on stageThe newsletter of Stagecoach Group

Issue 97 | May 2013

1

Senior management changes take effect

It’s evolution, not revolution

New Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths (left) alongside Chairman Sir Brian Souter.

StaGECoaCh is moving on to the next phase of its development as the previously announced changes to the Group’s senior management team took effect on 1 May.

Finance Director Martin Griffiths has now stepped up to become the Group’s Chief Executive. Former Chief Executive and Stagecoach co-founder Sir Brian Souter is now the Group Chairman, following the retirement of former Chairman Sir George Mathewson. Ross Paterson, former Company Secretary, has become Group Finance Director.

The changes, which took effect on 1 May, take Stagecoach into a new era. However, Martin Griffiths has explained that employees should not expect major changes in the direction the company is headed. It’s a case of evolution, not revolution.

“I’m not going to try to be another Brian. He is unique as a leader and is a strong, strong personality,” he said. “I will be myself. I have ideas of how we go forward but it would be stupid to rip up something that has worked very successfully for a long time. There will be a change in day-to-day leadership but we don’t need a revolution, we are going to evolve.

“Our strategy in the UK and North America has been consistent and it has been successful.

We wouldn’t want to radically deviate from what has been good for the company and the shareholders.”

StaGECoaCh is to launch a major network of overnight sleepercoach services from Scotland to London this summer using a £5m fleet of specially-designed vehicles.

The fleet of 10 new coaches, equipped with a clever interior layout that allows the leather seats to be converted into lie-flat beds, will operate overnight seven days a week.

Sleepercoach services will link London with Aberdeen, Aviemore, Cumbernauld, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Ferrytoll park and ride in Fife, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.

Customers will receive complimentary

refreshments during their journey as well as a sleeper kit which includes an eye mask, a toothbrush and toothpaste. In addition, as a pilot, passengers will also be given a choice of a blanket or a onesie to sleep in during their journey.

Stagecoach Group Chairman Sir Brian Souter said: “It used to be just popstars that had beds on board their tour buses – now everyone can benefit from a comfortable, great value overnight journey. You can go to sleep in one city and wake up in another ready to start the day without having to pay extra for an expensive hotel room.”

He added: “It is a proud moment for me personally to be trusted to be at the helm of what I have no doubt is the best and most innovative public transport group. The success of this company is built on the talent, hard work and commitment of thousands of people right across our business in the UK and North America. Thank you for your support over the past 16 years and I look forward to continuing the Stagecoach journey with you.”

1 May also marked the retirement of UK Bus Managing Director Les Warneford, after a career spanning more than 40 years. Robert

Montgomery has now taken on the role of Managing Director of the Group’s UK Bus division (see page 2).

Sleeping in comfort on the move

Sir Brian has a lie down in one of the bunks, wearing a megabusgold.com onesie.

Stagecoach leads on customer satisfaction

BuS passengers using Stagecoach are more satisfied with their service than customers using other national uK operators, according to new independent research.

Consumer watchdog Passenger Focus found that 86% of Stagecoach bus passengers were either fairly or very satisfied with their overall service, with only 5% dissatisfied.

The overall customer ratings for Stagecoach were higher than three other national UK bus operators: Arriva (85%), First (81%) and National Express (78%). Passenger Focus does not include Go Ahead in the national operator results.

Stagecoach also scored highest on the three key areas: value for money, punctuality and journey time.

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on stage

Fond farewell for LesYou what?!Overheard on megabus.com in the US

Passenger 1: What are you doing for Christmas? Passenger 2: Going to Grandma’s for breakfast. She makes amazing Norwegian sausage.Passenger 1: Norway seems like a nice place, isn’t it near Russia?Passenger 2: Not sure but Norwegians are from like Sweden or something like that, not Norway.

Can you beat that? Send your weird and wonderful overheard comments tolindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup. com

On board with cycle safety

Top snapper

uK Bus Managing Director Les Warneford was given a fond farewell at his final Managing Directors’ meeting before his retirement.

Les was presented with two paintings by artist Harold Riley as well as a cake depicting him in his garden during retirement.

The MDs also paid tribute to Les’s trademark style by wearing cardigans for much of the meeting.

Thanking his colleagues for the gifts, Les said: “When I go to industry meetings, everyone wants to know our secret. I always give the same answer – decent management.

“The reason we are successful is not me. I’ve been very fortunate – I’ve had the best team in the industry and that will carry on.”

Les will continue to undertake special project work for Stagecoach.

StaGECoaCh West sponsored the 2012 Explore Gloucestershire Best competition which resulted in some fantastic photos of the local area.

Winner Phill Emery was presented with his cheque for £250 by Nathan Griffith-Williams, Marketing Manager of Stagecoach West.

L-R: With the ‘Megacake’ is Robert Montgomery, Managing Director Stagecoach uK Bus; Julie Gwynne, Rugby Depot Manager; drivers Mike timothy, Mick Collins and Mark holyoake; Clive Jones, Commercial Manager megabus.com, and Richard hands, assistant operations Manager at the Rugby Depot.

Les Warneford with his cake.

uk bus

From left, Stagecoach West marketing manager Nathan Griffith-Williams, competition winner Phill Emery and Sebastian Stanley.

StaGECoaCh has worked with Cycle training uK (CtuK) to develop the uK’s first in-house cycle awareness programme for bus drivers. the training course, which will be delivered at Stagecoach’s London operations, aims to help bus drivers minimise the risk around sharing the city’s road space with cyclists.

Stagecoach London Training Officer Malcolm Critchard said: “We are keen to ensure that all of our drivers are cycle aware. We were impressed by the interactive and practical nature of the Cycle Training UK programme and the way it communicated concepts directly and clearly to the drivers. We wanted to explore this type of training.”

It haS been a busy couple of months for market-leading budget coach provider megabus.com.

The low-cost operator won the ‘Making Coaches a Better Choice’ award at the 2013 UK Coach Awards, in recognition of the difference it has made to the UK coach industry since its launch 10 years

megabus.com general manager Ian Laing, said: “It has been a hugely successful decade for megabus.com and we are delighted to win this award to help mark our 10th anniversary.

"The success of megabus.com is down to the hard work of our staff and we would like to thank them for their contribution over the past 10 years. We now look forward to attracting even more people on to our greener, smarter coach services in the years to come."

In addition, megabus.com has announced that it will help thousands of motorsport fans attend events at Silverstone this year in its role as official coach supplier to the racing circuit.

The coach operator will run dedicated coach

services to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix from 28-30 June and to the 2013 MotoGP British Grand Prix which takes place between 30 August and 1 September.

Ian Laing said: “We look forward to helping thousands of people enjoy the motorsport at Silverstone this summer.”

And finally, megabus.com Europe recently celebrated its first birthday with a “Megacake” made by Samantha Binnington, partner of Rugby driver Wayne Campbell.

Clive Jones, Commercial Manager of megabus.com said “I would like to say a big thank you to all our staff for their contribution over the year.”

London manager Mark atkinson collects the uK Coach award.

megabus.com Commercial Manager Clive Jones and mascot Sid launch a specially liveried vehicle at Silverstone.

Winning awards, F1 buses... and a cake

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on stage

Get set, go!

Excellence for East Midlands Trains

Samantha wins free travel for a year

Praise for life savers

Parliamentary thank you visit

uk rail

LuCKy prize winner Samantha Bark has won free travel for a year with East Midlands trains.

Samantha, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, won first prize in a competition launched by the train operator giving its season ticket holders the opportunity to win back the cost of their annual ticket.

Neil Micklethwaite, Customer Service & Commercial Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “We believe this is the first time a train company has given its season ticket holders the chance to win back the cost of their travel, so it’s been an exciting initiative for us and one that we will be looking to continue.”

PaSSENGERS using Clapham Junction station were treated to a host of commemorative celebrations as South West trains teamed up with Wandsworth Council to mark the 150th anniversary of the world-famous station.

Passengers were invited to look back at the history of the station as copies of The Times newspaper from 2 March 1963 were given away by employees dressed in traditional Victorian costume.

Jake Kelly, Customer Service Director for the South West Trains – Network Rail Alliance, said: “It’s not easy to last 150 years; Clapham Junction has had to constantly reinvent itself to meet the needs of modern passengers.”

Clapham Junction celebrates anniversary

Damaged train gets back on track

South West trains staff Wynn Smith, Barry Chappell and Claudio Costache were treated to a private tour of the houses of Parliament as a thank you for helping to reunite Lord Lucas with personal items left by him on a train during the Christmas period.

The identity of the passenger who had lost his items only came to light after he wrote to South West Trains' Customer Service team asking for his thanks to be passed on to the staff responsible for returning his items.

Jake Kelly, Customer Service Director for the South West Trains – Network Rail Alliance, said: "We were delighted to receive such a complimentary letter praising our staff. I would like to congratulate them all for their excellent work."

FouR South West trains employees went beyond the call of duty when they found a young man unconscious and unresponsive on their way home from their night shift.

Neil Cassidy, Ryan Hutchison, James West Beard and Keith Barnes – who have recently undertaken First Aid training – used their new skills to assess the man and care for his well being while waiting for paramedics.

Route Safety Manager Stuart Brown said of the event: “These guys have probably saved a man’s life and that deserves our utmost respect and admiration.”

StaGECoaCh Supertram provided extra early morning tram services to help runners taking part in the Sheffield half Marathon in May this year.

Supertram Managing Director Margaret Kay said: “We were delighted to be able to provide extra services to help people get to the starting line by using greener, smarter public transport instead of taking their cars and we hope everyone had a great day.”

EaSt Midlands trains has been awarded 5 stars by the British Quality Foundation (BQF) in the Recognised for Excellence (R4E) programme following an extensive week-long assessment covering all areas of the company.

David Horne, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, said: “This is a clear demonstration of the commitment our employees have made in striving to deliver significantly improved services for our customers.”

Winner Samantha Bark receives her prize from Neil Micklethwaite, Customer Service and Commercial Director for East Midlands trains.

South West trains is re-launching a train that was severely damaged in an incident in 2010, following a complex £1.6 million rebuild project.

The train operator’s Class 455 train suffered significant damage after a cement mixer lorry fell on to it from a bridge in Oxshott in November 2010. As a result, a comprehensive and challenging rebuild was required in order to bring it back into service. That work has since been carried out at Railcare in Wolverton and the train has now been completely repaired. It is expected to go back into passenger service in late spring.

the train suffered serious damage in the incident but has now been fully repaired.

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on stageuk bus / group

Going for gold in the South

Stagecoach relaunches ‘Spirit of London’ bus

New board member

In at the deep end

StaGECoaCh has fully recognised its obligation to customer service by becoming part of the Institute of Customer Service, the uK’s professional body.

Stagecoach already holds a very highly-rated customer service record, which is at the heart of the company and its success, and this new partnership reaffirms that commitment. In recent National Passenger Surveys, South West Trains and East Midland Trains have seen an 85% and 89% increase in customer satisfaction respectively.

Stuart Giddings, Head of Customer Service for Stagecoach Rail, said: “With customers’ expectations continually rising, we are increasingly focusing on the value and role that an excellent standard of customer service plays as part of our offer to the passengers.”

Improving customer service

StaGECoaCh Group has announced the appointment of Gregor alexander as a non-executive director of the Company.

Gregor Alexander is the Finance Director of SSE plc (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy plc), one of the largest energy companies in the UK. At SSE, Gregor has Board-level responsibility for finance, human resources, IT, procurement and other group services. He is Chairman of Scotia Gas Networks, a company 50% owned by SSE plc.

Gregor will chair the Company's Audit Committee from 1 July 2013.

StaGECoaCh South has launched new Stagecoach Gold routes to bring luxury travel to passengers in the local area.

Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach South, said: "We have invested more than £1 million in seven new high specification buses to operate this important route from Selsey to Chichester. This will be one of only 10 Gold fleets in the UK and the vision behind this investment is to demonstrate how a luxury bus service can be better for the environment and better for the community."

L-R Cllr Mike Beal, Chair, Selsey town Council; Cllr. J. Connor, Portfolio holder for the Environment, Chichester District Council, and andrew Dyer, MD of Stagecoach South.

FoLLoWING £60,000 of repair work, Stagecoach London has relaunched the ‘Spirit of London’ bus that was damaged in an arson attack last year.

The bus was originally launched in October 2005, to replace the double deck bus destroyed in the London 7/7 bombings, but was damaged by two arsonists in October 2012.

Stagecoach London Managing Director Mark Threapleton said: “The upper deck of the bus was almost completely burnt so it has taken a lot of work. However, there was never any question of us retiring the bus – it remains a tribute to the 13 people who lost their lives when the original bus was destroyed in 2005.”

George Psaradakis, driver of the 7/7 bus, said: “When I was told what had happened to the Spirit of London I was sad but, looking at the vehicle after restoration, that has been offset with happiness.”

StaGECoaCh South East is celebrating Eastbourne’s place in the Guinness Book of World Records following the 110th anniversary of the world’s first ever municipal bus service.

Eastbourne’s pioneering bus service started on 12 April 1903 and ran between the railway station and Meads. Today, that service is known as route

3 and is run by Stagecoach, which took over operation of Eastbourne Buses in 2008.

Paul Southgate, Managing Director of Stagecoach in East Sussex, said: “As well as celebrating the history of buses in Eastbourne, we are also looking forward to the future, and we will soon be investing £1.3 million in brand new vehicles to improve services.”

DRIvER Ron Steele from Kettering is doing his eighth annual Swimathon in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

He has been a bus driver with Stagecoach for over eight years and the company supports his fundraising efforts.

“Last year I raised £700 for the charity and Stagecoach contributed a further £700. I really appreciate the support they have given me over recent years. It is such a worthy cause,” Ron said.

L-R: transport for London Managing Director of Surface transport, Leon Daniels joins Stagecoach London Managing Director, Mark threapleton, and driver of the 7/7 bus George Psaradakis.

A record breaking service

Swimathon driver Ron Steele.

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on stage

Picture of the Season

WIN A

£50VOUCHER

Fishing for heroes

thIS edition’s winning Picture of the Season was taken by John Berrington, who works for Stagecoach East Midlands at the Mansfield depot. It shows the Service 1 during a blizzard at Mansfield Bus Station.

Congratulations to John, who will shortly receive his prize of £50 of M&S vouchers.If you think you have a picture that captures one of the four seasons, please send your image to

Lindsay Reid, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5TW, or email it to lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com

Charity of the yearStaGECoaCh South East has

announced Pilgrims hospices as its charity of the year and unveiled a charity branded bus.

Pilgrims Hospices offers care and support for individuals and families dealing with life-limiting illnesses. Steve Auty, Chief Executive of Pilgrims Hospices, said: “I’m delighted Stagecoach has chosen to support us as charity of the year and we very much look forward to seeing its staff taking part in our fundraising events.”

African cyclingtWo Supertram employees are

preparing for the challenge of a lifetime in aid of a women’s health charity.

Lindsay Horsfield and Treana Hudson will cycle 350 kilometres through Africa in November 2014 in aid of the Genesis Research Trust, a trust which helps to improve the lives of women and babies worldwide.anyone wishing to sponsor the

ladies should go to:www.justgiving.com/lindsay-treana

aShFoRD controller Peter Smith always knew what he wanted to do when he retired. he wanted to write science fiction, and has recently had his first novel published, a fantasy tale entitled ‘Strange Moons Rising’.

“I wanted to create a fantasy adventure that would appeal to all ages,” Peter said.

A good read

MaNaGING Director of East Midlands trains, David horne, recently donned a chef’s hat and whites to support the Railway Children’s Big Breakfast event.

He said: “Railway Children is such an important and worthwhile charity and we are always happy to take part in fund-raising initiatives to support their work".

Masterchef on board

StaGECoaCh South East driver Jason Scott endured freezing conditions on a 24-hour fishing trip to raise around £300 for help for heroes.

Scott, an avid fisherman, said: “Leaving the military can be a very daunting time and H4H assists ex-service personnel in gaining the skills needed to lead a normal life outside the forces.”

thE South West trains-Network Rail alliance has celebrated its annual Customer Service Employee of the year awards.

The overall winner announced at the awards was Maria Atfield, a Meet and Greet Passenger Assistant based in London Waterloo, who received £250 in vouchers for her hard work and dedication to her role. Five highly commended runners-up received £100 in vouchers. They were: Abdi Ahmed (Woking Station), Andrew Mclachlan (Tisbury Ticket Office), Allison Dunn (WICC), Phil Williams (Salisbury Commercial Guard ) and Danny Mailey (Customer Service Centre).

Customer Service Director Jake Kelly said: "It’s fantastic to see so much competition for this important award, with so many impressive nominations. Maria Atfield was a very worthy winner and all of the finalists showed exceptional commitment to serving our customers.”

Customer service award winners

A right royal tour

Guests at the launch of the new open top bus.

Jason Scott with a small catch of the day from his 24-hour fishing trip.

Customer Service winner Maria atfield with Customer Service Director Jake Kelly (left) and head of Customer Service andy Naylor.

David horne cooks up a storm in the kitchen.

uk bus / uk rail

StaGECoaCh Bluebird has launched an open top bus route for the summer season in Royal Deeside, serving Braemar, Crathie, Ballater and Loch Muick.

The route will operate every Saturday and Sunday until September, and every day during the school summer holidays.

Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery said: “Our Bluebird company is blessed with some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country and what better way to experience it than on an open top bus!”

uK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery collects the Sustainability award.

the green scene

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A very green team

StaGECoaCh Group has cut Co2 emissions from its bus fleet in the uK by more than 188,000 tonnes over the past eight years through use of a hi-tech fuel additive.

This saving equals the same emissions output by roughly 25,000 UK residents in one year.The fuel additive, Envirox™, which was developed by Oxford scientists, has seen a 5%

yearly decrease in fuel consumption and associated emissions. Stagecoach released the results as it confirmed a future three-year supply agreement for the Envirox™ fuel saving additive.

Robert Montgomery, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “Fuel is one of our biggest costs and these factors have a direct impact on the cost of travel for our customers.”

Bus fuel additives cut down on CO2

StaGECoaCh Group is among the top 10% of large companies in the uK for its performance in reducing the carbon emissions from its business, according to new Government figures.

Figures compiled as part of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme show that Stagecoach Group cut carbon emissions from its UK operations by 10% in 2011-12 compared to the previous year.

Stagecoach was ranked 157th out of nearly 2,100 organisations covered by the scheme.

Steven Stewart, Director of Communications for Stagecoach Group, said: “The latest significant reduction in our emissions reflects the hard work of our employees, from our bus and train drivers to our management teams.

“But we know we have further work to do and we are already developing plans for the next phase of our sustainability strategy.”

Top carbon performance

Travel award shortlist finalist

Sustainability winners

StaGECoaCh’S uK Bus division is a finalist in the 2013 Eurostar ashden awards for its ‘Where you want to be’ marketing campaign, encouraging car users to switch to public transport.

The direct marketing campaign uses postcode mapping to target people most likely to shift from car to bus or coach. Elaine Rosscraig, Stagecoach UK Bus Head of Customer Insight, said: “The project informs non-bus users of the advantages of travelling by bus and we have seen good results.”

CoaCh uSa Butler Motor transit goes the extra mile to be kind to the environment.

The company collects the plastic water bottles office staff empty and Melonie Magee from the Dispatch Department takes them home to recycle with her home garbage.

The team also collects waste paper products and takes them to a local school to be recycled, as well as saving local newspapers for bus cleaning staff to use as floor protectors when cleaning, thus giving them a second life. Butler Motor Transit facility also acts as a used oil collection location – staff burn used motor oil in their recycling furnaces during the winter months to keep the garage warm.

Finally, when lost property items are not claimed, the team gives them to charity and good causes wherever possible.

Melonie Magee loads up her car with recycling.

StaGECoaCh has been named as winner of the Sustainability award, for the second consecutive year, at the 2013 Scotland Plc awards.

Awarding the honour to Stagecoach, the judging panel stated that “Sustainability is clearly within the DNA of Stagecoach”.

Stagecoach Group Director of Communications Steven Stewart said: “Our staff are at the heart of making us a greener business and it’s great to see their efforts recognised through this award.”

StaGECoaCh is investing around £500,000 in three new hybrid vehicles for bus operations in aberdeen, with additional funding of £311,000 from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.

The three ADL Enviro 350H single-deck hybrid-electric vehicles – which produce up to 30% less emissions than standard buses – will run on a route within Aberdeen.

Stagecoach Regional Director for Scotland, Sam Greer, said: “We are a leading investor in low-carbon buses and we’re delighted to be ordering these vehicles, with support from the Scottish Government.”

Hybrid investment

New vehicles in a flash

StaGECoaCh has doubled the size of its electric hybrid fleet in Sheffield following the launch of 19 new vehicles.

The introduction of the new vehicles was celebrated with a day of green activities in the city. There was a chance to tour one of the new buses and members of the public were treated to a series of green-themed flash mob performances.

Meanwhile, Stagecoach in Sheffield was recently crowned winner of the Environmental Impact category at the Sheffield Business Awards held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

one of Stagecoach Bluebird’s existing hybrid buses.

the flash mob in action in Sheffield to promote the new hybrid buses.

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uk bus / north america

A tasty bite of promotion

Public relations success rewarded

A sad occasion Dan’s challenge

New coaches for North America

Top feature on the Today showMEGaBuS.CoM was recently featured on a slot on the today show, the daily

american morning tv programme on NBC. the show said megabus and other city-to-city low-fare express buses are growing in popularity.

"Travel is direct, city to city, no stops in between. It's super cheap and offers free Wi-Fi. There are a handful of $1 fares available on every trip so you really can go from Point A to Point B for $1," the show heard.

StaGECoaCh Group has confirmed a $20 million investment in a fleet of new coaches for its growing operations in North america.

The Group’s North America division is introducing a fleet of 51 state-of-the-art coaches in three subsidiaries based in Ohio, Chicago and New Jersey.

All of the new coaches have quieter, more fuel efficient engines. They will be equipped with three-point passenger seatbelts, wheelchair lifts, Wi-Fi, and power outlets. The coaches also have a host of safety features, including electronic stability control, tyre warning and fire suppression systems, and GPS tracking.

to build brand awareness of Coach uSa Lenzner Coach Line's daily Pittsburgh sightseeing services, Kathleen Nye, Lenzner tour & travel Manager, created the attention-grabbing Lenzner trolley tours “PittsBuRGhER" logo which is popular with visitors to the city.

Kathleen sporting a Lenzner PittsBuRGhER hat.

CoaCh uSa has received thanks for providing a vehicle to help a local community pay tribute to soldier Lance Corporal William taylor Wild Iv, who was killed in an explosion in Nevada.

The donation of a coach for Lance Corporal Wild’s interment was appreciated by the whole community, including his family.

StaGECoaCh co-founder and non-executive director ann Gloag oBE recently became recipient of the first Saint andrew's Society of New york Woman of the year Global award in recognition of her extensive charitable work in africa and around the world.

A share of the funds raised at the gala will go to support children's health at New York Presbyterian Hospital and The Royal Children's Hospital at Yorkhill in Glasgow, Scotland, renowned for its work with sick children, where Ann Gloag worked as a nurse in 1959.

Woman of the Year Award for co-founder Ann Gloag

CoaCh uSa and megabus.com uS PR agency hanser & associates recently won two Public Relations Mark of Excellence (PRIME) awards – in the Integrated Communication Campaign and Media Relations Program categories.

The awards – recognizing the media relations, social media, events and advertising that propelled the Texas Triangle expansion in 2012 – were presented by Public Relations Society of America (Des Moines chapter) at an annual awards banquet.

President of Hanser & Associates, Ronald Hanser said: “We are especially honoured by awards, presented by industry peers, recognizing our team’s work for our distinguished clients such as Coach USA.”the two recent awards.

ExEtER controller Dan hart is taking on a gruelling ultra Marathon challenge in June to raise money for the charity BlindveteransuK.

The course runs along 44 miles of the South West Coast path from the Lizard Point in Cornwall to Lands End.Donations can be made through Dan’s

Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Daniel-hart5

Dan has been training hard for his tough 44-mile ultra marathon through the dramatic Cornwall countryside.

Retirement for last Routemaster

thE last Routemaster bus built for London is heading for semi-retirement in Surrey when it begins a two-year loan to the London Bus Museum, based on the Brooklands Museum site near Weybridge.

The bus was built in 1968 and was first allocated to Upton Park garage but also spent time at Chalk Farm, Hanwell and Uxbridge garages. Over the years the bus has travelled extensively to bus rallies and special events.

8

on stage

NoRth East bus customer Sasha Moriz reaped the benefits of clicking online to purchase her seven-day Stage-coachSmart travel card after winning an iPad.

Dave Bambrough, Walkergate Depot Assistant Operations Manager, Stagecoach North East, commented: “We were delighted with the success of the campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of the many advantages of purchasing bus tickets online, such as the speed, savings and convenience.”

StaGECoaCh in Sheffield and Stagecoach Supertram provided support to the Star Walk at hillsborough Park, Sheffield.

The event aimed to raise over £150,000 for a statue in honour of women working in the city's steelworks over the two world wars.

Participants were allowed to purchase special £3 Sheffield bus & tram dayrider tickets for the day.

Star Walk for the steel women

SIoBhaN Belshaw, receptionist at Stagecoach East Midlands head office in Lincoln, recently undertook a bungee jump to raise more than £700 for the Children’s Brain tumour Research Centre.

Siobhan’s leap was in memory of Leah Brockbank, the daughter of Marketing Officer Louise Wright. Leah sadly passed away in January after a long battle with cancer.Money can still be pledged at www.

justgiving.com/leahbrockbank

Siobhan takes the plunge

MEGaBuS.CoM uS came up with a new marketing method – by sending boxes of cherry pies to 1,000 meeting planners in the Washington, DC area.

The pies went complete with flyers to inform and motivate meeting planners to list megabus.com on their convention websites as a safe, affordable way to travel to a DC convention, trade show or conference.

Cherry pies promotion Lucky win for Sasha

Exeter Travelshop wins award

StaGECoaCh Midlands Managing Director Steve Burd was the guest of honour as Wellingborough Museum staged a celebration marking a century of united Counties in Wellingborough, which is now part of Stagecoach uK Bus.

During the weekend event there were free bus rides around Wellingborough and buses were parked in front of the museum, where a special exhibition had been mounted.

the 1913 Leyland Bus originally used on service in Wellingborough.

StaGECoaCh South West has rebranded a network of coastal bus routes to appeal to both locals and holidaymakers.

Launching the new brand name – Hop – Managing Director Michelle Hargreaves said: “We really wanted to raise awareness of what a fantastic way it is to get around the English Riviera.

“However, we see Hop as much more than just a logo and a livery – it’s also about us finding ways to work with regional stakeholders to deliver something a little bit unexpected from a bus company.”

StaFF at Stagecoach South West's Exeter travelshop are celebrating winning the nationwide National Express award for Best Point of Sale 2012.

The busy Travelshop beat off competition from 3,500 agents, and staff were presented with a framed certificate and a large box of chocolates each.

Centenary celebrations on the buses

Travellers on the Hop

Managing Director Michelle hargreaves (black and white jacket) with colleagues and guests at the launch of the new hop brand.

Sasha received her prize from Dave Bambrough.

StaGECoaCh operations manager Richard tandy and driver Jane Dicker helped raise £1,000 for St Michael’s hospice by taking part in the hastings half Marathon.

The pair raised nearly £500 by taking part in the 13-mile run and Stagecoach doubled the amount.

Jane Dicker and Richard tandy.

Across the line

uk bus / north america

9

Charity fundraising

As always, our staff have been out raising money for worthy causes. Here is just a small selection of some of the activities employees took part in on Red Nose Day as well as some other impressive fundraising efforts.

In the driving seat

Red wig day

Raising cash

StaGECoaCh South Wales bus driver Lisa hewitt drove her bus in her pyjamas and a red wig all day to raise money for Comic Relief. Joined by her sister Jemma, they collected £525 from passengers, which Stagecoach matched to take the final total to £1050.

StaGECoaCh in Fife held an exciting driving challenge for the family and friends of company employees, raising more than £2000 for Comic Relief in the process.

The event was organised by the Aberhill and St Andrews depots in East Scotland and entrants were able to experience what it’s like to drive a double decker bus while following a planned, marked route, complete with obstacles.

StaFF at Stagecoach yorkshire swapped their work clothes for fancy dress – and some even swapped jobs for the day – to raise more than £500 for Comic Relief.

The cash was raised through a variety of activities including staff dyeing their hair, cake sales, fancy dress, job swapping and competitions on Red Nose Day.

Paul Lynch, Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director, said: “We’re so proud of the team’s efforts – from job swaps to ‘Superman’ dropping in at the depot, Red Nose Day at Stagecoach Yorkshire was varied to say the least!”

EMPLoyEES from South Western Railway Customer Service Centre in Southampton joined the Comic Relief fundraisers this year to ‘do something funny for money’ by styling some outrageous head gear in an effort to encourage donations from their customers.

Denise Van Outen and Kate Thornton also travelled on South West Trains accepting silly dares via Twitter in an effort to raise money for the cause.

Funny money for Comic Relief

StaGECoaCh Midlands recently helped Rugby-based community charity New Directions get online by purchasing much-needed additional computer equipment for its day care centre.

Steve Burd, Managing Director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: "We are delighted to support this very deserving project, which plays such a very important role in the local community.”MD Steve Burd presents the charity with a cheque for its computer equipment.

Charity gets online

Vintage reliefStaGECoaCh London put a vintage

London Routemaster bus (pictured) into service for Red Nose Day and collected £220 for Comic Relief through donations from passengers.

Lisa and Gemma in their PJs.

South yorkshire staff out and about on Red Nose Day.

A close shaveStaGECoaCh West Scotland held a

fundraising day at ayr depot to raise £800 for the ayrshire hospice. a number of drivers and depot staff dressed up and carried out their duties as a variety of characters such as Superman, Minnie Mouse etc. Driver Morris Johnson went as far as to do a sponsored head shaving!

Morris Johnson gets his head shaved for charity.

tv star Denise van outen gets acquainted with a South Western Railway employee.

Alan’s special dayaLaN Christie from PSv Claims

in Perth underwent a complete transformation into that of his alter ego 'alice' to raise money for Comic Relief.

His efforts raised more than £185 and helped Group HQ raise more than £700 in total for the charity. Thanks to everyone who donated.

alan Christie spent the day as ‘alice’ for Comic Relief.

Who are you? Martin Griffiths,

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive

What is the best thing about your

job? The people and the variety; no two

days are the same.What are your hobbies? Golf, football

and rugbyWhat was your first job? Managing a

sports shop, aged 16What is your favourite music?

Take ThatFavourite food? Indian

Favourite place? IslayWhat can’t you live without? My wife and kids (and my Blackberry!)What makes you angry? People who don’t make decisionsWhat’s the best advice you can give?

Tell it as it is

Double quickfire round – Martin GriffithsStagecoach Group Chief Executive

Gerry MadsenWest Coachlines, Inc, Sacramento, California

on stage

10

people page

Who are you? Gerry Madsen, Manager

of Safety and Training for All West

Coachlines, Inc Sacramento, California.

What do you like about your job? The

interaction with all levels of employees and

management, learning regulations and how

to comply with them within our scope of

work .What do you least like about your

job? The paperwork and keeping records.

I find myself forgetting steps and having to

go back to complete them.

Favourite tv show? Overhaulin – I’m

restoring a classic car, a 1972 El Camino ss,

and building a 1940 Mercury with my son.

Biggest achievement? Becoming a

certified SPAB (School Pupil Activity Bus)

instructor for the state of California.

Worst job? Being a janitor for a fast food

restaurant while in high school.

Most embarrassing

moment? When I

passed out cutting the

cord when my son

was born.Dream job? To build

classic cars full time.

Favourite animal?

Cats – they are independent like I am.

Most like to be stuck in a lift with?

Don Garlits (professional drag racer from

the 60s).

The Quickfire Round features in every

edition of On Stage and we want to hear

from as many staff as possible.

To suggest the next participant, email

lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com

Sarah moves on

Jim says goodbye

StaGECoaCh has announced a number of management appointments at its uK Bus division following the promotion of Stagecoach East Midlands Managing Director Gary Nolan to the role of Stagecoach uK Bus Regional Director North.

The announcement also follows the planned retirement of two regional bus company Managing Directors. Stagecoach South East Managing Director Paul Southgate and Charlie Mullen, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland, are both due to retire in October 2013.

The following appointments have been made:• Michelle hargreaves, currently Managing

Director, Stagecoach South West, has been appointed Managing Director, Stagecoach East Midlands, effective from 1 July 2013.

• Steve Walker, currently Managing Director, Stagecoach Highlands, will take on the role of

StaGECoaCh East Scotland’s operations Director Sarah Boyd (nee Longair) is to leave the company after over 10 years with Stagecoach.

Sarah joined the Stagecoach graduate programme in 2002, training in Fife, then carried out three years in Manchester before returning to West Scotland as Operations Director in 2006 and then continuing this position in East Scotland from June 2010.

Sarah, who lives in Edinburgh, will take up a new role with Lothian buses from June 2013.

CONTACTSEditor: Lindsay Reid, on Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 Dunkeld Road, Perth, Ph1 5tW

Email: lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com

www.stagecoach.com

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 Friday, 14 June, 2013.

StaGECoaCh West Scotland has bid farewell to driver James Mcallistair, who retired after 22 years with the company.

Jim is well known within the area and well liked by all staff. He is married to Kate and both are now happily retired. Everyone at the company wishes them well.

L-R: Edward hodgson, Managing Director; Kate and Jim Mcallister; hugh Fowler operations Manager.

UK Bus management appointmentsManaging Director, Stagecoach Bluebird in addition to his current post, from 1 June 2013, becoming Managing Director, Stagecoach North Scotland.

• andrew Jarvis, currently Managing Director, Stagecoach Bluebird, has been appointed Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland from 1 July 2013.

A recruitment process is now underway for the Managing Director posts at Stagecoach South West and Stagecoach South East. Stagecoach is also recruiting for a newly-created post of Operations Director for North Scotland as well as the Operations Director position at East Scotland, following the departure of Sarah Boyd.

Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery said: “I would like to congratulate Michelle, Andrew and Steve on their new appointments.”