campaign will use a mix of bus posters,press advertising and direct marketingto convey the benefits of travelling bybus.

Sue Mullen, Managing Director atStory, said: “We are delighted to be atthe heart of such an innovative transportcampaign. We believe that our creativemarketing strengths will be a powerfultool to help get across the crucial role ofbuses and the real difference they canmake to people’s everyday lives.”

The nationwide campaign followsthe success of four pilot projects carriedout by Stagecoach in Perth, Grimsby,Haverhill and Hartlepool, where some20 per cent of people contacted by thecompany decided to try the bus.

Celebrating a century

A tale to tell?

Do you have any initiatives thatare attracting more people to trythe bus? Then let us know. YourOn Stage contact is listed on p2.

4 Autumn 2004

Folkestone Bus Station recently com-memorated its 50th anniversary amida sea of nostalgia.

Former employees and Friends ofEast Kent Road Car Company broughttheir buses and uniforms to offerauthentic rides to invited guests.

Among the retired employees wereArthur Russell, 81, a conductor at thetime of the station’s construction, andBeatrice Macdonald, who started as aconductress in 1941. Both rememberworking on two of the vintage buseson display – a Guy Arab 3 no. 399 and

Guy Arab 4 no. 888. A collection ofArthur’s photos from the 1950s wasalso on show.

Operations Manager Chris Adamsthanked Barrie Burlingham forhelping organise the visit by theFriends group and its preservedvehicles for the celebration. He said:“The company has recently renovatedand refurbished much of the busstation building and will soon betaking delivery of a batch of brandnew low-floor buses for theFolkestone town services.”

Aspecial needs school’s mobility officer will halve hisbus travel costs – thanks to Stagecoach.

Golden ticket helpsspecial needs teacher

Station celebrates 50 years

Former staff and the Friends of East Kent Road Car Company admire (from left) the Guy Arab 3 andGuy Arab 4 at the 50-year-old bus station.

Stagecoach in Warwickshire haskindly donated a Goldrider bus passworth £600 to Paul Norman of ExhallGrange School.

Paul trains children from pre-schoolage to 19 with special needs, such aslearning difficulties and vision andphysical impairment.

Part of the training is using the busand Paul makes several journeys a dayon Stagecoach services into Bedworth,Nuneaton and Coventry.

He approached Stagecoach inWarwickshire about the possibility of atravel concession and ManagingDirector James Freeman agreed todonate a Goldrider pass.

“It’s an extremely generousdonation which will help with thetraining of pupils in a variety of skillsoutside the school environment,” saidPaul.

“It’s one-to-one training which, atthe moment, is mainly for childrenwith vision impairment, and being ableto use a bus is highly beneficial forthem in many different ways.”

Some 60 pupils at Exhall Grange

use the Stagecoach 57 bus which runspast the school. At present, most ofthe buses on the 57 service are stepentry Volvo B10s, but Stagecoach inWarwickshire is hopeful that some newlow-floor vehicles will be introduced tothe route in the very near future.

“That would be really good newsfor the school”, said Paul. “We wouldthen be able to train more of our pupilswho use wheelchairs. But I must saythe drivers of the current vehicles aremost helpful and considerate, which isgreatly appreciated by the children andmyself.

“They are taught how much farethey need for a specific journey and totell the driver their destination, whichis working well,” he added.

Julie Gwynne, Assistant Manager for the Nuneaton operation, hands over the large sized StagecoachGoldrider pass to Paul Norman as his son, Chris, 15, prepares for some white cane training on alow-floor bus.

Passengers in Kent are set to reap thebenefits of improved bus services after thesigning of the Canterbury Quality BusPartnership.

Cllr Alex Perkins, Canterbury CityCouncil, and Cllr Graham Gibbens, KentCounty Council, joined Stagecoach KentManaging Director Paul Southgate to sign agiant version of the partnership agreement.The signing took place at the official launchof 17 new low-floor, easy-access AlexanderDennis Trident double-decker buses for thenew Canterbury Triangle Service.

The £2.5m investment by Stagecoach isphase one of a series of bus improvementsplanned as part of the new partnership. TheTriangle runs every 15 minutes betweenCanterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bayusing the specially liveried double-deckerbuses.

“The partnership is very real andimportant for the public transport networkin Canterbury,” said Paul Southgate.“Without traffic management schemes, theintroduction of new bus shelters with lowkerbs and other facilities, it would be verydifficult for us to provide a punctual anddependable service on a daily basis for localresidents.”Working together: Participants sign up for the Canterbury Quality Bus Partnership.

Partnership boost for local network

A £3.4m package of improvementsto 53 stations in the Greater LondonAuthority area should be completedby December.

The work, part of a joint fundinginitiative between South West Trainsand London Rail, includes CCTVcoverage, enhanced lighting andupgrading of help points.

The investment will see CCTVcoverage linked to South WestTrains’ Customer Communicationand Security Centre (CCSC) anddigitally monitored across all 53stations.

Lighting improvements will alsobe made at 29 stations, covering thetwo Overground Network pilotroutes and the Hounslow loop.

Help points will be upgraded toinclude induction loops at allstations within the GLA areacovered by South West Trains.Efforts to combat vandalism atEarlsfield station will be enhancedby a trial subway with graffitiresistant cladding and lowmaintenance surfaces.

A further 10 stations within theSouth West Trains franchise are alsoexpected to attain Secure Stationaccreditation. Ian Brown, ManagingDirector of London Rail, part ofTransport for London (TfL), said:“We are delighted to announce thisjoint investment initiative alongsideSouth West Trains. These latestinitiatives will go a long way tohelping further reduce anti-socialbehaviour and will encourage morepassengers to use the train service.”

South West Trains ManagingDirector Andrew Haines said: “Thesafety and security of ourpassengers and staff will alwaysremain our number one priorityand we are happy that we can worktogether with TfL to give ourpassengers a safer, cleaner journeyexperience.”

Improving the journeyexperience

A tale to tell?

If you have been up to somethingunusual to aid your localcommunity then we’d like to hearabout it. Your On Stage contact islisted on p2.

August was a big month forStagecoach Auckland with theopening of the first new busdepot since 1983.

The new depot is located inthe East Auckland suburb ofPanmure and the site is at thebase of an old volcano, thespectacular 135ft-high MtWellington. But don’t worry, itlast erupted 9,000 years ago andis highly unlikely to do so again!

Panmure depot will operateas a satellite facility of the muchlarger City Depot, which is12kms away and very close tothe Auckland Central BusinessDistrict.

Eastern Area Manager TomBurt said: “Initially, PanmureDepot will have a fleet of 25buses but there is room for upto 65 in the future. Among theroutes the depot will operate isthe popular ‘Remuera Rider’with its distinct purple brandedMAN buses.”

Volcanicdepot

5Autumn 2004

Pioneering megabus.com, launchedlast year by Stagecoach, was named themost innovative transport project in theUK at the National Transport Awards.

More than 400 transport industryrepresentatives attended the awards inLondon, which recognise transportprojects that are making a difference.

Stagecoach Group Chief ExecutiveBrian Souter said: “We are delightedthat megabus.com has been recognisedwith such a prestigious award.Stagecoach continues to lead the waywith new ideas on how to attract morepeople to public transport.

“It has changed the face of intercitybus travel with its bargain fares andeasy-to-use website. This award isrecognition of all the hard work put inby everyone at megabus.com and weare looking forward to welcoming evenmore customers on board in themonths ahead.”

More than 900,000 people acrossthe UK – including students,commuters, families and ‘silver surfers’,the over 55s market who use theinternet – have already usedmegabus.com.

Meanwhile, megabus.com has just

missed outon a majorb u s i n e s saward. It wasamong fivev e n t u r e sshortlisted in theInnovation of the Yearcategory of theNational BusinessAwards for Scotland. Thecategory was won byLightbody Celebration cakes,which supplies retailers with party,seasonal and novelty cakes.

Fare deal voted bestThe UK’s first low-cost intercity bus service has beaten stiff

competition to clinch a top award at the transport industry‘Oscars’.

Buses arethe futureStagecoach has welcomed theGovernment’s commitment toexpanding the role of buses in theyears ahead.

The Government’s new long-termstrategic vision for a modern, efficientand sustainable UK transport systemincludes a higher priority on bustransport.

The Future of Transport WhitePaper looks at the factors that willshape travel and transport over thenext 30 years, including help to localauthorities for combining better busservices with local charging schemesand consideration for further fundingof Kickstart projects. TheGovernment has also reaffirmed itscommitment to the current legislativeframework for the bus industry andretaining the Bus Service Operators’Grant.

Stagecoach responded by saying:“We are pleased the Department forTransport is considering thepossibility of funding further Kickstartprojects. Stagecoach has pioneeredthe pump-priming concept in the UKand New Zealand, demonstrating thatthis approach can improve busservices and deliver significantpassenger growth.

“We look forward to developingfurther Kickstart schemes inpartnership with local authorities. Allthe efforts of bus operators, localauthorities and other stakeholdersshould be focused on workingtogether to improve services forpassengers.

“Stagecoach shares theGovernment’s focus on innovationand value for money for passengersand taxpayers. Our new services,such as megabus.com, are attractingnew passengers to public transport.”

However, there was disappoint-ment that the Manchester Metrolinkand South Hampshire light railprojects have been cancelled.

The company’s view was: “Weworked very hard to deliver the bestpriced bid we could in Manchester,given the risk constraints the privatesector was being asked to take onboard, and it is disappointing theextension is now not being takenforward.”

Nuneaton’s star qualityNuneaton has been described as a‘star’ place to run buses.

Speaking at the launch of ninenew low-floor, easy-access buses forNetwork Nuneaton, James Freeman,Managing Director of Stagecoach inWarwickshire, said that good busesand services would encourage morepeople to use public transport.

The key improvements are the 18new buses which Stagecoach inWarwickshire has introduced sinceMarch. The first nine buses arealready operating on the importantno.48 Primeline route. Furtherinvestment plans are in the pipeline,which will improve public transport.

James concluded: “We are makingmajor developments in Nuneaton,but I’m sure it is the buses thatpeople will notice most, with theirlow-floor, easy-access entrances, theirquality interiors and their greencredentials.”

Britain’s cheapest bus ride has hit theroad with passengers able to makethe 575-mile trip from Inverness toLondon for just £1.

The bargain fare is being offeredby megabus.com, Stagecoach’sinternet-based low-cost inter-city busservice.

Passengers using the new link toLondon will be travelling for only 0.17pence a mile, making it the best valuebus ticket in the country.

Two services a day in eachdirection now make the 12-hour tripbetween the Highland capital andLondon, with seats starting from just£1.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach GroupChief Executive, said: “Scots love abargain and you will be hard pressedto get a better transport deal than this.Because our seats are booked on theweb, we can keep the costs tocustomers as low as possible and getyou from one end of the country tothe other for about the same price asa paper and a pint of milk.

“We’re using the same approach asthe budget airlines, the earlier youbook, the better the deal you can get– and even our top prices are milescheaper than anyone else.”

megabus.com has celebrated its first birthday –and to mark the occasion we have a greatcompetition for bus enthusiasts.

On Stage has 10 replica 11-metre, tri-axleLeyland Olympian buses, produced by CreativeMaster Northcord Limited, to give away.

The replica of the 94-seat bus features thedistinctive megabus.com livery and has theDundee-Perth-Glasgow route branding.

The model buses have excellent detailing,inside and out, including all handrails on boardand detailed, individual air-vents above the seats.

Featured in a recent edition of BusesMagazine, the UK’s leading enthusiastpublication, only 2,000 copies of the replica buswere produced for the UK and Hong Kong.

For your chance to win one of the replicas,just answer the following question: Whatwas the first megabus.com trial route,launched in August 2003?

Send your answer, plus your name andaddress, on a postcard to:

All aboard for Britain’s cheapest bus ride£1 fare will buy passengers 575-mile trip from Inverness to London

The latest expansion of themegabus.com network, which followshuge demand from passengers in thenorth of Scotland, includes two returntrips a day from Aberdeen to London.There are also six trips a day linkingInverness and Aberdeen with Edinburghand Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Stagecoach has boughtthe express coach business of Scottish-based company Motorvator, whichoperates between Edinburgh andGlasgow.

Stagecoach already operates anetwork of intercity express coach

services in Scotland to Glasgow,Edinburgh, Fife, Ayrshire, Dumfries,Aberdeen and Inverness.

State-of-the-art double-deckercoaches with 86 seats have beenintroduced by Stagecoach on Motorvatorservices and the frequency has beenincreased to every 20 minutes.

Stagecoach has also decided to offera proportion of web-basedmegabus.com fares on these services,giving megabus.com passengers a farlarger choice of departure times thanbefore. As a result, the dedicatedmegabus.com vehicles operating

between Edinburgh and Glasgowhave been deployed elsewhere onthe network.

Tom Wileman, Director ofStagecoach Scotland, said:“Stagecoach is a major bus and coachoperator in Scotland, running 1,000vehicles from the Highlands ofScotland to south west Scotland.

“Motorvator will be an excellentaddition to our range of intercityservices, which include StagecoachExpress and our highly successfullow-cost intercity bus operationmegabus.com.

“We believe we can develop theMotorvator business as part of ourstrategy to attract more people out oftheir cars and onto public transport.”

John Bruce, joint owner ofMotorvator, said: “We’re delightedStagecoach is taking over theMotorvator operation and iscommitted to investing in thebusiness and taking it forward.

“We are also pleased thatStagecoach is taking on our staff andis providing them with excellentconditions.”

Stagecoach took over the runningof the Motorvator operation from 6September.

win...win...megabus.com model competitionThe Editor, On StageStagecoach Group10 Dunkeld RoadPerth, PH1 5TW.

Closing date for entries is Friday, 19 November,2004. The first 10 correct entries drawn will receivea model megabus.com bus. The Editor’s decision isfinal and no correspondence will be entered into.

Good luck!

megabus.com models up for grabs win...win...

6 Autumn 2004

Going Forth to

Havant Station has been given a£300,000 facelift to help improveconditions for passengers.

South West Trains, along withHampshire County Council, SelectService Partners and Network Rail,ploughed the cash into the station toimprove lighting in the car park andon platforms, refurbish the toilets onthe London-bound platform, revampthe waiting room and build a newticket office which is easily accessiblefor wheelchair users.

Malcolm Page, South West Trains’Station Development Manager, said:“South West Trains is continuing tojoin forces with local authoritiesacross the network in order to giveour passengers a safer, cleanerenvironment to wait for their train.

“In recent months the station hasalso seen an extra 17 car park spacesas well as incorporating the HaylingBilly cycle route.”

Further improvements to thestation include the signage at Havantbeing replaced, part of a rollingprogramme at stations across thenetwork.

Stagecoach already operates ferries in New Zealandand has successfully integrated them with local busservices.

Fullers Ferries, one of Stagecoach’s businesses inNew Zealand, operates a fleet of 10 ferries in theHauraki Gulf, off Auckland.

The main cross-harbour service links the AucklandCentral Business District to the North Shore – a 10-minute journey, operated with a specially designedmodern double-ended 400-passenger ‘Sea Bus’ vessel,and carries about 1.5m passengers a year.

Bus services link into the ferry services and holders

of certain bus passes receive free travel on the harbourferries. Stagecoach has also been behind an integratedticketing scheme, which provides monthly and dailypasses that link all bus operators, the ferries and thetrains.

Stagecoach has also put in place bus-ferryintegration arrangements in the United States. Underan integrated ticketing arrangement with New YorkWaterway, passengers can travel on the Coach USAStaten Island Express bus service to and from JerseyCity, connecting with the ferry services between JerseyCity and Manhattan.

The New Zealand experience

Discussions have taken place witScottish Executive, about the

Edinburgh by boat.

Stagecoach is investigfor a passenger ferry Scotland’s most impo

Station benefitsfrom makeover

On the water: Stagecoach already has extensive experience running ferries in New Zealand.

It is estimated that a cross-Firth of Forthferry service, using a 30 to 40-metre vesselwith the capacity for 200 to 300 passengers,could be up and running in around twoyears.

The move comes as traffic volumes onthe heavily congested Forth Road Bridgegrow well beyond expectations and journeytimes for commuters continue to increase.

Stagecoach co-fundeda study by the MaritimeTransport Research Unit atNapier University fiveyears ago. It considered anumber of issues,including the potentiallocations for crossings,vessel specification andsailing schedules, require-ments for integration withother transport modes,commercial viability andfunding options.

The study focused onthe potential of either a Rosyth-Granton or aBurntisland-Granton link and concluded thatsignificant public sector subsidy would berequired in the early years while passengernumbers grew towards a sustainable level.

Since then, the Forth Estuary TransportAuthority has been looking at the potentialfor such an initiative as part of the transportstrategy for the area.

Stagecoach has given the issue furtherconsideration and a view is emerging thatthe best location on the Edinburgh side ofthe Forth is Leith due to recent expansionwith the opening of the Scottish Executiveheadquarters and construction of the Oceanterminal development. A bus service linkingLeith to Edinburgh city centre operates everyfive minutes at peak times. On the Fife side,the best potential locations appear to be

‘We believe passenger fepotential andsolution to thcongestion is

Forth Roa

Bria

Thumbs upfor returnof capitalStagecoach shareholders have giventheir overwhelming backing to a£250m return of capital plan.

The Group’s proposals to returnaround £250m of capital to sharehold-ers by issuing redeemable B shareswere approved by a massive majorityat the company’s AGM on 27 August.

Under the proposal, for every 24ordinary shares held by an investor at5pm on 10 September, 2004, theyreceived 19 consolidated ordinaryshares and 24 B shares.

Shareholders were able to havetheir B shares redeemed for 18 penceeach in cash on 22 September, 2004,or retain all or some of their B shares.

The proposal was seen as the bestsystem for a number of reasons:

• All shareholders are treatedequally, in line with the size oftheir existing shareholdings inStagecoach

• The relative proportions of equityheld by investors did not changeas a result of the issue of the Bshares

• The return of capital was able tobe implemented in an orderly andtimely manner with a lower riskof market distortions thanalternative methods

• Shareholders were able toredeem the B shares for cashwithout incurring commission ordealing charges.

The return of capital will create amore efficient capital structure for theGroup and allow it sufficient financialflexibility to take advantage of futureinvestment opportunities.

It is not envisaged that it will affectthe future level of dividends per shareand the Stagecoach Board intends tocontinue to pursue a progressivedividend policy.

All aboard: Fullers Ferries transports 1.5m passengers a year.

7Autumn 2004

beat congestionSWT hits the right track for successSouth West Trains’ Station PrideAwards 2004 proved memorable forfour stations that clinched four topplaces in the face of stiffcompetition.

Sway and Brockenhurst put theNew Forest firmly on the map byscooping Best Small Station andMost Improved Station respectively.

Sway’s success was largely dueto efforts to personalise the waitingarea where passengers are offeredgames and sweets, while eye-catching hanging baskets adorn theplatforms.

Neighbouring Brockenhurst,recently awarded Secure Stationstatus, has been repainted and workhas been done to the overbridge.

Dedicated employees at Wokingstation were also delighted whentheir hard work was rewarded withfirst place in the Best Large Stationcategory.

Judges were impressed with thespotless appearance and helpfulnessof staff when they visited.

Raynes Park employees also hadcause to celebrate when they landedthe title Best Station Operating inDifficult Circumstances category.

Staff, praised for coping withrunning a busy station spread overtwo lines, have tackled graffiti andanti-social behaviour to create awelcoming atmosphere which hasbeen further boosted by the arrivalof a library in the waiting room.

Supertram topof the leagueSheffield Supertram has recordedthe biggest passenger growth ofany light rail system in the UK,according to Department forTransport statistics.

Figures show that passengernumbers on Supertram rose byseven per cent last year and 12.3mpassengers used the light railnetwork during 2003-04,compared to 11.5m the previousyear.

Across the UK’s seven light railsystems, the average growth was4.9 per cent, with a total of 142.9mpassengers using the networks.

Supertram was Britain’s firststate-of-the-art tramway when itopened in 1994 and has seenmassive growth under Stagecoachmanagement. Much of the growthin light rail passenger numbers inthe UK in recent years has been inLondon, on Docklands LightRailway (DLR) and CroydonTramlink.

In the last year, passengergrowth on each of those systemsincreased by six per cent. The CityAirport extension to the DLR iscurrently under construction andfurther growth is expected in thecoming years.

The most recent system to openis Nottingham Express Transit,which started running in Marchthis year. The other light railsystems in England are Tyne andWear Metro, Manchester Metrolinkand Midland Metro. There is also aheritage tram service in Blackpool.

th a range of bodies, including thee possibility of linking Fife and

Ferry link history• The Forth has had a long history of

ferry services going back as far asthe 12th century

• By the late 19th century, serviceswere running between North andSouth Queensferry and fromBurntisland to Granton

• The opening of the Forth Bridge forrail services took a lot of traffic fromthe ferry links

• The Granton link closed in the1950s and the Queensferry serviceceased in 1964 with the opening ofthe Forth Road Bridge

• Cross-Forth ferry operations werebriefly revived in 1991 when ForthFerries Ltd introduced a passengerservice between Granton andBurntisland. However, it was notcommercially viable due to insuffi-cient demand and closed down aftertwo years of operation.

gating the potentialservice across one of

ortant estuaries.

Burntisland or Kirkcaldy, giving a crossingtime as short as 10 minutes.

While there are some accessibility issuesrelated to the harbour entrance at Leith,Stagecoach is confident there are no barriersin terms of the integration of a ferry link withexisting bus services.

The company already operates 300 busesin Fife and existing services could easily be

routed to a terminal pointand park and ride.

Passenger volumes atthe Ferrytoll Park and Ridefacility near Inverkeithingin Fife have grown dra-matically as trafficcongestion has increasedon the Forth Road Bridge,with the 500-car spacefacility now regularly full.Work is under way todouble the capacity totake 1,000 cars.

Brian Souter,Stagecoach Chief Executive, said: “Webelieve a cross-Forth passenger ferry has realpotential and could be the solution to theincreasing congestion issues on the ForthRoad Bridge.

“Initial kickstart public funding would berequired to put in place the infrastructure butwe would be willing to take the commercialrisk on running the service.

“From the operational experience wehave of running ferries in New Zealand andour ability to integrate buses with ferriesthere and in the United States, we believe wehave the expertise to deliver a successfulferry service in Scotland.”

Stagecoach is expected to meet shortlywith representatives from the ScottishExecutive, Fife Council and Forth Ports todiscuss the idea in greater detail.

Alternative transport: A ferry service across the Firth of Forth would relieve traffic pressure on the bridges.

a cross-Fortherry has reald could be thehe increasingssues on the

ad Bridge.’

n Souter

Rosyth

Burntisland

Kirkcaldy

Granton Leith

8 Autumn 2004

Scottish junior football has netted awinner in the form of a three-yearsponsorship deal, worth more than£60,000.

Stagecoach West Scotland willsponsor awards for Team of the Monthand Fair Play in the West of ScotlandLeagues. Financial bonuses will also bepaid to clubs finishing in the top threeof their respective leagues.

Tom Johnston, Secretary, theScottish Junior Football Association,said: “This is great news for all theclubs, players and supportersthroughout the West Region, where

Stagecoach sponsored the leaguesfrom 1994 to 2002. Stagecoach WestScotland is a leading brand and willassist our drive to raise the profile ofjunior football in the West.”

Tom Wileman, Managing DirectorStagecoach Scotland, added: “Weknow how passionate football is in theWest of Scotland and we are delightedto be offered the opportunity tobecome involved for the next threeyears. We are confident that oursponsorship will benefit many of theteams, which can only be good for thecommunities we serve.”

SOUTH West Trains won the plaudits with two honours andseven finalists at the prestigious National Rail Awards.

Passengers using the Oxford Tubeservice might think they’re living acharmed life.

The levels of comfort on theirjourneys are now even higher thanksto an £8m fleet of 25 luxury double-decker coaches, which are replacingthe route’s former vehicles,themselves only five years old.

The low-floor, air-conditionedvehicles boast reclining seats, morelegroom, seat belts, power points andtoilets. They are also equipped withCCTV technology for passengersecurity.

The 24-hour service from Oxfordto London is believed to representthe UK’s largest investment in newvehicles on a single route as well asthe only fleet of disability accessiblecoaches in the city.

A new secure e-commercewebsite, www.oxfordtube.com, hasalso been launched, allowingcustomers to book tickets and accesstimetable and service informationonline.

Managing Director of Stagecoachin Oxfordshire Martin Sutton said:“We are setting the standard for otherbus operators and it shows Oxford isleading the way in high-qualitypublic transport. Stagecoach hasinvested millions of pounds inaccessible buses with wheelchairfacilities on our main services inOxford.”

The larger capacity of the newcoaches also increases the numberswho can travel on the route by morethan 6,000 passengers a day.

Rail teams on trackas SWT scoops prizes

Oxford setsthe standard

On the ball: (From left) Brian Donohoe, MP for Cunninghame South; Tom Wileman, Managing DirectorStagecoach Scotland; Tom Johnston, Secretary of the Scottish Junior Football Association.

West coast footy nets funding

(From left) Driver Sandra Knight, Electrician Colin Karslake, Viv Woolston-Bass, and Robbie Hall.

The Stagecoach bus depot atDaneshill, Basingstoke, threw openits doors to the public to raise cash forSt. Michael’s Hospice.

Dozens of people took up theoffers to walk through the giantautomated bus wash, have their nameplaced on bus destination boards, andride some of the 46 visiting vintageand modern buses.

They also had the opportunity tosee behind the scenes at the depotand learn about bus driver trainingand job opportunities.

Operations Manager forStagecoach in Basingstoke, Robbie

Hall, said that more than 30employees helped make the openday a success. On behalf of his big-hearted team, he presented VivWoolston-Bass, Fundraising Directorfrom the hospice, with the cheque forthe proceeds.

He said: “We really must thank thepublic for their support on the day,which allowed us to make thissubstantial donation to St. Michael’sHospice.”

Last year Stagecoach supportedanother hospice fundraiser – Bad HairDay – and hopes to offer similarbacking for the charity in the future.

Bus wash helps charity clean up

Employees at London Waterloo andthe maintenance team were bothwinners.

The employees at Waterloo stationwent home with the title of LondonOperational Team of the Year. Theaward recognised their efforts todeliver consistently high levels ofcustomer service and their ability to riseto the challenge when services aredisrupted.

The award also paid tribute to thecontribution of the new state-of-the-artWessex IntegratedControl Centre,which places SouthWest Trains andNetwork Railcontrollers togetherto help streamlinecommunica t ionand improveservice delivery.

South WestTrains ManagingDirector AndrewHaines said:“Anyone whoknows Waterloowill realise how immense the dailychallenge faced by the team there isbut, by working together, the staff suc-cessfully tackle that challenge everyday. I am delighted their efforts havebeen recognised with this award.”

The second win was for South WestTrains’ fleet team, which was namedthe Maintenance Team of the Year. Thisnew award recognised the high levelsof fleet reliability delivered byengineers and maintenance workers inall of South West Trains’ depots tomake sure the trains are available for

service, day-in, day-out. Engineering Director Mac

Mackintosh said: “This award istestimony to the hard work andcommitment of the entire fleet team.”

In the Outstanding PersonalContribution Award, three frontlineemployees were recognised for theirdedication and customer service, out ofonly 12 national winners.

Three stations were also mentionedwith London Waterloo winning majorstation of the year, and Southampton

Central andAxminster wereshortlisted for bestlarge and best smallstation respectively.

There was alsogood news for thenew trains team,which, along withm a n u f a c t u r e r sSiemens, celeb-rated a win in theProject of the YearAward for the workto introduce thenew Desiro trains.

Andrew Haines said: “I have beenimpressed and inspired by thesuccesses of South West Trains’employees across so many parts of thebusiness. I am immensely proud oftheir achievements.”

‘I have beenimpressed and inspired

by the successes ofSouth West Trains’

employees.’

Andrew Haines

Stagecoach Group is set to proceedwith a bid to run one of the UK’sflagship rail routes in partnershipwith the Virgin Group of Companies.

The two companies successfullypre-qualified to bid for the InterCityEast Coast franchise with anotherpartner in May 2004. However, thethree parties were unable toconclude a framework for their jointventure.

Stagecoach and Virgin, who arepartners on the current Virgin RailGroup franchises, have now decidedto go ahead with a bid for the EastCoast franchise after the Strategic RailAuthority confirmed that theStagecoach-Virgin joint venture stillmeets the pre-qualification tenderrequirements.

Commenting on the announce-ment, Brian Souter, StagecoachGroup Chief Executive, said: “We aredelighted that we are proceedingjointly with our bid for the InterCityEast Coast rail franchise, which isone of the UK’s flagship routes. Withour partners Virgin, we haveextensive experience of operatingintercity services and we are bothcommitted to putting passengers atthe heart of our business.”

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman,Virgin Group, added: “We believeour track record of investing in newtrains and focusing closely ondelivering a first-class operatingperformance will enable us to worktogether to develop a strong bid forthe InterCity East Coast franchise.”

Flagship routebid goes ahead

A tale to tell?

At Stagecoach we are proud ofour people. So let us know aboutall of your achievements. YourOn Stage contact is listed on p2.

Boost for baby transport serviceStagecoach has given a massiveboost to a fund-raising drive byPortsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust toprovide a new transport service tohelp sick and premature babies.

The Trust has been chosen toprovide the highly specialisedservice throughout the centralsouth coast of England andStagecoach has helped kick-startthe venture with a £5,000 donation

to help provide equipment. Portsmouth and Southampton

Neonatal Intensive Care Units willbe working closely on the initiative.

Left to right are: Consultant NeonatologistMartin Slack, Stagecoach South ManagingDirector Andrew Dyer and Lead TransportNurse Gill Ager with the mobile incubatorwhich will be used within the new southcoast regional transport service

9Autumn 2004

Stagecoach North East is paying tribute to 125years of public transport in Sunderland byrepainting one of its vehicles in the traditionalSunderland Corporation Transport colours.

Public transport began in the town inApril 1879 when Sunderland TramwayCompany introduced a route betweenMonkwearmouth and Roker. SunderlandCorporation took over the company inJanuary 1900 and introduced electric tramson 15 August the same year.

Motor buses appeared on the streets inMay 1929 and in October 1954 tramcar No.86returned to Wheatsheaf depot, marking theend of the local tramway operation. Sincethen, Sunderland Corporation Transport haspassed into the stewardship of Tyne & WearPTE (1973), Busways Travel Services (1986)and finally to Stagecoach in 1994.

John Conroy, Managing Director ofStagecoach North East, said: “We’re proud toacknowledge and commemorate the history

and traditions in which our company issteeped. The commemorative vehicle was inservice around Sunderland from Friday, 13August, and made an appearance at theSeaburn Rally on the August Bank Holiday.At the same time we continue to look to thefuture and later this year will see the intro-duction of 11 new state-of-the-art MAN low-floor buses onto Services 15 and 16, whichwill allow Service 16 to join the Superoutenetwork of services in Tyne & Wear.”

Bus users in the South East havebeen enjoying faster journey timesthanks to the introduction of buslanes in Farnborough.

Stagecoach South East has beenmonitoring closely the impact ofthe bus lanes on the popular Route1 service and, with congestion-related delays reduced, has beenable to speed up timetables andcut journey times.

Most trips between Aldershotand Camberley have been reducedby 10 per cent, shaving fourminutes off the journey timebetween the two importantcentres.

The faster service is thanks tothe Quality Bus Partnershipinitiative, involving Stagecoachand the local authorities forHampshire, Surrey, Rushmoor,Surrey Heath and Bracknell Forest.

Since the signing of thePartnership in October 2001, Route1 has been increased from every20 to every 15 minutes and is nowoperated by low-floor easy-accessbuses.

“We are delighted to be able tocut journey times. Trafficcongestion causes significantdelays and initiatives, such as this,can play a major part in makingpublic transport the first choice formore and more people,” saidStagecoach Commercial ManagerEdward Hodgson.

Thousands of people flocked to theStagecoach-sponsored Herne Bay BusRally, where 40 new and vintage buseswere on display.

The Herne Bay High Street depothosted the fourth rally, organised byStagecoach in East Kent and the HerneBay Vintage Bus group, which wasagain dedicated to fundraising for theSittingbourne-based Demelza HouseHospice for Children. Volunteers andstaff from the hospice manned one ofthe many stalls set up in the depot.

Chris Ingram, who helped organisethe rally, said: “The event was a greatsuccess. We had a selection of busesfrom many decades of transport offeringrides to visitors. We managed to raise alot of money for the hospice so we’reextremely grateful to everyone whohelped make the day a success.”

The annual event at the seaside townis now a favourite with bus enthusiastsand the general public alike who arefascinated by the range of vehicles onshow.

Stagecoach pays tribute to the past

At the rally:Stagecoach’sChris Ingramwith MissHerne BayJenny Neale(second right)andPrincessesVicky Hunt(second left)and EllenPughe.

Rallying round to raise funds

One of the Stagecoach buses in the Sunderland Corporation Transport colours.

Bus laneboost

A station in bloomEmployees at Godalming station nowknow for sure they have a bloominggood place to work.

The station’s stunning hangingbaskets, potted plants and floral bedsearned it the title of BestMiscellaneous Building in the annualGodalming in Bloom competition.

Gareth Leslie, South West TrainsGroup Station Manager, said: “I amvery proud that we have managed towin this award and it’s all thanks tothe hard work from staff at thestation. We pulled together as a team,carrying out most of the work in ourown time.

“With the recent makeoverGodalming received, thanks to aninvestment from DKS Homes, we feltfloral displays would complementthe works and give our passengers astation to be proud of.”

Recent CCTV develop-ments have focused on

three areas: increasing theeffectiveness of CCTV,easier access to images andreducing service andmaintenance costs.

Digital CCTV systems are charac-terised by long recording times andhigh-resolution images. Typically,between six and eight cameras areused on a double-decker and four ona single-decker.

The exact configuration of cameraswill vary but normally includes aforward facing camera to record thebehaviour of pedestrians and otherroad users. Images from all camerasare recorded continuously onto aremovable hard drive.

For Steve Chapman, EngineeringDirector at Stagecoach East Midlands,a new user of CCTV, “the high qualitydigital images compared with earliervideo systems will make CCTV a farmore effective approach to tacklingvandalism and investigating accidentclaims”.

Images can be viewed on the bususing a hand-held reviewer ortransferred from the recorder’s harddrive onto a PC. All the images aredate and time stamped to ensure theirevidential value in the event of aprosecution by the police.

CCTV systems are providing anincreasingly safe environment fordrivers and passengers. New systemsoffer recording rates of 25 frames persecond, support even more camerasand allow audio recording in thedriver's cab area. The CCTV systemcan be linked to a Global Positioning

CCTV - lookingat the big picture

Satellite (GPS) system, allowing thespeed and position of the vehicle toform part of the recording.

For bus operators, taking vandals tocourt and getting involved in disputingfraudulent insurance claims is a timeconsuming and costly process andefforts are focused on nipping theproblem in the bud.

One approach is to use a 15” LCDcolour screen showing passengers theyare being filmed. The screen distractsvandals who can see, by the quality ofthe image, how easy it is to identifythem. They also know that other

passengers can see the screen, whichhas a huge deterrent effect.

Stagecoach West Scotland is usingLCD passenger displays on busesserving Dumfries and Glasgow.

“We’d heard some very good reportsabout the effectiveness of CCTV with apassenger LCD display and decided todeploy them in around 40 buses,” saidSam Greer, Engineering Director,Stagecoach West Scotland. “We’ve had acouple of incidents caught on filmwhich have been passed to the police.”

The practicalities of how bus andcoach operators manage CCTV images

are important in evidence gathering.In keeping with the Data ProtectionAct, operators are setting aside securerooms for viewing images so that asfew people as possible are allowed tosee incident images, and police canreview the evidence in private.

Of course, CCTV service andmaintenance is important. Operatorswith large bus and coach fleets usingCCTV will soon be able to use awireless radio link that automaticallyreports faults on the CCTV cameras asthe vehicle enters the depot.

In an industry first for digital CCTVsystems, LOOK CCTV is undertakinga pioneering project with Stagecoachon 50 vehicles at the company’sBromley depot that will revolutionisethe management and monitoring ofCCTV images.

The new system will automaticallydownload all footage each night to alarge central server system, as thevehicle returns to the depot. This isdone over a wireless LAN, enablingsystem checks and updates to bedone without visiting the vehicle.Once downloaded, this CCTV footageis available for review by authorisedpersonnel – all without even visitingthe bus.

•For more information on CCTVin buses and coaches, contact DavidCummings, LOOK CCTV, on01253891222 or e-maildavid.cummings@lookcctv.co.uk

On screen: Cunninghame South MP Brian Donohoe (left) with Stagecoach Scotland Managing DirectorTom Wileman in front of one of the LCD display screens.

Closed circuit TV on buses and coaches is proven to increase driver andpassenger safety and reduce insurance premiums. David Cummings, ofLOOK CCTV, takes us behind the moving image to look at the kinds ofdevelopments we can expect to see over the next 12 months.

10 Autumn 2004

Worthing rolled back theyears recently as it

commemorated a veryspecial centenary.

To mark the 100th anniversary ofmotor bus travel in the town, manyhistoric buses from the formerSouthdown Motor Services werebrought back into service to providerides for the public and VIPs toBrighton. The Southdown BusCollection, based at Amberley WorkingMuseum in West Sussex, providedmany of the classic vehicles.

Stagecoach South, whichpurchased Southdown Motor ServicesLtd in 1989, hosted the specialcelebration at Worthing depot.Managing Director of StagecoachSouth Andrew Dyer invitedChristopher Heaps, South East TrafficCommissioner, to cut a special buscake in the presence of the Mayor andMayoress of Worthing, Cllr Jack andMrs Lyla Saheid. To complete theceremony, Stagecoach was pleased toinvite the three most senior formeremployees who still live in theWorthing area.

Bernie Wingfield, 91, starteddriving in 1930 and retired as aninspector in 1978. Dave Caple, 93,started in 1934 and finished in 1976.The eldest, 99-year-old Percy Randall,started in the same year as hiscolleague Bernie and retired in 1971.

The oldest bus at the event was a1914 Tilling Stevens, originallyoperated by Worthing Motor ServicesLtd. The eye-catching bus has a

Worthing celebratesa century of buses

It may be a far cry from the wilds ofKenya, but “City Safari” in Wellington,New Zealand, certainly created a buzzamong 80 enthusiastic competitors.

The orienteering event incorpor-ated hill climbing, cross countrytrekking, map reading and publictransport. It was held in the HuttValley, just north of the capital city, tohelp promote public transport andraise the profile of the sport to a wideraudience.

Event organiser Michael Wood saidhe was pleased with the success of theevent and mentioned that competitorswere very impressed by the services,which all ran on time.

Cityline Hutt Valley Manager BruceKenyon said: “From our point of view,the event was an unqualified success.Participants had a great day and thedrivers also enjoyed being involved.The use of public transport tonegotiate a large area, that was bothchallenging and arduous, alsoprovided a unique twist to a whollyinteresting event.”

Michael Wood is now planning thenext event for Wellington and isconsidering making it a 24-hour affair.

Safari transportopens up thegreat outdoors

These runners lead the way in thesix-hour event.

restored 1908 open-top 43-seat bodyand provided transport for the VIPs;pride of place also went to a 1929Leyland TDI with a brush body.

Andrew Dyer said: “The celebrationwas a great success. More than 2,000people took the opportunity to ride on

the 10 visiting buses from theSouthdown Bus Collection.Stagecoach has invested over £1m innew buses for the Worthing area thisyear and, with further investmentimminent, the future of publictransport in the town is very positive.”

Celebrating history are (from left) Bernie Wingfield, Dave Caple, Cllr Jack and Mrs Lyla Saheid, Christopher Heaps, Andrew Dyer and Percy Randallwith the 1914 Tilling Stevens (left) and one of Stagecoach’s new easy-access Dennis Dart buses.

More than £11,000 has been raised fora cancer charity in a challenge to tacklea gruelling 54-mile walk in just 24hours.

Friends and family of a Stagecoachemployee, whose wife died of breastcancer, took on the challenge to walkpart of the West Highland Way thissummer to raise awareness of cancerand get across the prevention message.

Kevin Bickerstaffe, a Senior Claims

Negotiator at Stagecoach’s PSV ClaimsBureau in Perth, lost wife Pauline tocancer last year at the age of just 42.

Ten walkers took part and theirefforts raised £11,091 for the WorldCancer Research Fund.

Kevin said: “To walk 54 miles in 24hours is a serious challenge toundertake by experienced walkers,never mind people who, six monthsago, were non-walkers. This moneycould not have been raised without theenthusiasm of many volunteers.

“Everyone who took part, both thewalkers and the support team,

volunteered to do this, not for me, butbecause they wanted to in memory ofPauline. I feel sure that she would havebeen very proud of everyone and whatthey have achieved in her memory.”

Kevin said that the fund-raisingwould continue through a charity shopand the sale of donated footballmemorabilia.

Anyone who would like to make adonation to the World Cancer ResearchFund can send cheques, made payableto WCRF 54 Mile Challenge, to KevinBickerstaffe at PSV Claims Bureau Ltd,10 Dunkeld Road, Perth PH1 5TW.

Walkers tackle tough challenge for cancer fund

The walkers line up beforetheir charity trek.

A tale to tell?

Is your Stagecoach department orregion hosting any special celebra-tions? Your On Stage contact islisted on p2.

Ramsgate School pupils who travelby bus were recently presented withcertificates for improved behaviourat a special ceremony in the school.

Stagecoach nominated thepupils, who use Route 266, afterconsultation with drivers whoprovide the service. A third of the550 pupils, aged from 11 to 16, usethe buses. Attending the ceremony,organised by Ramsgate School’sacting headteacher, Mario Citreo,were, from Kent County Council,Julia Seaward, Head of Transport,Michelle Hitch, Mainstream School

Transport Team Leader and StevenNoad, East Kent Transport Plannerfor Schools. Julia Seawardpresented Mario Citreo with acheque for £250 before certificates,acknowledging the improvedconduct on the school buses, werepresented to the pupils.

Tim Pomfret, the StagecoachSchools Liaison Officer for Kent andHastings, who nominated theschool as part of the Safe Travel ToSchool Awards, said that the drivershad noticed a great improvement inpupil behaviour.

He said: “Stagecoach transportsover 1,300 school children in theregion every day, so the importanceof good behaviour and the safe useof bus transport is crucial. We wereimpressed with the efforts shown bythe Ramsgate School pupils to maketheir journey to and from schoolmore pleasant.”

Stagecoach was also presentedwith an award for the coach withthe best-improved pupils.

Last year, the best-improvedbehaviour awards went to the St.Edmunds Catholic School in Dover.

Ramsgate pupils gain improved bus behaviour award

Ramsgate certificate winners with (from centre) Julia Seaward and Mario Citreo andMichelle Hitch with Tim Pomfret.

11Autumn 2004

PEOPLE

Stagecoach’s Herne Bay depot bade a fond farewellto Dick Brooker who has retired after 46 years.

As Engineering Manager, Dick headed up a teamof 27 at Herne Bay. He had started as an apprenticebus engineer with Maidstone and District MotorServices Limited in 1958.

As well as a watch, his colleagues presented himwith an album of photos showing the manydifferent bus makes he has worked on over theyears, including a 1950 Leyland Tiger.

During his retirement, Dick will remain avolunteer driver of a Stagecoach bus used byDemelza House Children’s Hospice for fundraisingroadshows. He also intends to improve his golfhandicap, spend more time gardening and see moreof his grandchildren.

Stagecoach North Eastrecently presented

long service awards toemployees in theBusways and TransitDivisions.

The Transit long service awardswere made at an event held atCrathorne Hall Hotel, attended bythe 13 recipients, who had clockedup a total of 375 years’ servicebetween them. They were:

40 years – Geoffrey Hillier(Hartlepool)

35 years – Malcolm Bell(Hartlepool)

30 years – John Bacon(Stockton), Amrik Singh Bains(Darlington), Paul de Santis (HeadOffice), Alfred James Morgan(Stockton) and Leslie Rees(Stockton)

25 years – John Bell (Stockton),Gillian Belton (Stockton), Ian Clark(Hartlepool), John William Lax(Stockton), Barry Michael Price(Darlington) and Kenneth WilliamStirland (Stockton).

Meanwhile, at the MarriottGosforth Park Hotel, long serviceawards were presented to 22Busways employees with a total of590 years’ service between them.They were:

30 years – Robert Alan Burn(Sunderland), Gary Davison(Slatyford), Barry Edward(Slatyford), William George Howey(Slatyford), Brian Hudson (SouthShields), Brian Reed (Walkergate),

Awards honourlong service staff

Rob Clarke has taken up the post ofEngineering Manager, overseeing28 employees, at Stagecoach’sThanet depot.

His engineering career started20 years ago when he gained anapprenticeship with GreaterManchester Transport. He thenmoved on to work on commercialvehicles for Hadfield Transport inManchester and was latterlyTechnical Services Manager for Lex

Transfleet in Coventry.He said: “It’s great to be back in

the bus industry and, despite theyears away, it still feels like home.The technology has changed butthe pressures on the engineeringteam are still the same: to ensurethat the fleet is maintained toschedule.”

Thanet depot is one of thelargest in East Kent, with more than140 personnel, including adminis-tration, engineering and drivers.The dedicated team ensures thatimportant commuter routes areoperated effectively daily using afleet of 56 buses.

Dick callsit a day after 46years’service

Rob takes engineeringpole position at Thanet

Dick Brookerwith his watchand photo album.

The Transit Division people with their long service certificates.

Employees in the Busways Division show off their awards.

Derek Scott, who has been Company Secretary withStagecoach since 1996, stood down from the postfollowing the Group’s 2004 Annual General Meeting.

A former Finance Director with Stagecoach,Derek has had a long association with the company.

Stagecoach Group Chairman Robert Speirs said:“On behalf of the company and shareholders, Iwould like to thank Derek for his excellent serviceover the years.

“I am pleased that we will not be losing Derek’sexperience entirely and he will continue to focus onpensions matters, including his role as the Chairmanof the Stagecoach Group Pension Scheme trustees.”

Ross Paterson, the Group Financial Controller,who has been with Stagecoach for almost five years,will take on the additional role of CompanySecretary.

Derek Scott with Stagecoach foundersBrian Souter and Ann Gloag.

Company secretarysteps down

Back to buses: Rob Clarke, the new EngineeringManager at Stagecoach’s Thanet depot.

It is with great regret that we announce the death ofPeter Mann, who passed away on Saturday, 4September, at Forest Hill Nursing Home in Worksop.

Peter worked for many years as a driver atWorksop. After leaving the company for a time, heworked as a driver on his return and, more recently,joined the NVQ team.

He will be sadly missed.

Peter Mann

Joseph Robins (Sunderland) and BrianSleightholme (South Shields)

25 years – Desmond Addison(Sunderland), Edward Gregory Barber(Sunderland), Martin Buckell (Slatyford),Kenneth W Cooper (Slatyford), Peter John

Dodd (Walkergate), Kenneth Hawman(Walkergate), Brian Jannikos (Slatyford), NeilMcLeary (Sunderland), Kenneth Munns(Walkergate), Kevin Rogan (Slatyford), AdrianSaddington (Sunderland), Thomas Shoesmith(Walkergate), Brian Stonely (Sunderland) andIan Wrightson (Sunderland).

12 Autumn 2004

Stagecoach employees arebeing encouraged to play

a part in improving roadsafety in their communitiesas part of a majornationwide programmenext month.

Road Safety Week – which runsfrom 8-14 November – will focuson the dangers of drink-drivingand promote a range of safetymessages through the media.

And national road safety charityBrake is calling on people acrossthe country to think about howthese issues affect our localcommunities and take steps totackle the problem.

Every day, nine people arekilled and 10 times as many areseriously injured on Britain's roads.

Official statistics show thatdrink-drive deaths are, alarmingly,on the rise in the UK, and theworst offenders are young men.

Brake was set up with the aimof preventing road crashes througheducation, and relieving thesuffering of bereaved and seriouslyinjured road crash victims throughsupport services.

Its work includes:• A helpline and support

literature for road crashvictims (office hours only –telephone 01484 421611)

• An information service foremployers about fleet safety

• Research into driverbehaviour and publicattitudes to road safety

• Educational resources, par-ticularly for drivers,employers and families

• Campaigning in Governmentand Parliament for road safetypolicies.

Road Safety Week is thecharity’s flagship campaign but itorganises a range of initiatives to

Helping make ourcommunities safer

• Belt Up – front and back and ensure children arecorrectly restrained

• Slow Up – abide by limits and only overtake if totallysafe

• Wake Up – never drive tired and take breaks every twohours on long journeys

• Sober Up – 'just say no' to alcohol and drugs if driving • Look Up – look out for people on bikes, horses and foot • Wise Up – if it's night, bright, or bad weather, go slower • Buck Up – calm yourself before driving if stressed, angry

or excited • Move Up – adjust head restraints to no lower than the

top of your head to help prevent whiplash • Sharpen Up – wear glasses or lenses if you need them • Shut Up – switch your phone to voicemail • Back Up – from the vehicle in front – it's your braking

space in a crisis • Check Up – check brakes, tyres, lights, mirrors and

windows.

Guide to safer driving

stimulate community involvement inpromoting road safety awareness all yearround.

Brake is encouraging all drivers to signup to a 12-point plan (see Guide to saferdriving panel) that can help them stay safeon the roads.

• Don't drink and drive. Even a small amount of alcoholaffects your reactions. Stick to soft drinks if you areplanning to drive

• If you're going out and plan to drink, then book a taxi,use public transport or stay overnight

• If you're going out with a group, pick a 'designateddriver' to get everyone home and make sure this persondoesn't have anything to drink – never buy a drink forsomeone who is planning to drive

• Never drive if there's even a slim chance you are still'under the influence'. If you finish drinking your sixth pintof average strength lager at 11pm, you won't be totallysober until at least 11am the next day, and it could takemuch longer. It takes at least two hours for every averagestrength pint of beer to leave your system, and you can'tstart counting the hours until you have finished your lastdrink

• Don't drink the night before if you know you've got anearly start, and don't drink at lunchtime if you're drivingthat afternoon or evening

• Drinking coffee, sleeping, or having a shower don't work– only time. So count the hours and use this as aminimum guide to the amount of time you have to leavebefore you are sober.

Alcohol: advice for drivers

Picture courtesy of Brake.

Safety for all road users, young and old, is a key part of the national campaign.

Gray Line New York Sightseeing wason hand to make sure more than 300UK police officers were able to getabout during the September 11 com-memoration.

The officers travelled to the BigApple at their own expense to paytheir respects and raise money for thefamilies of their fellow New York Cityofficers lost in the attack.

A double-decker bus was providedso that the officers, who also attendedthe dedication ceremony of the BritishMemorial Garden, could travel fromTimes Square to Hanover Square in fulluniform.

The British Memorial Garden Trustreceived final approval for the creationof the garden, which will celebrate the

historic ties linking America and Britainwhile honouring the 67 British victimsof the World Trade Center attacks.

The British visitors were alsoescorted by Coach USA ChiefOperating Officer Roger Bowker andGray Line New York SightseeingPresident Tom Lewis.

This is the third UK trip to beorganised by non-profit organisationProtect the Protectors.

Tom said: “It’s a tremendoushonour to have the ‘bobbies’ here onceagain in New York City.

“We are glad to be able toparticipate in such an importantdedication and will continue to providesupport to these officers in any way wecan.” Representatives of Coach USA, Protect the Protectors and Gray Line New York Sightseeing pictured with the ‘bobbies’ in New York.

Support for commemoration

The charity is also urging employees toraise funds to help its work, from dressdown days to sponsored bike rides orwalks and raffles at community events.

Mary Williams, Chief Executive ofBrake, said: “Road Safety Week is a greatopportunity to find out how you and yourfamily can stay safe on the roads. We lookforward to working with Stagecoach in thefuture to support better road safety for allour communities.”

• Further information on Road SafetyWeek is available at www.roadsafety-week.org.uk. The Brake website,which contains information and advice,is www.brake.org.uk.