30/06/2005

• Operator runs 11 of the Top 15 fastest growing networks in the UK
• Innovation, partnerships, marketing and investment drive growth
• Exeter, Oxford and Cwmbran top new national league table

Stagecoach runs 11 of the top 15 fastest growing bus networks in the UK, according to new industry figures released today (30 June 2005).

New independently-audited research compiled by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK shows that Stagecoach’s investment in improved services is seeing a massive return of passengers to the nation’s buses.

The fastest growing bus network in the UK, the Stagecoach-operated Exeter Park and Ride, has seen passenger volumes jump 34% in just 12 months.

Stagecoach, which operates 7,000 buses in the UK, also runs the second and third fastest growing networks – BrookesBus in Oxford (24% growth in 2004, compared to the same period in 2003) and the Cwmbran town network (20% growth).

Bus networks operated by Stagecoach in Bedford (+16%), Peterborough (+13%), rural Exeter (+13%), Basingstoke (+13%), Lancaster and Morecambe (+12%), the City of Exeter (+12%), Devon (+ 8%) and Cambridge (+8%), also feature in the Top 15 list.

Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “These results demonstrate very clearly that our innovation, strong marketing and investment in our people and our services is attracting massive numbers of people back to public transport.

“Our strong partnerships with local authorities and other important stakeholders has delivered massive passenger growth rights across the country, from the North West and Wales to the South East and South West.

“We are already working on new innovative plans, including the use of optical guidance systems, to get even more people in Britain back on the bus.”

The new figures are included in CPT’s new edition of On the Move, published today, which shows the continuing investment by bus operators to attract more people to public transport.

On the Move 2005 also shows that:

• Stagecoach operates nearly one third of the Top 50 fastest growing individual bus routes in England and Wales.
• The Stagecoach-operated 192 service in Manchester carries a massive 8.5million passengers a year, one of the most popular individual bus routes in the country

Stagecoach has launched a range of initiatives in the past few years to attract people back to bus travel. The Government has adopted the company’s Kickstart initiative to develop better bus services and some Stagecoach schemes have achieved year-on-year growth of up to 35% in just six months.

A new telemarketing unit has been set up at the company’s headquarters in Perth and a £250,000 two-year UK-wide campaign has been launched to sell bus travel to motorists and current non-bus users.

Stagecoach’s low-cost inter-city travel service, megabus.com, has grown further in the past year, carrying around 1.3 million passengers and expanding to cover more than 30 cities across the UK.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680.

Note to Editors:

FASTEST GROWING BUS NETWORKS*

* All data has been independently audited by the TAS Partnership, the UK’s leading specialist public transport consultancy, and ranked to identify those with the highest level of growth. Passenger growth is ranked by percentage increase by comparing 2004 patronage data with the same period in 2003. The figure is based on a minimum of 13 weeks data, which has been converted into an annual figure based on universal commonalities.