The newsletter of Stagecoach Group Issue 118 | November 2016 STAGE ON page 2 page 6 INSIDE UK Bus Awards | mega summer fun! Your 2016 Stagecoach Find out more about our champions Champions on pages 3,4 and 5 Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery and Transport Minister Andrew Jones at the launch in Oxford. Delivering contactless bus travel across the UK STAGECOACH has announced it will deliver contactless bus travel on all of its regional bus services across the UK by the end of 2018. The £12-million initiative will allow passengers to pay for their travel with a contactless credit or The 2016 Stagecoach Champions debit card, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay. It will be the first major deployment of STAGECOACH has paid tribute to employees from level of entries, with more than 2,200 nominations contactless technology on Britain’s buses outside across the Group at its annual Champions Awards. submitted. London and will benefit customers from major Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths The awards – now in their seventh year – recognise urban areas to rural and island communities said: “We have a fantastic team of almost 40,000 excellence over six areas including Safety, Health, such as Norfolk in England, Orkney in Scotland employees across Stagecoach and our Champions Community, Customer Service, Environment and and Brecon in Wales. Awards are about celebrating those who have Innovation. Stagecoach launched the first stage of the delivered above and beyond expectations over the Winners at the 2016 event represented the company’s major project with contactless now live on all of past year. bus and rail businesses in the UK and North America. Stagecoach’s 180 buses in Oxfordshire. It covers “From the UK to North America, from bus to rail, and All received a trophy, cash prize and a two night stay in Oxford City services, commuter routes into from background teams to frontline workers, we are London for the award ceremony. Oxford and Oxford Tube express services which delighted to have honoured the exceptional people The event was also attended by TV personality Ferne run to and from London 24 hours a day. who make a real difference to our business and to our McCann, who presented winners with their awards. The facility will be rolled out to Ashford in Kent customers every day. Earlier this year, Ferne successfully obtained her bus and Tyne and Wear by the end of this year with “I would like to offer huge congratulations to all driving licence after training with Stagecoach London Greater Manchester following in January 2017, of our champions and say thanks to them for the as part of a recruitment project to encourage more covering a further 1,300 buses and benefitting part they play in delivering high-quality services to female bus drivers. hundreds of thousands of bus passengers. By our passengers. I would also like to thank all those Around 150 Stagecoach employees have been the end of 2018, the state-of-the-art technology recognised through the Champions Awards over the employees and customers who took the time to past seven years and this year there was a record nominate.” Continued on page 5 megabus.com is in the pink MEGABUS.COM US has forged a partnership to Also, for every use of the hashtag help raise awareness and funds for the Breast #megabusGoesPink on social media, the company Cancer Research Foundation. donated $1 to the Foundation. The BCRF has just The company wrapped a bus in a special announced a $57 million commitment to breast megabus.com staff awareness-raising vinyl, and agreed that, for cancer research going into 2017, which will aid with the special every ticket sold on October 18, megabus.com more than 250 scientists at leading academic and pink vehicle. donated $1 to the Foundation. medical institutions in 14 countries. 1 Did you know? South West Trains has donated 2,500 unclaimed pairs of glasses to eyecare charity Vision Aid Overseas. ON STAGE n Gleneagles gathering Stagecoach’s winning ways A GROUP of n Stagecoach’s Company scoops Top National Depot and Top London Depot awards emerging n London driver named ROSCO Safe Driver of the Year managers from n Two Stagecoach companies recognised with awards for overcoming adversity across the company’s bus The emerging managers STAGECOACH Group was once again among the There were also awards for Stagecoach East Scotland at Gleneagles. and rail divisions winners at the 2016 UK Bus Awards – the 21st annual and Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire gathered at Gleneagles recently for a conference. awards ceremony, held in London. in the Overcoming Adversity category. The East Those attending also had a meal with the The company was recognised in categories covering Scotland team was recognised for its role in keeping Stagecoach Group Board and attended the safety, depot operations, overcoming adversity, unsung passengers moving during the closure of the Forth Group’s AGM the following day. heroes and marketing excellence. Road Bridge last December. Stagecoach Cumbria and Stagecoach East Scotland’s St Andrews depot was North Lancashire was praised for delivering a special named Top National Bus Depot at the service to connect the north and south n event. Judges said the depot’s “efficient Lakes following storm damage. Virgin Trains’ page turner operations are a testament to the In the Unsung Heroes category, there was THE ONE and only, award-winning children’s professionalism of the staff and high a Special Commendation for Stagecoach author and comedian, David Baddiel hopped levels of morale” and recognised the East Customer Liaison and Revenue onboard (literally) as Virgin Trains’ ‘Summer excellent team spirit. In the same category, the silver Protection Officer Joe Somers, while Stagecoach Author’ to help capture precious customer stories award went to Stagecoach East’s Fenstanton depot. South won the silver award in the Marketing Initiative and immortalise them into a new book exclusively Stagecoach London’s Leyton garage scooped the Top of the Year category for its King’s City network for the company’s BEAM entertainment system. London Depot award. London driver Ray Clements relaunch. David went up and down both the West Coast won the Road Operators Safety Council (ROSCO) Stagecoach East Scotland won bronze in the Award and East Coast routes this summer, chatting and 2016 Safe Driving Award and was described as for Sustained Marketing Excellence, for its Express City listening to customers. Train managers, drivers a model employee who has received numerous Connect network and the Aberdeenshire Grasshopper and onboard staff also gave him some insight into commendations, has never had any complaints Multi-Operator ticketing scheme. the stories they unearth when interacting with against him and who displays exemplary attendance Stagecoach Group had 12 finalists at this year’s customers. and a strong work ethic. awards. So after criss-crossing the country and soaking up summer excitement, David wrote ‘The Girl Who Had Never Been On A Train’ which is now Former Record breakers Manchester available on BEAM, and it tells the story of MD Christopher Chrissie – a little girl who loves trains but has STAGECOACH Manchester and Prevent Breast Bowles (second never actually been on a real one. Cancer have set a Guinness World Record for the right) holds the world’s biggest tutu to raise awareness of the certificate with charity’s ‘Take on the Tutu’ campaign. Lester Barr, Sofia Stagecoach linked up with its charity of the year, Greenacre and n Gordon Burns. Fearless Foxes train Prevent Breast Cancer, to publicise the fight against named the disease by dressing one of its double decker photos alongside the unique dress. buses in a 26-metre-long tutu at Manchester’s Former Stagecoach Manchester Managing Director The Fearless Foxes Piccadilly Gardens. Christopher Bowles said: “We decided to create train is born. The record-breaking tutu, which was designed by something unique to capture the imagination of local custom clothing manufacturer Fight Label, beat people and to get them thinking about how they can the previous best by 23 metres and caught the help the fight against a disease which affects too imagination of passers-by, with many stopping for many people.” LEICESTER City FC Manager Claudio Ranieri and player Wes Morgan teamed up with Eddie Cocker, Area Station Manager for East Midlands Trains, Oor Wullie’s to launch a train named in honour of the Premier League Champions. big move ‘The Fearless Foxes’ now proudly sits on the side THERE were “Jings”, “Crivens” and “Help ma boabs” of one of East Midlands Trains’ High Speed Trains, a-plenty at head office as a surprise guest arrived which is used for services across the East Midlands on a bus! to London. Stagecoach made the successful bid for the ‘Biscuit Andrew Conroy, Customer Experience Director for Break’ Oor Wullie at a recent charity auction which East Midlands Trains, said: “Our connection to the raised over £883,000 for the Archie Foundation local communities we serve is very important and so Tayside Appeal for a new Children’s Theatre Suite at we were very keen to recognise this by naming one Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. of our trains ‘The Fearless Foxes’ after the amazing Head office staff have been given the chance to Premier League winning team, Leicester City.” enjoy Wullie for a while before he heads out on the The story of Wullie’s journey to Perth. road again, possibly to another new home. 2 Supporting the Poppy Appeal... Find out more on P5. ON STAGE The Stagecoach stars of 2016 The 2016 Stagecoach Champions are as follows: SAFETY CHAMPION ENVIRONMENT CHAMPION HEALTH CHAMPION GOLD: Ricardo Clarke, Rail Community Officer, GOLD: James Dolling, Flagship Station Manager, GOLD: Ruth White, Accounts Assistant, Chicago Clapham Junction, South West Trains Clapham Junction, South West Trains Trolley and Double Decker Company, Coach USA Gold Safety Gold Health Champion Champion Ruth Ricardo White’s award Clarke with was collected Stagecoach by megabus.