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ON STAGE The newsletter of Stagecoach Group INSIDE 1 New payment options for millions of Stagecoach customers MILLIONS of Stagecoach passengers are benefitting from new payment methods to make bus travel even easier. Seven Stagecoach companies – with a combined fleet of more than 3,000 buses and 360million customer journeys a year – now offer customers the convenient payment technology. The £12million programme, which was launched last October, allows passengers to pay for their travel with a contactless credit or debit card, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay. In addition, Stagecoach recently announced the addition of Apple Pay and Android Pay through the Stagecoach Bus smartphone app across all of its regional companies. Contactless payments are already available at Stagecoach Manchester & Wigan, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire, Stagecoach North East, Stagecoach Oxfordshire, Stagecoach South East, Stagecoach South and Stagecoach Yorkshire. The Stagecoach Bus app – which was launched last year and has been downloaded by hundreds of thousands of passengers – enables people to buy and download day and weekly bus tickets straight to their mobile phone. Payments via the app can also Sweet treat Issue 123 | September 2017 Travelling in style page 2 | Catch the Bus Week plane page 3 be made by PayPal or via debit or credit card. The app also provides customers with journey planning, next-stop information and live bus tracking to make their journeys even smoother. It is available free of charge for Apple and Android devices. The latest update to the app also includes a card scanner feature which customers can use when adding a new payment method at ‘Secure checkout’ using a debit/credit card. Customers can also use fingerprint recognition to confirm their password when making purchases within the Stagecoach Bus App. Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director for England and Wales Mark Threapleton said: “We now have the largest contactless payment scheme outside London, with thousands of payments being made using contactless technology on our buses every week. “Along with traditional cash payments, our StagecoachSmart card and mobile ticketing through our Stagecoach Bus smartphone app, we are giving customers choice about how they want to buy their travel, making it even easier and more convenient to travel by bus. We look forward to introducing this technology to the rest of our passengers in the UK in the coming months.” EAST Midlands Trains customers got a special surprise when Andrew Smyth from The Great British Bake Off visited Derby Station to share some of his freshly-baked cupcakes. Andrew, who was runner-up in last year’s hit BBC show and was known for his intricate piping and adventurous creations, arrived in time for the evening rush and set up a stall on the station overbridge. Andrew, who lives locally in Derby and is a frequent traveller with East Midlands Trains, said: “It was a real pleasure to surprise customers at Derby Station. “The people of Derby really got behind me during Bake Off so it was really rewarding to give a little something back.” Kate Squires, Head of Marketing for East Midlands Trains, said: “What better way to brighten up our customers’ days than with delicious homemade cupcakes baked by local hero and East Midlands Trains regular, Andrew Smyth. “The little things can really make a difference and that’s why we’ll be out and about at different stations on the patch throughout August with more treats like vouchers, first class upgrades and free coffee giveaways.” Andrew’s giveaways at Derby are part of East Midlands Trains’ Little Things campaign that seeks to improve customers’ experiences of their whole journey with extra touches like giving away gifts at stations, scrapping booking fees and offering faster Sunday services to London. Andrew (left) takes a selfie with a customer at Derby Station Stagecoach employees have given generously to help colleagues in the US affected by Hurricane Harvey. The storm had a devastating impact with dozens of people killed as some areas experienced more rain in one hour than typically during the entire month of August. Thousands of people were rescued from the floodwaters, and more than 32,000 people were housed in emergency shelters. Around 60 employees who work for Coach USA and megabus.com in the Houston metro area of Texas were affected – many have lost everything they own. Stagecoach invited employees to help affected colleagues – with matching contribution from the company – and the response was overwhelming with more than $50,000 raised. Many thanks to those who contributed. Helping those affected by Hurricane Harvey

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Page 1: Issue 123 | September 2017 ONThe newsletter of Stagecoach .../media/Files/S/Stagecoach-Group/... · ON STAGE 2 Did you know? Stagecoach sponsored a walking football tournament in

ON STAGEThe newsletter of Stagecoach Group

INSIDE

1

New payment options for millions of Stagecoach customersMILLIONS of Stagecoach passengers are benefitting from new payment methods to make bus travel even easier. Seven Stagecoach companies – with a combined fleet of more than 3,000 buses and 360million customer journeys a year – now offer customers the convenient payment technology. The £12million programme, which was launched last October, allows passengers to pay for their travel with a contactless credit or debit card, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay.In addition, Stagecoach recently announced the addition of Apple Pay and Android Pay through the Stagecoach Bus smartphone app across all of its regional companies.Contactless payments are already available at Stagecoach Manchester & Wigan, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire, Stagecoach North East, Stagecoach Oxfordshire, Stagecoach South East, Stagecoach South and Stagecoach Yorkshire.The Stagecoach Bus app – which was launched last year and has been downloaded by hundreds of thousands of passengers – enables people to buy and download day and weekly bus tickets straight to their mobile phone. Payments via the app can also

Sweet treat

Issue 123 | September 2017

Travelling in style page 2 | Catch the Bus Week plane page 3

be made by PayPal or via debit or credit card. The app also provides customers with journey planning, next-stop information and live bus tracking to make their journeys even smoother. It is available free of charge for Apple and Android devices. The latest update to the app also includes a card scanner feature which customers can use when adding a new payment method at ‘Secure checkout’ using a debit/credit card. Customers can also use fingerprint recognition to confirm their password when making purchases within the Stagecoach Bus App.Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director for England and Wales Mark Threapleton said: “We now have the largest contactless payment scheme outside London, with thousands of payments being made using contactless technology on our buses every week.“Along with traditional cash payments, our StagecoachSmart card and mobile ticketing through our Stagecoach Bus smartphone app, we are giving customers choice about how they want to buy their travel, making it even easier and more convenient to travel by bus. We look forward to introducing this technology to the rest of our passengers in the UK in the coming months.”

EAST Midlands Trains customers got a special surprise when Andrew Smyth from The Great British Bake Off visited Derby Station to share some of his freshly-baked cupcakes. Andrew, who was runner-up in last year’s hit BBC show and was known for his intricate piping and adventurous creations, arrived in time for the evening rush and set up a stall on the station overbridge.Andrew, who lives locally in Derby and is a frequent traveller with East Midlands Trains, said: “It was a real pleasure to surprise customers at Derby Station.“The people of Derby really got behind me during Bake Off so it was really rewarding to give a little something back.”Kate Squires, Head of Marketing for East Midlands Trains, said: “What better way to brighten up our customers’ days than with delicious homemade cupcakes baked by local hero and East Midlands Trains regular, Andrew Smyth.“The little things can really make a difference and that’s why we’ll be out and about at different stations on the patch throughout August with more treats

like vouchers, first class upgrades and free coffee giveaways.”Andrew’s giveaways at Derby are part of East Midlands Trains’ Little Things campaign that seeks to improve customers’ experiences of their whole journey with extra touches like giving away gifts at stations, scrapping booking fees and offering faster Sunday services to London.

Andrew (left) takes a selfie with a customer at Derby Station

Stagecoach employees have given generously to help colleagues in the US affected by Hurricane Harvey.The storm had a devastating impact with dozens of people killed as some areas experienced more rain in one hour than typically during the entire month of August. Thousands of people were rescued from the floodwaters, and more than 32,000 people were housed in emergency shelters.Around 60 employees who work for Coach USA and megabus.com in the Houston metro area of Texas were affected – many have lost everything they own.Stagecoach invited employees to help affected colleagues – with matching contribution from the company – and the response was overwhelming with more than $50,000 raised.Many thanks to those who contributed.

Helping those affected by Hurricane Harvey

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Did you know? Stagecoach sponsored a walking football tournament in Perth run by the charity branch of the local football team St Johnstone.

What a Laugh!Overheard on a bus in the Midlands:

Boy: When I press the button does it make the bus automatically stop?

Driver: Yes, and when I press this pedal it makes the bus go again.

Boy: Wow, that’s really cool driver.

If you have seen or heard something funny – online, in the papers, on social media or just while out and about – send your contributions for the ‘What a Laugh’ section in the next edition to [email protected]

On the road to the Special Olympics

Travelling in style

n  megabus.com launches new camouflage bus

Station celebrations

MEGABUS.COM in the US recently unveiled its new camouflage bus to honor the many brave men and women who lost their lives fighting for their country. megabus.com regional staff worked together seamlessly to make sure the camo bus travelled across the country for a month and garnered quite a bit of attention from the media. The company pledged to donate $1 to the Folds of Honor Foundation for each customer who traveled on the camo bus in May. This donation will provide a scholarship to a child whose parent made the ultimate sacrifice.

STAGECOACH provided free transport to 2,600 athletes during the recent Special Olympics GB National Games in Sheffield.As Games Partner, Stagecoach Yorkshire led on the transport operation and also drafted in 20 extra drivers and 20 additional vehicles from Manchester and the East Midlands, as well as providing supervisor staff to complement its own team of

local driving staff and supervisors, throughout the Special Olympics. Now in its tenth year, the Games saw athletes compete in 20 sports, including football at Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park, swimming and boccia at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, and badminton, table tennis and judo at English Institute of Sport Sheffield – EISS.John Young, Commercial Director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “We’re really proud to be helping make travel easier for the Special Olympics athletes by providing reliable and efficient transport to and from the games.“As well as securing additional resources, we have been busy training and briefing our staff for this exciting challenge to ensure we deliver a medal-winning travel experience for all the athletes.”Karen Wallin, CEO of Special Olympics GB, said: “We are delighted and grateful for this support from Stagecoach.”

Partners joined to launch the Sheffield Games

MEGABUS.COM played an important role as Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Harry welcomed VIP guests, including singer Liam Payne and Olympic athlete Mo Farah, to Buckingham Palace for a glittering ceremony celebrating inspirational young people from the Commonwealth.The project, set up to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2014 by Harry and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, honours young people aged between 18 and 29 who are dedicated to changing their communities for the better.The travel arrangements were made by London’s Commercial Contracts Manager, Will Smith and Head of Commercial & Planning, Garry Nicholass, whose involvement also gave him a chance to meet Her Majesty when she chatted to guests ahead of the formalities.

Garry said: “It was pleasing to be part of this inspirational event celebrating the incredible achievements of these young people”. The event was widely reported in the national media and, as the photo shows, the coach took up a very prominent spot in the background when guests were photographed entering the palace.

EAST Midlands Trains and Derbyshire County Council have celebrated the success of newly-opened Ilkeston station.An afternoon of commemorative events marked 30,000 passenger journeys made to or from Ilkeston station in the first three months since the station opened. Jake Kelly, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “We’re delighted that so many people from the local community came out yesterday and we were able to properly celebrate the school poster competition winners. It was a really special day and we will remember it for many years to come.”Maggie Throup MP, Member of Parliament for Erewash, said: “The first train to arrive at Ilkeston

Local school children joined other invited guests at the celebratory event

Railway Station for over 50 years back in April was a truly historic moment in the life of our town and already we are beginning to reap the benefits. I am delighted that so many local residents are embracing rail travel and believe that this is just the start of a wider movement to improve the town. One thing is for certain, Ilkeston is on the up!”

n  Thunderbirds are goA GROUP of fighter jet pilots were transported by megabus.com as they travelled to the Royal International Air Tattoo this year at RAF Fairford.The company transported the pilots and their 50-strong crew who were the headline act at the show using their F16 ‘Top Gun’ aircraft.

The fighter pilots travelled via megabus.com

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ON STAGEAzuma arrival gets closer... Find out more on page 4.

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Getting on board with Catch the Bus Week

n  Poppy bus on the road

Children’s TV stars launch travel promo

A commemorative Poppy bus was created by Stagecoach Merseyside, Chester and South Lancashire who teamed up with the Royal British Legion. The specially designed double decker features a host of giant poppies, the symbol of remembrance and hope, as well as the Royal British Legion’s tagline ‘Live On’. It was officially unveiled on Armed Forces Day in June and will remain in operation throughout the year.Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with the Royal British Legion. The work that they undertake to support and care for our veterans and Serving personnel is outstanding. It is only right that we support them in this important work. “We are committed to be supporting our Armed Forces communities across the North West, not only this weekend but throughout the year.”

n  Tough MudderSTAGECOACH joined forces with sustainable transport group Greener Journeys to celebrate partnership success and promote the benefits of bus use through the fifth annual ‘Catch the Bus Week’.The campaign aimed to promote bus travel and encourage local people to make the switch from the car for some journeys in the future.Stagecoach’s regional bus companies worked with a whole host of partners across the country. From working with other bus providers to offer joint discounted tickets to inviting passengers to stop by and meet with local MPs, councillors and managing directors; the focus was on working together to provide the best quality service for customers. Activities included: � Twitter competitions offering a week’s free travel � Competitions on local radio stations � Life skills days so children can learn how to use

their local bus service with confidence � Tweet the manager sessions � Kids Go Free offers � Road shows with local travel partners

Mark Threapleton, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus in England and Wales, said: “This year during Catch the Bus Week we worked with other bus service providers in our towns and cities to provide some great offers and activities for our passengers. Our message was clear; give the bus a go, it’s easy, economical and a great option for your health.”

Stagecoach South drivers get into the spirit of Catch the Bus Week

Stagecoach East Midlands Managing Director Michelle Hargreaves with Mansfield Councillor John Cottee

There was all kinds of Catch The Bus Week fun in Grimsby

OVER 300 children visited Oxford, with their families to meet PAW Patrol characters, Chase and Marshall, to celebrate Oxford Tube’s ‘Kids Go Free’ travel offer.

One of the youngsters who was delighted to meet her favourite TV character

AROUND £2,000 has been raised for charity by Stagecoach West Scotland staff who participated in the Tough Mudder event.A team of 17 driving, engineering and office staff participated in the challenge to raise funds for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.Ayr Operations Manager Kenny Monaghan and his daughter Tammi also raised around £600 for Carter Duncan, a four-year old local boy diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Well done to all who took part.

The West Scotland team after completing the event

THE winners of the UK Bus division’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd year Apprentice of the Year awards, along with their managers, recently enjoyed their prize which was donated by Scania.David Hall from Stagecoach South West, Matthew Sanderson from Stagecoach Yorkshire and Kurt Chilvers from Stagecoach London were flown to Sweden for a tour around the Scania factory and had the opportunity to drive various vehicles around their test track.The winners and their managers during their visit

The company gave the little ones the chance to meet and have their photograph taken with their favourite TV stars, as well as experience a tour around one its coaches, and even sit in the driver’s seat.Martin Sutton, Managing Director of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, said: “Now the school holidays have officially begun we wanted to give the children of Oxford an exciting, and free, day out that they could enjoy with their friends and family – and we felt PAW Patrol would certainly put a smile on their faces.“We hope our ‘Kids Go Free’ any day, any time of the week offer will give more families the opportunity to explore the sights of London and Oxford and create some lovely memories to look back on.”

Top prize for apprentices

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Did you know? A fifth of Virgin Trains customers have switched to mobile-friendly digital tickets after their launch on the west coast route.

Azuma arrival gets closer

n  Putting safety first

n  Strong satisfaction figures

Joining the Lochside Mission

VIRGIN’S state-of-the-art Azuma train has visited Scotland for the first time as part of plans to transform Edinburgh-London rail journeys.The inaugural run north of the border was made as part of a testing programme by manufacturer Hitachi in preparation for roll out of the 65-strong fleet on the East Coast route next year.The eagerly-anticipated debut comes as Virgin plans to accelerate journey times between Edinburgh and London by 22 minutes, bringing regular journey times down to just four hours.The Azuma is set to be one of the most advanced passenger trains on the UK rail network, able to accelerate faster than existing trains and will provide more comfort and space inside.It has taken its name from the Japanese word for “East” in homage to its lineage and the iconic East Coast route where it will operate.

David Horne, Virgin Trains’ Managing Director on the East Coast route, said: “The Virgin Azuma will deliver a step-change in services between Scotland and England, taking regular journeys down to just four hours. Having the train visit Scotland for the first time as part of testing is a really important moment and reminds us of the excitement it will bring to UK train travel when it is introduced into service.”

STAGECOACH West Scotland has donated a bus to local project The Lochside Mission which helps young people and their families in North Ayrshire get a hot meal in a safe environment.The specially kitted out bus has allowed the charity to expand their project into areas without a church hall or community centre. It has had the seats removed and the interior given a make-over, leaving space for the Mission’s volunteers to carry their hot food into the heart of the community. Stagecoach West Scotland Managing Director Tom Bridge said: “We’re delighted to contribute to the

SUPERTRAM and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) completed a series of ‘Try a Tram’ days enabling passengers to experience the new Citylink vehicles due in service later this summer.The seven vehicles will supplement the 25 Siemens trams in current use when they enter service. To prepare the company’s more vulnerable passengers for the new vehicles, staff were on hand for informative and fun learning sessions.Treana Hudson, Customer Service Coordinator for Stagecoach Supertram said: “The main point of the days was to help people with learning difficulties or disabilities to explore the new trams in an

MORE than 90 Coach USA employees came together for the 2nd annual two-day safety conference held in Atlanta, GA.The conference covered multiple topics including updates from President and Coach USA COO Linda Burtwistle and Jason Louis, VP of Safety. A number of presentations were given including: FMCSA visiting for a briefing, a social media update, an update on the Megabus.com website, and a lesson on positive reinforcement from Bill Sims, author of Green Beans and Ice Cream.

Speakers address the delegates at the conference

Dylan Harper, Lochside Mission and Outreach Project Leader and Tom Bridge, Managing Director Stagecoach West Scotland

excellent work the Mission does and we hope the bus will prove popular in the local community it will serve.”

CUSTOMERS at Stagecoach Group’s rail franchises continue to rate its services very highly, according to the latest National Rail Passenger Survey.At East Midlands Trains the survey shows that an impressive 89% of customers were satisfied with their service. It matches the highest level of passenger satisfaction previously achieved on East Midlands Trains and also marks a 3% year-on-year improvement.Virgin Trains East Coast once again achieved some of the highest overall scores for long distance train operators scoring 91%, which is a 2% year-on-year increase.At the company’s former South West Trains, the UK’s most complex commuter rail network, the survey showed that 82% of customers were satisfied with their service which is consistent with the average for other London & South East train operators.Virgin Trains West Coast, which Stagecoach has a 49% shareholding in, also scored one of the highest overall satisfaction scores at 92%.Tim Shoveller, Managing Director for Stagecoach Rail, said: “With over 21 years experience of running commuter, regional and inter-city rail services, we have lots of insight into the needs of all of our different customers. This experience, and our continued investment programme, is delivering some really positive results in customer satisfaction which we are very pleased to see.”

Trying the tram

Some of those who took part in the recent Try a Tram days

environment where they were at ease. It was also a great opportunity for us to help some passengers to overcome their fears of tram travel, and to help them be more independent. We wanted it to be both fun and informative and our staff that attended and helped were fantastic.”

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n PICTURE THISTHIS edition’s ‘Picture This’ winner was taken by instructor Alistair Bryan-Jones from Coach USA. It shows the Community Coach yard in Paramus, New Jersey, not long after a big thunderstorm had ended and the sun had come out.Congratulations to Alistair who will receive the US eqivalent of the £50 cash prize which he has offered to donate to the We Love MCR Emergency Fund.If you have any good photos for Picture This please send them to Lindsay Reid, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5TW, or email it to [email protected]

n  Annual tank pull

Rewarding eco-driving champions... Find out more on page 6.

n  Paul’s a high flier

#BeNiceBus tours Scotland

Swap with Me charity event

EMPLOYEES from megabus.com US took part in the annual tank pull competiton to raise money for veterans groups such as the Gary Sinise foundation and the Paramus veterans home.

PRESTON depot recently assisted with a local police training exercise.The training consisted of the Explosive Search Dog teams searching the inside and outside of both single and double decker buses, for a variety of explosive substances. The day was a great success for all the police teams involved, and highlighted the need to work in close partnership with our local service providers.

DRIVERS from Stagecoach South’s Worthing depot took part in a ‘Swap with Me’ event with charities Sight Support Worthing and the RNIB.The event enabled visually impaired participants and attendees from the charity to talk to drivers about the challenges faced on a daily basis when travelling on public transport, something which many take for granted.Rob Vince Operations Manager for Worthing Depot said: “The Swap Me event is a great way to enhance our driver training and continued development as well as forming a great partnership with the Sight Support Charity. We hope it will give local people with visual impairments confidence when using Stagecoach services in the future.”

MIDLANDS bus driver Paul Quinn abseiled from the 400 feet high Lift Tower in Northampton to raise over £2,000 for Autism Concern. Paul, who has a debilitating fear of heights, undertook the abseil to show his support for the charity. “I wanted to thank them for reaching out to me and offering a helping hand in this most trying time of my life when my youngest son Nathan, who is two, was diagnosed with autism,” Paul said.

THE ground-breaking anti-bullying #BeNiceBus has paid its first visit to Scotland. Stagecoach has teamed up with The Diana Award charity to launch the UK’s first educational bus tour encouraging people to be nicer online. The Diana Award was set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. It is committed to fostering, inspiring and developing positive change in the lives of young people through practical social action.In Scotland the project delivered its message to pupils at a range of schools and youth groups in Dumfries, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Perthshire, Aberdeen and Inverness.Scottish performer and TV presenter Michelle McManus, who is currently performing her show at the Edinburgh Festival, welcomed the bus to Edinburgh.Michelle McManus said: “This is such an important project and I’m delighted to be supporting it. Online bullying can have a devastating impact on those

Paul Quinn starting his abseil from the top of the Lift Tower

n  Training assistance

One of the police dogs that took part in the exercise

who are affected by it, and their families. It can also cause future problems for those who are actually carrying out the cyber trolling. We all have a responsibility to treat each other with respect and kindness and it’s great that this campaign is spreading that message and encouraging young people to understand the impact of their actions and to think carefully about how they are interacting with others online.”

Michelle McManus with pupils from The Royal High, Edinburgh

Participants in the Swap with Me event

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Did you know? Virgin Trains’ research found that the average Brit has just 17 days of free time a year.

6

GREEN SCENE

Rewarding eco-driving champions

SHOPPERS in Doncaster are benefitting from a new bus service to Lakeside Village thanks to Stagecoach Yorkshire. The 70 White Rose Way Park and Ride service runs from Doncaster Interchange to Lakeside Village before heading on to White Rose Way Park.John Young, Commercial Director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted to be able to incorporate Lakeside Village into the White Rose Way

Choosing train over plane

n  Dragons’ DenSTAGECOACH’S UK Bus eco-driving champions have again been recognised through an awards scheme held in tribute to former employee Christopher Ball.Christopher, Stagecoach Ecodriver Project Manager, sadly passed away in 2014. He worked tirelessly to roll out the GreenRoad eco-driving technology to Stagecoach’s bus companies across the UK and was a respected and well-liked employee.An awards scheme was introduced in Christopher’s memory in 2015 and the company has recently awarded the 2017 winners. The Christopher Ball Memorial Award is awarded to the best performing company in Stagecoach UK Bus, with glass bowls also presented to the best depot and best driver. Overall winner of the award – for the third consecutive year – was Stagecoach Oxfordshire for its employees’ consistently strong eco-driving performance over the past year.Stagecoach North Scotland’s Macduff depot won the top depot award for the second time, while Stagecoach Merseyside driver Dave Birch, from Birkenhead depot, was named top driver for the past 12 months after winning the same accolade for the past two years.

Stagecoach Managing Director in Scotland, Robert Andrew said: “This is the third year of these awards, which are an important way for us to pay tribute to the hard work Christopher put in to introduce this eco-driving technology at our bus companies. I would like to congratulate our winners who have excelled again this year and have displayed excellent eco-driving skills over a consistent period of time.”

Winner Dave Birch with Merseyside Managing Director Rob Jones

STAGECOACH Merseyside and South Lancashire is on the hunt for local innovators as part of a regional competition to celebrate its annual Green Week. The Dragons’ are looking for a product or initiative from each area which will help local communities to be more environmentally friendly. Contestants shortlisted by Stagecoach will pitch their product or idea in Dragons’ Den style panel events in October and three winners representing Cheshire, Merseyside and South Lancashire, will be chosen. Each winner will walk away with a grand prize of £1,000 to develop their product further.Rob Jones, Managing Director of Stagecoach Merseyside, Chester, and South Lancashire, said:“We really want to encourage people across the regions to get their thinking caps on and develop a product to help their local communities to be more sustainable. This could be something like a special kind of bin that makes recycling easier, or a new model for a mini solar panel, for example. We’re particularly hoping to see people embracing technology to create products with real impact. The countdown is on and we’re incredibly excited to see what they come up with.”

ARTWORK created by pupils from a Basingstoke School has been displayed on the exterior of a local Stagecoach Bus running across Basingstoke and the surrounding area.As part of Stagecoach’s recent Green Week, pupils at Great Binfields Primary School were asked to design posters on the theme of what green means to them.Operations Manager for Basingstoke, Martin Gibbon, said: “We received some very colourful entries. It’s great to see young children embracing local and global environmental issues and taking practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint so I’m extremely delighted to be able to display their artwork on our bus.”

VIRGIN Trains has hailed a “historic shift” in travel patterns as more Scotland-London passengers choose train over plane than at any time in more than 20 years.New figures reveal an 18% year-on-year growth in Virgin Trains passengers travelling between Glasgow/Edinburgh and London in June. The shift coincides with a new report which explores the environmental benefits of train over plane travel.The research, undertaken by sustainable transport charity Transform Scotland, found that: � Overall air and rail travel between Scotland’s

Central Belt and London is increasing – but carbon emissions are falling as more people choose train

� Virgin Trains’ growth on the West Coast route between Glasgow and London over the last decade has saved enough CO2 (332,208 tonnes) to take 145,000 cars off the road for a year

n  Getting arty

The youngsters with their on-bus artwork

� Further passenger growth on the East Coast route between Edinburgh and London can be accommodated whilst still cutting carbon, thanks to ambitions plans by Virgin Trains to win a 50% market share against airlines

Virgin Trains has set out bold ambitions to win 50% of the air/rail market share between Edinburgh and London by 2023 after the introduction of its Azuma fleet, which will allow regular journeys to be reduced to just four hours.David Horne, Virgin Trains Managing Director on the East Coast route, said: “These figures show an encouraging start to that journey and confirm a historic shift in travel patterns towards train. Our customers have responded positively to the improvements in customer service and investment in new train interiors and additional services.”

Next stop, Lakeside!

Park and Ride route. “Visitors and Doncaster locals alike will benefit from this journey, which will provide them with quick and easy access to Lakeside where they can shop, enjoy a meal or grab a coffee with their friends.”

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LETTERS OF PRAISEIf you or one of your colleagues has received a letter of praise from a customer, please email a copy to [email protected] or post it to Lindsay Reid, Senior Group Communications Manager, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5TW. We will publish as many as possible.

South Wales Bus Driver of the Year... Find out more on p8.

CONGRESSMAN Donald Payne (D-NJ) and member of the U.S. House Of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure committee visited Coach USA’s Elizabeth, New Jersey Depot. Congressman Payne received a briefing from Coach USA President and COO Linda Burtwistle, and other senior managers and was very impressed with how seriously the company takes safety.

There was a man on the tram this morning playing music out loud which did not affect me but he gave the conductors a lot of trouble when they asked him if he could turn it off or use headphones.

They dealt with the man extremely well and I really respect them for doing this as they didn’t have to but they obviously wanted everyone to enjoy their journey and not have to listen to the music. Also I wanted to say that since starting to use the tram daily in the last few months I have been really

The below email was received via Stagecoach Supertram’s online customer webform.

happily surprised about all conductors on every journey.

They are so happy, friendly and always willing to help – they really do have brilliant attitudes no matter what situation they’re in. There’s also a blonde lady with a Scottish accent that is always welcoming, friendly and chatty. So thank you Stagecoach Trams, you are absolutely brilliant!!!

Name supplied

n  The price is rightEAST Midlands Trains customers can now search for tickets before they are even on sale and make sure they don’t miss out on booking their favourite journeys at the best prices.The brand new ticket alert tool means customers don’t have to keep checking the website for tickets. They can simply sign up for email alerts and as soon as Advance tickets become available on a particular route on their chosen travel date, they are notified by email. Lawrence Bowman, Commercial Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “Advance tickets are the cheapest train tickets you can buy and the earlier you book, the cheaper they are so this is a really positive result for our customers.”

n  Congressman visit

EAST Midlands Trains hosted a special train to raise more than £30,000 for the Railway Children charity.The special service ran from Derby via Chesterfield, Sheffield and York on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) from Grosmont to picturesque Pickering then onward to Whitby. It is believed that this was the first high speed train to visit Whitby since 1997.Jake Kelly, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “It was a fantastic day and really pleasing we managed to raise so much for Railway Children.”

STAGECOACH South East held its local Bus Driver of The Year competition recently and Graham Hall from Hastings depot won the local heat, with Gordon Baxter (Dover) finishing in second place, Jamie Asquith (Ashford) finishing in third and Philip Laker (Hastings) in fourth.Graham will attend the national finals in Blackpool along with other winners of regional heats.

THE hugely popular open-top bus returned to the Thanet coast for the summer. To celebrate the launch of two open-toppers in the region, 46 Year Two pupils from Newlands Primary School were given a special ride. Stagecoach teamed up with Dreamland Margate to offer the

n  In the hot seat

Graham Hall with Philip Norwell, Stagecoach South East Managing Director

£30,000 boost for Railway Children

Dream ride for primary school pupils

One of the vehicles with dignitaries at the Ramsgate CarnivalThe youngsters help celebrate the launch of the open top buses

kids a free trip there and back on the open-top bus. The pupils visited the pleasure park as part of their fun-fair heritage project.The open top buses also recently took part in the Margate and Ramsgate carnivals.

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ON STAGE

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n  Foodie visit

n  Station revamp

Stagecoach London driver Billy Birkett from Bow Garage met Formula One star Lewis Hamilton while running the Silverstone shuttle services at the British Grand Prix.Billy and fellow driver Danny Dudziec were lucky enough to get a photo with the racing champion who was only too happy to take a selfie with them.

If you, or one of your colleagues, have a claim to fame – perhaps a hidden talent, a meeting with a celebrity or an interesting hobby – please email details to [email protected]

Stagecoach London

VIRGIN Trains is supporting a multi-million pound transformation of the entrance and approach to Doncaster station.The transformation of this key gateway to the town is part of the local council’s plans to encourage further business investment in the town and to improve its environment for residents, visitors and rail commuters.Virgin Trains is investing £500,000 to create a contemporary glazed canopy to provide shelter for customers accessing a new taxi rank and drop off just over 100 metres south of the entrance to the station.Tim Hedley-Jones, Major Projects Director for Virgin Trains on its East Coast route, said: “Like Doncaster Rovers, which has recently announced Virgin Trains as its shirt sponsor for the next two years, we believe the town is going places, and we’re really pleased to work with the council to transform the forecourt of the station.”

Top drivers

These boots were made for walking

SOUTH Wales recently held its regional Bus Driver of the Year heats in Cwmbran.Christopher Jones from Porth depot came out on top and will go on to represent the company at the national finals in Blackpool while Bernadette Evans, also from Porth, came second and Julie Watson from Cwmbran finished third.

TWO bus drivers whose daughter almost died when she was born eight weeks early are walking 100 miles of their routes to raise money for the hospital unit which cared for her.Couple Kim Whitehead and Paul Topham from Grimsby are taking part in the epic challenge alongside their Stagecoach East Midlands colleagues over the coming weeks to raise money for the

A SPECIAL wedding hire bus was given a make-over recently in Cumbria and North Lancashire as it was repainted into Ribble White Lady livery.The vehicle was made-over for use on wedding hire at Kendal depot where it also acts as a spare for open top tour vehicle.

TV CHEF James Martin visited York to meet some of the producers whose foods are featured on his new menus for Virgin Trains on the East Coast route. It was also an opportunity, to celebrate the launch of James’ refreshed seasonal menus, which champion local cuisine and are available now to First and Standard Class customers.

James met local producers in York

The repainted Ribble While Lady

n  The White Lady

The competitors and marshalls at the South Wales competition

Paul, Kim and Savannah at home together

neonatal intensive care unit at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.The medical team at the hospital unit helped to save the life of the couple's three-year-old daughter, Savannah Topham, after she was born prematurely following complications. She weighed just 3lb 8oz.Paul said: "It's nice to give something back. There's been a really good atmosphere.”

Lions Club 100 a roaring success... Find out more on p9.

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ON STAGE

STAGECOACH in Perth recently gave one of the company’s biggest fans, Russell Hamilton aged 4, a tour of Perth Depot. Russell has loved Stagecoach buses since he was a toddler and recently spent a few hours with the team in Perth as a special treat. He was able to

pick his favourite vehicles from the parked fleet and have a wee trip around the area.His mum Gillian said: “The visit really made his day and he's not stopped talking about it.”

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Marking Mike’s milestone... Find out more on p10.

Fast Cat fun run

n  Local planning blueprint

STAGECOACH East Midlands sponsored the Fast Cat Fun Run which allowed children the chance to run with one of Hull’s sporting heroes as popular boxer Tommy Coyle swapped his boxing gloves for running shoes to support the Humber Bridge Half Marathon Fun Run.The 2.5 miles ‘Stagecoach Fast Cat Fun Run’ is aimed at families and young children, with many local schools and children’s sports teams often taking part.Jon Donnelly, Commercial Manager (North) for Stagecoach, said: “We are delighted to have Tommy on board for what is a fantastic event every year. We have supported the fun run for a number of years and it is all about community spirit and people coming together to enjoy a special morning. Tommy’s involvement adds that extra excitement this year so it would be great to see many people coming down and running alongside him.”

FIRST year Aldershot Engineering Apprentice Sara Shelley recently received a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at Buckingham Palace. HRH Prince Phillip was in attendance at the event and the award was presented to Sara by Prince Edward.

The start of the Fast Cat Fun Run

Russell on board one of the local buses in Perth

Sara at Buckingham Palace

n  By Royal Appointment

EAST Midlands Trains has teamed up with Lions Clubs International to launch a train named in honour of the great work they do in the local community.‘Lions Clubs 100’ now proudly sits on the side of Meridian Unit 222017 which is used for services on the mainline between Nottingham and London St Pancras.Lions Clubs International works in over 200 countries to help people and communities by leading and assisting with projects including refurbishing playgrounds or parks, building medical clinics, expanding libraries, sponsoring fountains and contributing donations towards large-scale infrastructure projects.Mark Coney, Head of Fleet Delivery for East Midlands Trains, said: “Our connection to the communities we serve right across the East Midlands is integral to everything we do so we really wanted to recognise their positive work over so many years.”

The newly named Lions Club 100 train

Lions Club 100 a roaring success

n  Special visit for Russell

Bus driver John Simmons has retired after 27 years with Stagecoach Midlands based at their Chowns Mill outstation.During that time, John met his partner, Sheila, 10 years ago on the bus, on which she travelled to work every day.To mark his retirement John was taken to lunch by Kam Gill, Operations Manager at the Stagecoach Northampton depot, and his two assistant managers Chris Rouse and Kevin Levett, and Sheila joined them later.In retirement, John will spend more time enjoying his long-time hobby of restoring old tractors and lorries and seeing more of his grandson.Kam Gill said “John is a long standing and very well liked member of staff. We didn’t really want him to retire, but we wish him all the best during his well deserved rest.”

Retired bus driver John Simmons with his partner Sheila

Fond farewell to John

STAGECOACH has launched a blueprint to help ensure bus services can effectively serve new housing developments being planned across the UK.The company has warned that failure to build in public transport to new developments would result in a greater cost to the economy in lost productivity, poorer air quality, longer working days because of extra commuting time and a less safe living environment with more cars on the road.Stagecoach has now published a guide – ‘Bus Services & New Residential Developments’ – to assist and support local authorities and stakeholders through the planning, design and delivery surrounding new housing developments in UK towns and cities. The document will be sent out to a wide database of local councils and stakeholders across England, Scotland and Wales, which the bus operator believes will help create effective partnership working from the early stages of the planning process.

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ON STAGE

 n Who are you? Mark Winter, Major Projects Manager for East Midlands Trains.

 n What do you like most about your job? The people – there’s always someone that’s

willing to help or go the extra mile. Equally I enjoy the wide variety of projects I have the opportunity to get involved in. It’s extremely cross functional – I’m always out and about on our network.

 n What do you like least about your job? I take personal pride in delivering all aspects of my work to a high standard and it can be frustrating when others don’t take the same approach.

 n Favourite Food? Anything Italian! It’s the type of food I never get bored of. Funnily enough I’ve never been to Italy but it’s definitely a place I’d love to visit.

 n Least favourite food? Olives! There’s something about them that I’m not quite sure of, but then again I do like olive oil, which is a tad strange?

 n What are you most proud of? Back in 2012 when I first joined East Midlands Trains, I joined the team working on delivery of the

Arran Facer has been appointed Engineering Manager for the Stagecoach Leamington Spa depot and the Stratford-upon-Avon outstation.He takes over from Paul Morgan, who has retired. When Arran left school in 1996 he started an apprenticeship with Renault, then moved to Vauxhall as a vehicle technician. In February 2004 he joined Stagecoach Midlands as a shift engineer at their Rugby depot. Arran said: “I’m enjoying my new role and looking forward to any new challenges I may face. I like to think that I thrive under pressure, so my new responsibilities will hopefully become second nature to me,” he said.

Editor: Lindsay Reid, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5TWEmail: [email protected]

If you have a story for On Stage, please contact Lindsay Reid as above. The copy deadline for the next edition of On Stage will be Wednesday 18 October 2017.

Mark Winter, East Midlands Trains

‘Getting To Know You’ features in every edition of On Stage and we want to hear from as many staff as possible. To suggest the next participant, email [email protected]

THE PEOPLE PAGE

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU...

n  Contacts

Nottingham HUB project; the regeneration of Nottingham Station into a multi-modal transport interchange ‘Hub’. I was left with a huge feeling of satisfaction when the project was finally delivered.

 n Favourite holiday destination? It’s got to be Ibiza! A great place with a fantastic atmosphere – the sun is always shining and the music is always spot on!

 n Most embarrassing moment? Explaining my excessive shoe buying addiction to my colleagues was pretty embarrassing, as well as spending far too much money on haircuts. I book an appointment every four weeks!

 n Favourite Music? I’m a huge fan of 80’s music – it’s extremely varied and what I like to class as ‘proper music’.

 n Person you would most like to have dinner with? I’d love to have dinner with Stephen Fry – mainly for the varied topics of conversation and the pure comedy value.

 n First thing you would do if you won £1m? The first thing I’d do is book myself into a luxury health spa, indulge myself in a few treatments and really take some time out to relax.

n  Mark takes the helm at megabus.com

EXETER driver Mike Prowse has celebrated his birthday along with 55 years on the buses.Mike began his career with Devon General straight from school in 1962. He followed in the footsteps of his father Alan, who also worked as a driver for 44 years. Mike is pictured above in 1965 during his time as

STAGECOACH UK Bus Managing Director Mark Threapleton has announced the appointment of Mark Venables as Managing Director of megabus.com UK.Mark joins the UK Bus division from Stagecoach Rail where he has been involved in the bid teams and brings with him experience in the public transport and other business sectors. Mark will be responsible for the strategic development of the megabus.com business unit.Edward Hodgson, the current Managing Director of Megabus and Stagecoach South, will now devote his time, effort and experience to managing Stagecoach South on a full time basis and maximising the considerable growth potential of the business.Mark Threapleton said: “I am sure you will all join me in welcoming Mark to the megabus.com team. I also would like to thank Edward for all his efforts over the past years in building the megabus.com brand.”

Marking Mike’s milestone

n  Arran gets on board

New Engineering Manager Arran Facer

a mail boy and today with Bob Dennison, Robert Williams and Paul Clark receiving his 55 year badge. After a few weeks off he plans to continue to work part-time, hoping to drive every route driven over his years with the company. Congratulations to Mike on this fantastic achievement.