Stagecoach has been short-listed for a top honour at the 2016 UK Coach Awards.
The transport group’s Express City Connect network has been nominated for the Top Express Operation at the UK Coach Awards.
Stagecoach East Scotland are hoping to retain the Top Express Operation award at the 7th annual event held in Manchester, as the company was awarded the prestigious accolade last year.
Stagecoach East Scotland’s Express City Connect network operates high-quality coach services across Fife and into Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow. Facilities such as leather seats, on board toilets, power sockets, air conditioning and free wi-fi have helped make the services an attractive alternative to the car, achieving increased passenger numbers.
The network offers a high standard of customer service. Staff are available at all connecting bus stations in Fife, Dundee and Edinburgh to provide information and assistance for passengers. Around 310 drivers are involved in the delivery of the services.
Following a total investment of over £12m in the past 5 years, high specification coaches now operate on all the Express City Connect networks between Fife, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Most recently, £3.12m was spent on 12 brand new coaches for routes from Fife to Edinburgh in November and a new express route was also launched between Perth and Edinburgh.
In December 2015 the all new website, stagecoachbus.com was launched, providing detailed journey planning, real-time bus tracking, fare information and the ability to save and receive updates about regular journeys.
Stagecoach East Scotland Managing Director Andrew Jarvis said: “Being nominated for a prestigious award at the UK Coach Awards once again is a testament to the continued hard work of our employees who are at the forefront of delivering these express services to our customers all year round.
“We carry more than 4 million passengers a year on our Express City Connect network and by investing in new vehicles, with free wi-fi, and delivering excellent customer service, we aim to continually attract even more people on to our greener, smarter coach services in the future.”
The UK Coach Awards recognises the dedication and professionalism of individuals and operators across the UK coach industry, with awards covering 16 categories.
Stagecoach East Scotland won the Top Express Operation award in 2015, with another route operated by Stagecoach, the Oxford Tube, voted runner up. In previous years Stagecoach’s megabusGold.com sleepercoach service has won the Technology and Innovation award, while the company’s megabus.com operations also scooped the Gold Coach Marketing Award.
For more information about Stagecoach bus services visit www.stagecoachbus.com
Stagecoach East Scotland
Stagecoach UK Bus is part of the Stagecoach Group and is one of the largest bus operators in the UK, operating express and local bus services across the country.
