Press Release

STAGECOACH INVESTS £1m IN NEW BUSES FOR SHEFFIELD

4 July 2006

Stagecoach announced today it is investing £1 million in new state-of-the-art low-floor buses for its growing bus operations in Sheffield.

A fleet of 10 new Alexander Dennis Dart Pointer single-decker buses will go into service in the city from 30 July 2006.

The vehicles will be introduced on the 88 (High Green - Sheffield - Bents Green) services, which run every 10 minutes during the day and where passengers already benefit from a promotional 50p maximum single fare.

It is the latest improvement to travel options for people in Sheffield since Stagecoach introduced a new integrated bus and tram network for the city last month. Less than a month after the new network was introduced, sales of Stagecoach’s weekly Megarider tickets – which are valid for both bus and tram services – jumped by nearly 80%.

Stagecoach Managing Director Paul Lynch said: “We promised that we would continue with our programme of delivering higher quality and better value bus services to people in Sheffield and this new investment is evidence of our commitment to the city.

“These new vehicles will provide increased comfort for passengers, better accessibility for people with disabilities and improved environmental performance. We are confident they will help attract even more people to the benefits of public transport and we are planning further improvements in the months ahead.”

Stagecoach introduced a package of improved services on 2 May 2006. Buses now run every 10 minutes on 7 corridors into the city centre during the week offering a “turn-up-and-go” package of services to customers and fares up to 40% cheaper than those charged by First, the dominant operator in the city.

Earlier this month, Stagecoach introduced a special offer £5 weekly ticket giving unlimited travel on Stagecoach’s Service 120 (Halfway-City Centre-Fulwood).  Figures show that the number of passengers using Service 120 has shot up by 66% year on year as people respond positively to the new network.

Passengers on the 83 (Ecclesfield - Parson Cross - Sheffield City Centre) service, which operates every 10 minutes during the day, also have access to a promotional 50p maximum single fare.

The improvements follow the acquisition by Stagecoach Group in December 2005 of Traction Group, which includes Yorkshire Terrier services.