01/08/2005

• New order boosts service for passengers with disabilities
• Total vehicle investment for 2005-06 now hits nearly £60m

Stagecoach has given a major boost to people with disabilities with a £3.5 million investment in a fleet of new accessible coaches.

The Perth-based transport giant has placed an order with bus manufacturer Plaxton for 25 Profile coaches, which provide easy access for wheelchair passengers through the main entrance.

Following orders for more than 500 vehicles placed with a number of manufacturers earlier this year, this brings the total Stagecoach investment in new buses in the UK for 2005-06 to just under £60 million.

Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said the new vehicles would be introduced on the company’s inter-urban express services in the UK.

“Accessibility is an important factor in providing attractive public transport services. As far as possible within the resources we have available, we are committed to making it easier for people to use our buses and coaches,” he said.

"We are investing millions of pounds every year on new vehicles as part of our programme to make all our buses in the UK fully accessible. These new vehicles are the best solution in the market in terms of providing wheelchair access on coaches.”

The Profile coaches, based on Volvo B7R chassis, incorporate a wheelchair lift in the entrance which folds out of the way when not in use. Designed to be easily operated by the driver, it gives access to a space alongside the entrance where there are secure fixings to hold the wheelchair and its user safely in position.

Plaxton Sales Director Kevin Wood said: “In developing this innovative solution to carrying wheelchair passengers, we were mindful of the need to make boarding and alighting as easy as possible, and to provide a vehicle which could be used with existing roadside and bus station infrastructure. This is our second substantial order for our new accessible Profile, and I’m delighted to be supplying 25 to Stagecoach.”

The new coaches are scheduled for delivery between November 2005 and February 2006. They follow a batch of conventional B7R Profiles, which joined the Stagecoach fleet at the start of the year and were used to upgrade services in north-east Scotland.

ENDS

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