Issue 90 | March 2012 onThe newsletter stage of Stagecoach Group megabus.com goes Continental All aboard the BUDGET coach operator megabus. com is now offering fares from £1 for Panda Express travel from the UK to key locations in Continental Europe. As part of the expansion, the market- Special service to visit zoo’s new superstars leading company will serve locations in STAGECOACH has launched a ‘Panda France, Belgium and the Netherlands and has Express’ to help the thousands of visitors invested £2.5m in a fleet of 10 new coaches, flocking toE dinburgh Zoo to see its equipped with free wi-fi and toilets, to offer latest stars, giant pandas Sweetie and new routes linking Paris, Boulogne, Brussels Sunshine. and Amsterdam. There will be one return service a day from megabus.com will offer three routes on its locations across West and North East Scotland, new European network: allowing passengers to arrive at the zoo in the Birmingham-Coventry-London-Boulogne- morning and enjoy a day out before returning Paris, Leicester-Milton Keynes-London- home in the afternoon. Brussels-Amsterdam and Paris-Brussels- Passengers travelling with the Panda Express Amsterdam. during the week have the added bonus of a Sir Brian Souter, Chief Executive of pre-arranged panda slot and discounted zoo Sir Brian Souter launches the Panda Express. Stagecoach Group, said: “Whether you are a entry included with their bus ticket, saving student heading off back-packing, a family £4.50 on the standard adult entry price. Visitors the Panda Express will help families from across looking for a low-cost holiday, or a tourist travelling at weekends or on school holidays Scotland have a great, stress-free day out and looking to see some of Europe’s great cities, must pre-book their panda viewing slot and are save money at the same time.” fares from just £1 mean megabus.com offers charged the standard zoo admission price. Sharon Simpson, head of marketing for unbeatable value.” Launching the service, Stagecoach Group Edinburgh Zoo, said: “The pandas have proved Chief Executive Sir Brian Souter said: phenomenally popular so far and we are “Thousands of Scots are beating a path to see delighted to partner with Stagecoach to provide Last chance to the giant pandas. They have certainly become this service, making it even easier for people nominate your superstars of the animal world and the country from across Scotland to visit these amazing champion has really taken them to their heart. We hope animals in real life.” TIME is running out The winning ticket to nominate your 2012 TWELVE lucky Stagecoach bus Stagecoach Champion. drivers have driven off with a £38 million We are on the look-out for champions in cheque after scooping the Euromillions the following categories: safety, environment, jackpot. The drivers, from Corby depot, community, health, customer service and each received just over £3.1 million after innovation. matching all seven numbers in the draw. Employees from across the Group’s businesses Stagecoach is delighted for all 12 drivers in the UK and North America are invited and wishes them all the best. to nominate colleagues who they believe are making a real difference in any of these areas. Eleven of the winning drivers celebrate The awards are judged by a panel which receiving their Euromillions cheque. includes Helen Mahy, Chair of the Group’s Health, Safety and Environment Committee. Stagecoach named company of the year Gold, silver and bronze awards are presented for each category and shortlisted entrants STAGECOACH has been named shortlisted in the Green Business of the Year receive a trophy and a cash prize. Company of the Year at the 2012 Scottish category, which was won by Argent Energy. To nominate your champion, simply Business Awards. Sir Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group download a nomination form from the Some 90 companies were shortlisted across 12 Chief Executive, said: “This is a tremendous FAQ section, under ‘Media’, at www. categories in Scotland’s biggest cross-industry achievement and a tribute to the commitment of stagecoach.com. Email the completed form to awards programme. our employees right across the business. [email protected] or post it Awards recognised entrepreneurship, innovation, “We have always believed in growing our to Lindsay Reid, Corporate Communications business growth, new product development, business sustainably, developing new ideas and Manager, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld marketing, social business, corporate social sharing our success with local communities. More Road, Perth, PH1 5TW. Nominations for responsibility, green business and customer focus. than 2.5 million customers rely on our greener, the 2012 Stagecoach Champions awards The judges said Stagecoach Group had shown smarter, and better value transport services close on Friday 30 March 2012. “outstanding overall strength” across all the every day and we have a strong track-record of awards criteria. The Perth-based group was also delivering good returns for our investors.” 1 uk bus on stage You what?! Better value bus fares (Overheard on a bus in Sydney, Australia.) STAGECOACH has again been value major bus operator. One school girl to another: confirmed as Britain’s best value bus Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Sir “No it has to be a year 8 operator, according to new independent Brian Souter said: “We are leading the way in girl - Miss Coughlin research by transport specialists TAS who providing good-value, high-quality travel and was very pacific about found weekly bus travel with Stagecoach making sure the bus is an affordable transport that.” is on average 17.5% cheaper than other option, particularly for people who are less well bus operators. off .” Can you beat that? Stagecoach’s average weekly ticket price of The TAS 2011 survey also found that Send your weird and £13.27 – the lowest in the survey – was nearly Stagecoach has: wonderful overheard £3 cheaper than the £16.09 average for other • Six out of seven of the lowest single fares in comments to operators. TAS also found Stagecoach was up to the sample lindsay.reid@ 20% cheaper than other operators for weekly • Half of the 12 lowest day ticket prices stagecoachgroup. travel. • Seven out of 11 of the lowest weekly ticket com TAS analysed nearly 1,100 fares across prices different regions, area types and operators for • The lowest average urban and non-urban its National Fares Survey 2011. The research single fares of the other major UK bus covered Stagecoach, First, Go Ahead, Veolia groups – Arriva, First, Go Ahead and Transdev, National Express, Arriva, independent National Express – and also lower than Veolia James is a operators, and municipal bus companies. Transdev record breaker The last TAS National Fares Survey, published • Lower than inflation fare increases over the in 2009, also found Stagecoach was the best last two years. AT just 25 years old, Cheltenham bus driver James Heaney now holds the UK record of being the youngest Fergus gets his person to travel solo around the world birthday wish on a motorcycle, after completing an epic 25,000 mile trip. STAGECOACH and Winchester His four-month City Council joined forces to arrange journey took him a birthday surprise for Fergus from Europe to Thomson. Fergus and his friends Japan, to America began his 5th birthday celebrations to Kazakhstan and on board one of his favourite “big raised more than green” buses, which took him and £1700 for the his 14 friends into the city centre to Fergus takes to the wheel charity War Child. enjoy a birthday lunch. of his birthday bus. James said “I bought my first bike when I was New buses for local communities 23. I was knocked off after only five James Heaney. STAGECOACH recently announced it which will run on Stagecoach Group’s growing weeks and I was is to invest around £60 million in 390 new megabus.com budget coach operations in the absolutely terrified to get back on two greener vehicles for local communities UK. wheels so I started planning this trip as a across the UK. Les Warneford, Managing Director of way to face my fear. If you’re going to do The first of the new vehicles will be delivered Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “This latest multi- something, do it in style!” from May 2012. All of the new vehicles meet the million-pound investment is part of our He is now thinking about his next latest Euro 5 emissions standards, further driving commitment to give local communities high- challenge, adding: “I’d like to do the up the quality of bus travel for local people in quality, good value bus travel. With sky-high fuel Pan-American Highway, from Alaska to Scotland, England and Wales. prices and the increasing cost of running a car, it Argentina, or travel around the entire coast Included in the fleet are the UK’s first orders makes more sense than ever to switch to greener, of the British Isles – if work will give me for new 15m state-of-the-art interdeck coaches, smarter bus travel.” the time off that is!” Mega monkey business STAGECOACH South has launched a new Mega Monkey free discount card Super first-aiders designed to encourage more people to use bus travel to get to a variety of leisure STAGECOACH Bluebird staff at venues in the Portsmouth area. Elgin bus station turned first aiders Andrew Dyer, Managing Director, said: “We recently as they jumped to the assistance are pleased that so many venues have already of a customer who suffered a heart supported the scheme and we are now looking attack, taking good care of her until an for more. We hope that everyone will benefit ambulance arrived.