Double success for Stagecoach at top bus industry awards

Stagecoach and Alexander Dennis awarded inaugural Green honour
London employee named Bus Engineer of the Year
Stagecoach is celebrating a double success at the 2011 Route One Operator Excellence Awards after winning two top honours.

The Perth-based transport group and Scottish vehicle manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) were jointly awarded the inaugural Green Award at the Birmingham ceremony, after leading the UK on the introduction of state-of-the-art green hybrid-electric buses which produce up to 30% less carbon emissions than conventional diesel vehicles.

And Stagecoach London Engineering Director Darren Roe scooped the Bus Engineer of the Year Award after impressing judges with his enthusiasm and dedication, as well as his ability to inspire others and to make significant improvements through simple but effective changes.

Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Les Warneford said: “To win two such high-profile awards is very pleasing. Darren’s professionalism and dedication, as well as the enthusiasm he shows when teaching others, make him a very worthy winner.

“We are working hard to become a greener business in a number of ways, including the introduction of low-emissions vehicles, so we are delighted that our efforts, and those of ADL, have been recognised in this way. We look forward to attracting even more people on to our greener, smarter bus services.”

Government figures published earlier this year confirmed that Stagecoach Group is leading the way on investing in new greener buses using state-of-the-art hybrid electric technology.

Market-leading British bus manufacturer ADL and BAE Systems provide the technology behind the new low carbon buses, which also feature an innovative regenerative braking system, with many of the vehicles being built at ADL's manufacturing plant in Falkirk, Scotland.

Colin Robertson, Chief Executive of ADL, added: “We are delighted to have won this prestigious award. It recognises the progress we have made in establishing ADL as Europe’s leading supplier of hybrid-electric vehicles, while also acknowledging that our technology is reliable, easily maintained and delivers what it promises – improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Together, ADL and Stagecoach have gone a long way towards demonstrating that these are the vehicles of the future. Over 200 ADL hybrids are now operating in the UK and Continental Europe with a further 150 due for delivery in the next 12 months.”   

In the past year, Stagecoach has ordered 142 green hybrid electric buses at a cost of £26.9million. The transport group has committed to invest £23.5million in 123 of the new buses for England, with a further £11million of funding coming from the Government’s Green Bus Fund.

A total of 26 ADL Enviro E400 hybrid buses are now in operation in Oxford with a further 30 already serving passengers in Manchester. In addition, 21 of the state-of-the-art vehicles went into service in Sheffield last month, and 26 went into operation in Newcastle this month. An additional 20 ADL Enviro E400 buses have also been ordered for Manchester.

Furthermore, in Scotland, Stagecoach has ordered 19 hybrid buses, at a total cost of £5.3million, to go into service in Perth and Aberdeen. Stagecoach is investing £3.5million in the new vehicles and will receive an award of around £1.8million in support funding from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund. The new Enviro 350 hybrid vehicles will also be manufactured by ADL and are expected to go into service in the summer of 2012.

Stagecoach has a comprehensive sustainability strategy and is investing £11million in a range of measures to meet its environmental targets. The Group is targeting an overall reduction of 8% in buildings CO2 emissions and a cut of 3% in annual fleet transport CO2 emissions by 2014.

Last year, Stagecoach Group was awarded the prestigious Carbon Trust Standard after taking action on climate change by measuring and reducing its carbon emissions. Stagecoach is the first Scottish-based transport group - and one of only two listed UK public transport operators - to have achieved the stretching carbon reduction benchmark. It covers all of the Group’s bus and rail operations in the UK.

Stagecoach Group won the Travel and Transport Award at the 2010 Green Business Awards. In addition, in July this year, Stagecoach was Highly Commended as Company of the Year at the inaugural BusinessGreen Leaders Awards.