Stagecoach companies recognised at UK Bus Awards

Transport operator Stagecoach has seen its bus and coach companies recognised at the 2012 UK Bus Awards.

The megabus.com overnight sleeper coach scooped the Innovation Award at the London ceremony, while Stagecoach’s role in the Olympic and Paralympic Games was also praised.

The sleeper coach, which is operated through the Scottish Citylink joint venture between Stagecoach and international transport group ComfortDelGro, was launched in October 2011 and offers fares between £1 and £40*. It provides a direct, non-stop service between the two cities and offers passengers a bunk bed as well as a seat for their journey.

The sleeper coaches, which operate one journey in each direction every night, have been specially converted to provide 24 berths and 24 seats. Customers also benefit from free wi-if, as well as a duvet and pillow and refreshments during their journey. The service has proved popular among passengers, and has operated at 95% capacity since it was launched.

Stagecoach played a crucial role in delivering transport during this year’s London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thousands of Stagecoach drivers and support staff helped provide transport for athletes and media throughout the Games after the transport operator was selected by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to deliver one of the largest transport contracts for the event.

At the UK Bus Awards yesterday (Tuesday 20 November), Stagecoach was among the Olympic and Paralympic transport suppliers to be recognised with a special award for contributing to the success of the Games by delivering a successful transport operation.

Also at the 17th annual awards ceremony, Stagecoach East Midlands was named Runner Up in the Environment category, in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council, for the innovative Lincoln BioBuses project which resulted in a fleet of 11 vehicles running on biomethane gas produced from household rubbish and animal waste.

Stagecoach Manchester finished Runner Up in the Top City Operator Award, while Stagecoach Manchester Marketing Assistant Andrew Howard-Smith was recognised in the Unsung Heroes Award, after being praised for being “reliable, adaptable, loyal and trustworthy”.

And Stagecoach Oxford – in partnership with Oxford County Council and Oxford Bus Company – was named Runner Up in the Innovation category for the introduction of the SmartZone in Oxford, a multi-operator smart ticketing scheme.

Stagecoach UK Bus Deputy Managing Director Robert Montgomery said: “It was a great honour to be involved in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games – our staff worked very hard to deliver a high-quality transport operation and we’re pleased that their commitment has been recognised in this way.

“It’s also very pleasing to see the sleeper coach winning such a high-profile award. The service has been a hit with passengers and we look forward to expanding it in the future. I would also like to congratulate all of our finalists for the excellent job they do.”

The other Stagecoach finalists shortlisted for awards were as follows:

• Scottish Citylink, Express Service Network (Top Express Operation)
• Stagecoach East Scotland, Express City Connect (Top Express Operation)
• Stagecoach Sheffield (Top City Operator)
• Stagecoach South West (Top Shire Operator)
• Stagecoach South West, Green Champions (Environment)
• Stagecoach East, The Busway (Making Buses a Better Choice)
• Ian Fraser, Stagecoach East Scotland (Top National Bus Driver)
• Mike Butt, Stagecoach West (Engineer of the Year)
• Barking Garage, Stagecoach London (London Bus Garage of the Year)
• Peter Varley, Stagecoach London (Top London Bus Driver)

For further information on Stagecoach UK Bus visit www.stagecoachbus.com

* All megabus.com reservations are subject to a 50p booking fee