04/04/2005

Megabus.com, the UK's market-leading low-cost inter-city bus service, announced today (4 April 2005) that it is adding reservations by phone to its web-based booking system.

From today, customers will be able to call the megabus.com booking hotline on 0900 160 0900 to reserve their seats.

The move, which comes as a £6.5million fleet of 25 new luxury double-decker coaches is introduced on the megabus.com network, is expected to attract thousands of new customers.

Nearly 2 million passengers have travelled on Stagecoach's megabus.com service - which offers travel from £1 per seat to 30 cities across the UK - and more than 15,000 visits are made to the secure e-commerce website every day.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “Our new booking hotline means that even customers without their own PC or who can't access the web can get our fantastic value fares.

“Coming on the back of our investment in a new fleet of luxury double-decker coaches, customers are getting an unbeatable package: simple booking, first-class service and the widest range of best value fares money can buy.

“We believe the new phone line will open up a new base of customers who are attracted to megabus.com, which is continuing to grow at an amazing rate.”

The megabus.com booking hotline - which will be open from 8.00am to 9.00pm every day of the year - will be run by specialist travel hotline operator Journeycall from a new base in Laurencekirk in Scotland.

Journeycall, which has added new staff to its business and taken office space at the Laurencekirk Business Park to manage the major contract, expects to handle upwards of 500 calls a day on the megabus.com hotline by the summer.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel 01738 642040 or mobile 07764 774680.

Notes to Editors:

megabus.com operates on the following routes across the UK:

• Aberdeen-Dundee-Perth-Edinburgh
• Aberdeen-Dundee-Perth-Glasgow-Manchester-London
• Birmingham-London
• Bournemouth-London
• Brighton-London
• Bristol-London
• Cheltenham-Gloucester-Swindon-London
• Edinburgh-Glasgow (in association with Motorvator)
• Inverness-Perth-Edinburgh
• Inverness-Perth-Glasgow-Manchester-London
• Leeds-Sheffield-Chesterfield-London
• Leicester-Milton Keynes-London
• Liverpool-London
• Newcastle-Leeds-London
• Oxford-London (in association with Oxford Tube)
• Plymouth-Exeter-London
• Portsmouth-London
• Southampton-London
• Swansea-Cardiff-London

Customers ringing the megabus.com booking hotline 0900 160 0900 will be charged 60p per minute. Calls are expected to last 3 minutes, with customers paying an average of £1.80 in addition to the price of the ticket.