SWT’s newall-weathertrack

Welcometo thePendolino

The newspaper of

Stagecoach Group

Issue 50

Spring 2003

Welcometo yournew-lookOn StageOn Stage has a bright newlook for its 50th edition – andwe hope you like it!

There’s now more of anewspaper feel to thepublication with our tabloid-style format.

But you will still find thewide range of interestingstories and features aboutwhat is happening across theGroup.

In this edition, you cancatch up on some of thesterling work Stagecoachemployees are doing incommunities across theglobe.

You can read about hownew simulators at South WestTrains are training drivers tocope with extreme weatherconditions, plus get a closeup view of the first of VirginTrains’ state-of-the artPendolino trains to go intoservice.

As you can see from ourfront page, we also have apositive update on the KickStart proposal to pump-prime UK bus services.

Please write in and tell uswhat you like and what youdon’t like about your new-look On Stage.

We are also interested tohear your views on whatyou’d like to see included infuture. Just write to me at theaddress inside at the bottomof Page 2.

I look forward to hearingyour views.

Steve StewartEditor

The UK Government has expressed support forStagecoach’s Kick Start proposal to developmarginal bus services.

On Stage reported recently (Issue 49) that a proposalfor pump-priming to fund uneconomic bus services hadbeen sent to Ministers following the success of a similarinitiative in New Zealand and a pilot project in Perth,Scotland.

Now Transport Minister John Spellar has said hisofficials are working on the details of a Kick Start initiativeand funding could be earmarked for pilot projects later thisyear.

Mr Spellar told members of the Bus Partnership Forum:“One of the aspects which I am keen to see encouraged isgiving more scope for pump priming services, whichrequire assistance in their initial stages, but offer goodprospects for longer-term viability. You will be aware ofthe Kick Start concept.

“This concept fits in rather well with our ownobjectives. I would like to see it embrace proposals whichbring new services to the point where they can take theirplace under normal local authority subsidy arrangements,as well as those which will become part of the commercialnetwork in due course.”

Transport officials at the Scottish Executive have visitedPerth to look at the results of the pilot project, developedover the past three years, and are also actively consideringthe Stagecoach proposal.

In Perth, Kick Start-style funding meant Stagecoach wasable to double the frequency of the service, introduce newlow-floor buses and deploy an innovative marketingstrategy. Combined with a range of pro-bus measuresintroduced by the local authority, passenger numbers grewby 56% in just two years.

Stagecoach has estimated that a £140 million nationalfund could deliver 2% passenger growth per annum acrossthe whole UK bus network over a three-year period.

Kick Start has received widespread support frompoliticians and senior figures within the bus industry.

Chris Moyes, President of the Confederation ofPassenger Transport, told trade magazine Transit: “It’s agood way of building up the sort of services that arerelevant to the current market.”

Government backingfor Kick Start scheme

It’s the new B&B – bus and breakfast!Hostesses are serving complimentary

breakfast buns and juice on theCumbernauld to Glasgow express to helpease passengers into the working day.

Passengers can listen to the radio duringthe 30-minute journey and there are alsodownstairs tables on the modern doubledeckers for business travellers looking tocatch up on some paperwork.

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive BrianSouter, who launched the new improvedservice in Cumbernauld, said: “Stagecoach iswell known for giving passengers that littlebit extra, so we decided to make life easierand taking the bus more attractive byoffering a light morning snack and a morecomfortable travelling environment. It reallyis the fast, easy and relaxing way to get towork.”

Relax in the rush hour

Flashback to the last edition of On Stage.

Brian samples the morning fayre served by Hostess Lee-Anne Cairns.

2

Citybus is helping strengthen NewZealand’s fleet.

The Hong Kong-based operator isshipping out some more of its Volvo B6buses as there is an urgent need for moresingle deck buses to operate on new Kiwicontracts.

They are the remaining buses in thePlaxton-bodied series which were new in1996.

However, because New Zealand needs

two-door buses, these had to be convertedby putting in a rear exit door as well asstrengthening the rear window pillars tomeet the country’s ‘roll over’ requirement.

Other work to prepare the buses forservice includes heaters for the mainsaloon and demisters for the frontwindscreen.

The buses have also been kitted out inthe Stagecoach New Zealand livery inCitybus’s Siu Ho Wan paint shop.

ContactsThe Editor, On Stage, Stagecoach Group, 10 DunkeldRoad, Perth PH1 5TW.Tel: +44 (0)1738 442111, Fax: +44 (0)1738 580407

www.stagecoachgroup.comIf you have a story for On Stage please get in touch withyour local contact below.

Stagecoach Group Steven Stewart 01738 642040

UK BusStagecoach East Scotland Lisa McCloy 01592 261461Stagecoach West Scotland Emma Howat 01292 613515Stagecoach North East Paul de Santis 0191 566 0209Stagecoach North West Colin Nicholson 01772 255752Stagecoach Manchester Karen Best 0161 276 2727Stagecoach East Midlands Phil Cartwright 01246 222018Stagecoach South Midlands David Whitley 01865 716030Stagecoach East Philip Norwell 01604 676060Stagecoach West & Wales Stephen Evans 01291 623565Stagecoach London Benjamin Franklin 020 8477 7249Stagecoach South East Helen Martin 01243 536161Stagecoach South Helen Martin 01243 536161 Stagecoach South West Mark Whittle 01392 889747

National Transport Tokens Sajda Khan 01254 680180

UK RailSouth West Trains Kathryn Rowe 0207 620 5238Island Line Stephen Wade 01983 812591Stagecoach Supertram Julia Shaw 0114 2759888

OverseasCoach USA Patty Kalich 001 713 860 1763Hong Kong Citybus Lyndon Rees 00 852 29634888New Zealand Dennis Elliot 00 649 309 3500

On Stage is published four times a year.Advertising connected directly or indirectly with Stagecoach is

accepted. Charitable adverts will be included without charge, otherwise

rates on request.On Stage is distributed free to Stagecoach staff. Public

subscriptions are available at £12 for one year or £20 for two years.Cheque payable to Stagecoach Group plc at the editorial address.The Editor is unable to enter into individual correspondenceconcerning the affairs of The Stagecoach Group.

Designed by Catchline PR and Communications, Scotland.

These are uncertain times forbusinesses across the globe. Manylarge companies, regardless of thesector in which they operate, are beinghit hard by the downturn.

It’s also an uncertain time forpeople generally, with daily stories inthe media of job losses, lower returnson savings and worries over the stateof pension funds.

These issues will inevitably createanxiety among the people who workfor our business too, but I believethere is good reason at Stagecoach tosee a silver lining. Since I took up thepost of Group Chief Executive on afull-time basis in December, I haveseen many reasons to be optimisticabout the future of our business.

We are seeing steady performanceand growth in our operations despitethe worldwide economic slowdown.

In the United States, as you know,we are working hard on our 12 to 18-month strategy to restructure CoachUSA. The delivery of that plan isongoing and I am pleased we arebeginning to see a recovery ofrevenue.

We are also looking at areas wherewe can grow our North Americanbusiness. It is also heartening to see acontinuing trend of growth in thePacific Rim, particularly in NewZealand.

I can see many new opportunitiesto grow our UK Bus business and,over the course of the coming year, weare planning to launch someinnovative and exciting products. Weare also pleased to see that our KickStart proposal to pump-prime new busservices in the UK has been picked upby the UK Government and has alsointerested the Scottish Executive.

We are placing new bus orders thatdemonstrate our ongoing commitmentto investing in services for ourcustomers. One of the latest orders tobe put into service is a consignment of40 articulated vehicles that will run inthe West End of London.

In total, we have introducedaround 100 extra vehicles to meet theextra demand generated bycongestion charging in London.

In the provincial bus companiesthere are many opportunities fororganic growth and we are earmarkingalmost 200 new vehicles to developservices in the next 12 months.

But there is one reason above allwhy I’m enjoying my job and thechallenges it presents. As I travelaround I am impressed with the coreof good people we have in our depotsacross the globe and there is anamazing amount of goodwillassociated with the Stagecoach name,which gives me strong confidence forthe future.

Brian SouterGroup Chief Executive

Moving forward

From Citybus with love…

Customer knowledgegood for businessSophisticated research

techniques pioneered by

the retail industry are

being used by Stagecoach UK

Bus to attract more people to

public transport.Known as geo-demographics, it

uses lifestyle information fromsources such as the census andeconomic trends data tounderstand more about ourcustomers and how they makedecisions.

Retailers such as Marks andSpencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’shave made effective use of thesetechniques for some time, butStagecoach is pioneering theirapplication in the bus industry.

It’s based on the concept that“birds of a feather flock together”

and means that customers can beprofiled, segmented and targetedon a geographical basis.

The UK Busresearch anddevelopment teamhas used this kindof data to tailordirect marketingcampaigns acrossthe country – andthe results havealready beenimpressive.

In Perth andGrimsby, between7% and 9% ofcustomers targetedhave switched to the bus, wellabove the 2% conversion rateexpected for these campaigns.

Elaine Rosscraig, Research and

Development Manager atStagecoach UK Bus, said: “Thebenefits of using this system

cannot beunderestimated.It can enables t r a t e g i cadvantage andhelp the businessachieve its goalof organicgrowth.”

S i m i l a rtechniques arebeing used tobuild up a profileof the typical busdriver to help

with recruitment. In the South Midlands, this

approach was used to identify thepostal sectors that had the highest

number of people matching thedriver profile. The information willthen be used to develop a tailoreddirect marketing recruitmentcampaign.

Research data has also beenused in Manchester to makedecisions on marketing investment.Six routes were analysed toidentify the growth potential anddecide where the maximum returnon investment would be achieved.

Elaine added: “Using geo-demographics means that seniormanagers can make more informeddecisions because they know somuch more about their customerbase. Sometimes it will confirmwhat they already believe fromtheir own experience, but it canalso give valuable new insightsinto how our customers tick.”

“The benefits ofusing this system

cannot beunderestimated.”

Elaine Rosscraig

Spring 2003

Transformed for transit – before (left) and after shots of the NZ-bound buses.

3

Hero Stagecoach bus driver RayRaynsford has given his daughter thegift of life by donating the kidney shedesperately needed.

The Raynsford family wasdevastated when Christine sufferedkidney failure seven years ago.

She found out about her conditionby chance after becoming pregnantwith her daughter, Bethany, nowseven.

Christine got progressively weakeras Bethany grew up and becamedesperately ill two years ago, whendoctors told her she would need atransplant, and she was placed on adonor waiting list.

Ray (55), a driver for StagecoachNorth East for over 20 years,immediately stepped forward tovolunteer for a test and wasdiscovered to be a match.

“I’ve looked after Christine all herlife. As soon as I found out I couldgive her a kidney, I didn’t hesitate,”he said.

Surgeons at Newcastle’s FreemanHospital carried out the operationusing pioneering keyhole techniquesinvolving a camera inserted through asmall hole in the abdomen.

The surgery was a huge successand both Ray and Christine have onlythree-inch scars to show for the life-saving operation.

Christine (32), who is now lookingforward to a bright future with herown daughter, said: “My dad hasalways been my hero but this hasmade me realise just how lucky I am.”

Quick-thinkinghonoured by Coach USA

Hero driversavesdaughter

A Coach USA driver, whose quickthinking probably saved the life of aninjured pedestrian, has been givenspecial recognition by the company.

Chloe Miles spotted a man in theroad as the bus she was drivingapproached a crosswalk in Durham,North Carolina.

Chris Tiffany, who had beenknocked down by a car, said: “I waslying in the street, unable to move andunable to raise my arm to warn offoncoming traffic.”

But Chloe pulled her bus into theintersection and was able to act as abarrier to stop any other motoristsrunning Chris over.

Chris added: “She had the presenceof mind to stop the bus and protect mefrom the traffic. It prevented a seriouspedestrian injury becoming a fatality.”

Coach USA runs transit services onbehalf of the City of Durham and, at ameeting of the Durham Area TransitAuthority (DATA) a few months ago,Chloe was presented with a certificate ofrecognition.

Thomas Hartley, Coach USA/DATAGeneral Manager, said Chloe’s actionsshowed a real concern for “the welfareof fellow citizens”.

A drive to recruit more staff inNew Zealand’s North Shore Citygot off to a sparkling start.

Stagecoach’s Training andHR staff used the specialStarship New Zealand HospitalBus to display employmentdetails and job vacancies tovisitors at the popular ‘NorthShore Home and GardenShow’.

Staged in the North ShoreEvents Centre, the occasion

proved successful with anumber of prospective newdrivers being interviewed.

The North Shore Depotoperates 106 buses in NewZealand’s fourth largest city,home to nearly 200,000residents.

It is one of seven Stagecoachdepots in the Auckland Regionwhich, in total, serves apopulation of more than onemillion people.

Starship promotion takes off

HappyStagecoach staffaboard theStarship HospitalBus. Picturedfrom left,CryssieRavenscroft-Mawhinney, LesHunt, KirstenPatterson andBryce Steedman.

A fire engine isn’t anormal acquisition for abus company – butCitybus has just addedone to its fleet.

It bought theappliance from the HongKong government at apublic auction withCitybus dismantling allthe equipment andrepainting it in standardlivery to give it a freshnew look.

The vehicle is nowbeing used for themaintenance of theoverhead trolleybuswires on the test track inWong Chuk Hang in theSouthern district ofHong Kong Island.

Bell of thefleet!

Spring 2003

The new addition to theCitybus fleet, complete

with its new look

UK Bus sets the leadin wooing customersArange of new products and

services is expected to be

rolled out by the UK Bus

division later this year as

Stagecoach continues to set an

industry lead in developing fresh

initiatives.Many of the plans involve

harnessing new technology andinnovative marketing techniques toimprove services and attract newcustomers to the benefits oftravelling by bus.

Work on the plans is being drivenby the Perth-based businessdevelopment team within UK Bus,which is looking to devise morecost-effective ways of deliveringmarketing, retailing, branding andinformation provision.

Projects being developed include:

•national roll-out in theautumn of the Unirider

internet sales system,following significant r e c e n tsuccess in targeting students inManchester. A small-scalepilot, involving a number ofUK Bus companies, is alsoplanned in the Easter term

•discussions with localauthorities to assess furthersuitable bus routes for a KickStart approach similar to thatused on Route 7 in Perth

•a new telemarketing initiativein Hartlepool followingsuccessful trials in Perth andGrimsby

•work with local authorities toassess the potential benefits ofreal time information systems

•a planned summer launch ofnew internet-based products

•a partnership with otheroperators and Travelineregions for a comprehensivenationwide text-messagingscheme for bus users

•detailed market researchand analysis to identify areasof the country with thegreatest potential for newbusiness, particularly locationshistorically not well served bybuses.

A number of new initiatives arecurrently ‘under wraps’ asimplementation details are finalisedfor commercial trials later in theyear.

But the plan is for staff affectedby the new initiatives in theiroperating areas to be fully involvedin planning for the successfulimplementation of the projects.

Paul Bunting, Business

Development Director forStagecoach UK Bus, said: “The paceof new business developmentactivity has quickened significantlyover the past few months.

“We are looking at new ideas tocomplement conventional busservices and, like most othersuccessful companies, we areexploring the benefits of moderntechnology, such as the internet.

“However, we have to keep inmind that the focus for everyoneremains the day-to-day delivery ofsafe, reliable, clean and value-for-money services.

“The business development teamis here to keep a clear view on thefuture shape of the business andensure these services remainrelevant to the needs of our localcommunities.”

Watch out for updates on the newprojects in the next issue ofOn Stage.

4

Rain, sleet or snow, South West

Trains drivers are going to be up

to the job without even getting

into a cab.They are now able to experience

dealing with all weather conditionsthanks to new simulators in a£1.5million operations trainingcentre.

The new Basingstoke trainingcentre houses four state-of-the-artsimulators which are part of thecompany’s ongoing commitment toinvestment in staff training.

The fully-functional cab replicasof the new Desiro trains allow driversto experience driving in a range ofsevere weather conditions includingsnow and ice.

They can also replicate conditionsduring signalling failures, loss ofbrake systems and on-boardpassenger alarm calls.

Strategic Rail Authority ChairmanRichard Bowker, who officiallyopened the new centre, stepped intothe hot seat to try out one of thesimulators.

He said: “This substantialinvestment in staff and facilities isreally good news. These newsimulators mean that South West

Trains drivers will be fully preparedfor all possible track conditions,making for more efficient and morecomfortable journeys forpassengers.”

South West Trains employees havealready given the simulators thethumbs-up.

Daniel Smart, a train driver basedat Staines station, said: “I wasextremely impressed by the modernset-up of the simulators and as adriver found them to be very life-like.Nothing had been overlooked, evento the point that I found myselfwaiting for a small jolt as the trainstopped.”

Initially, the simulators will beused to train existing drivers for thenew Desiro trains and will then beintegrated into basic training for newdrivers as part of ongoing refreshersessions.

The four simulators cost a total of£1.1 million, which is included withinthe overall £1.5 million cost ofdeveloping the new training centre.

Their advanced communicationssystem will allow joint safetyexercises with Network Railsignallers to be carried out.

They have been constructed by a

subsidiary of Siemens, using realtrain equipment and modifiedsoftware, and will be maintainedby Siemens staff from NorthamDepot as part of the trainmaintenance contract.

Stewart Palmer, South WestTrains Operations Director,added: “We select and train ourdrivers ourselves and are

delighted to be opening thisdedicated training centre at theheart of our network. Thesimulators use the latesttechnology and provide a realisticexperience of driving the newDesiro trains. We plan to put1,000 drivers through thesimulator training over the nexttwo years.”

South Westlaunchesall-weatherindoor track

SRA Chairman RichardBowker inside the

simulator for the newDesiro trains (below).

A lovingly restored 1968 bus in oldEast Kent company livery is nowavailable free for community orcharity events.

The AEC double decker, one ofthe last front engine buses built foruse in the UK, can be hired withoutcharge for public and charity eventswithin the Kent and East Sussexregion.

During the festive season, driverPaul Houselander even donned atraditional Father Christmas costumeand was regularly spotted aroundthe Folkestone area in thedistinctive cream and red vehicle.

Jeremy Cooper, OperationsManager for Stagecoach at Ashford& Folkestone, says that anyoneinterested in using the bus at an

event should contact him to discussthe opportunity.

“We are keen to help organisersof events in the area,” he said.

“We know the bus started itsworking life as a mobile publicityvehicle before working onpassenger routes so it seems onlyright to let it do its original job onceagain.”

Community benefits from restored bus

Driver PaulHouselanderwith thehire-for-free1968 AECEast Kentbus.

Stagecoach West has given itstraining buses a fresh look to helpattract new drivers.

Training Co-ordinator AlanDigweed, who was behind the ideafor a new livery, hopes the eye-catching colour will support the on-going recruitment advertising drive.

A further five vehicles in the

Stagecoach West fleet are expectedto get a similar makeover in thecoming months.• Our photograph showscoachbuilder Jason Freeman (left),from Cheltenham, and Gloucesterdepot painter Andy Peckham who,along with Tony Maunder havemade the project a reality.

Fresh look at training

Stagecoach has invested £6.5m in anew state-of-the-art bus depot on theoutskirts of Newcastle.

A fleet of around 130 vehicles fromthe Stagecoach North East operationwill be based at the depot on a 5.5-acre brown field site at Walkergate.Constructed over nine months, thesteel posted frame facility replacesformer premises at Byker and vehiclesat the base will cover services inNewcastle.

The new depot features a 31,000sq ft workshop with 10 pits and isalso equipped with a full MOTfacility. There is also a 6,400 sq ftservice lane building as well as adouble bus wash and chassis cleaningramp.

John Conroy, Managing Director ofStagecoach North East, said: “Ournew state-of-the-art depot will make asignificant difference to our operationand the service we are able to provideto our customers in Newcastle.”

The Walkergate depot wasofficially opened by Brian Souter,Chief Executive, Stagecoach Group;Danny Marshall, Chairman of Tyneand Wear Passenger TransportAuthority; and Mike Parker, Director-General, Nexus.

The main contractor for theWalkergate project was C SpencerLtd., of Barrow in Humber.

Stagecoachinvests £6.5min new NorthEast bus depot

Driving schoolnow in placeA new dedicated training school inRugby is set to boost the developmentof drivers at Stagecoach SouthMidlands.

Trainee drivers in Leamington Spa,Nuneaton and Rugby previously hadto travel to Oxford for their classroominstruction.

But now they will have a newfacility on their doorstep with facilitiesfor up to six drivers at any one time.

Expert help is also on hand fromclassroom instructors Bob Page andMick Copson, driving instructors BarryCooper and Andy Johnson, andcompany driving examiner RobAverre.

Training Officer Peter Hunt said theinvestment in the new facility wouldprovide a uniform standard of trainingacross the area and more flexibility forthe three training vehicles.

Spring 2003

Passengers travelclub class

5

When Annette Oxley travels on the 205 buson a Monday morning she doesn’t havetime to look out of the window and watch

the world go by.Annette, from Dane Bank, spends the time chatting

to her friends and catching up on events from theweekend. And no, she is not on her mobile talkingloud enough for everyone to hear, she is talking to thegroup of friends she has made whilst travelling on thebus.

The ‘205 Club’, which is its unofficial name wasformed in 1984 when a group of women travellingbetween Dane Bank, Gorton and Manchester firststarted chatting on the bus.

Now, in 2003, the club has 17 regular memberswho extend their friendship further than the journey.The group members, who always sit at the back of thebus, regularly go on nights out and have evenattended each other’s weddings.

Annette, who was one of the original members andorganises the social events, believes everyone whogets a bus should bite the bullet and start talking tothe regular passengers.

She said: “We are not just nameless travellersgoing to work but good and supportive friends. Ourjourneys to and from work can really make thedifference between having a good day and being in agood mood and having a really awful day. We cheereach other up, advise each other, talk about TVprogrammes and generally have fun together. We areeven planning to start a social fund so that we cansave up and go for longer trips together.

“The number of women has changed over theyears with some of the original members moving toother areas or changing jobs but we still keep intouch.”

Stagecoach Manchester is giving the ‘205 club’ acheque for £50 towards the social fund as a thank youto the loyalty, enthusiasm and suggestions of themembers of the club.

Karen Best, Marketing Manager for StagecoachManchester, said: “I think it is fantastic that a groupof people start talking on a bus and the friendshipformed has lasted over 19 years. This demonstratesthat travelling by bus does not have to be about justgetting from A to B.”

Supertram has helped a localcommunity project celebrate a majormilestone.

The project is well on its way toraising enough funds to build aresources centre for the needy andhomeless in Sheffield.

Sheffield Cathedral is planning tobuild the new centre alongside thechurch, offering hot meals, washingfacilities, medical care, social andrecreational opportunities plus access toonline training and education.

Now the fund-raising appeal hasbroken through the £4.5million mark –and Sheffield Supertram got in on theact to help with the celebrations.

Passengers on one of the company’strams were treated to a traditional NewOrleans Parade Band as the Dean of theCathedral and the guest of honour, theLady Lord Mayor, were transported instyle to the celebrations at the Cathedral.

The Dean, the very Reverend MichaelSadgrove, wrote to Supertram to thankthe company for its help.

“Your support in providingsponsorship is very much appreciated,”he said. “So many people havecontributed their time, skills, goodhumour and resourcefulness to whatwas a very special morning in the life ofthe Cathedral and an importantlandmark in the progress of thecampaign.”

The fund-raising work is not over yet– at least another million pounds isneeded for the Cathedral ResourcesCentre become a reality.

Studentstoast newnight buses

Supertram helps mark fund-raising appeal milestone

Hitting the right note: Supertram taking part in the Cathedral appeal.

A miniature railway is receiving help tomaximise its number of visitors.

The popular adult, child and familycombined tickets for Stagecoach South Eastbus travel to the Romney, Hythe andDymchurch Railway are to continue.

Last year hundreds of passengers used thetickets to travel from Maidstone, Ashford,Canterbury, Rye and other areas to visit theminiature mainline railway that this yearcelebrates 75 years since the Dungenessextension.

Jeremy Cooper, Stagecoach’s Ashford &Folkestone Operations Manager, says he ispleased that the combined ticket system has

worked so well since it was set up betweenthe railway and the bus operator in March2001.

He has been associated with the railwaysince working at St. Mary’s Bay station duringsummer breaks from university.

Now, he joins a team of volunteers to helpman the signal boxes at weekends, helping tokeep the fleet of 11 steam and two dieseltrains running along the 14 miles of 15-inchgauge track between Hythe and Dungeness.

“We expect the bus link will play animportant part in transporting visitors to theunique attraction during the 75thanniversary year,” said Jeremy.

Train driver Jon Emmins (left) with the 1925 Loco No1 Green Goddess and Jeremy Cooper with one of Stagecoach’s LeylandOlympian buses.

Maximum support for miniature railway

Stagecoach New Zealand is givingapprentices a great start to theircareers.

Its three-year apprenticeship at itsworkshops is helping people gainknowledge, skills and expertise in thetrade of their choice.

The trainees complete a range ofassignments, learning fromsupervisors and hands-on experience,before completing written andpractical tests.

Auckland’s North Shore DepotManager Dick Andrews is full ofsupport for the scheme whichbenefits both apprentices and

established members of staff.He said: “The apprentices gain

skills which are transferable intomany aspects of their life and, if theydemonstrate the commitment tolearning a trade and put in the hours,they can become a valuable asset tothe company.

“Workshop staff also enjoy thesatisfaction of being able to pass ontheir knowledge and being able tomake a difference to another person’sdevelopment.”

Grant Perigo is just one of the newapprentices who is benefiting fromthe company’s scheme.

He is an auto electrician apprenticeat the Shore Depot and has beenteamed up with an experiencedmember of staff to learn the basicsand routine maintenance. The job isan opportunity for Grant to combinehis love of computers and cars with avery ‘hands-on’ occupation.

Tim Cropp has been an apprenticecoachbuilder at the Shore Depot formore than 18 months and is enjoyingthe creativity and variety of his role.Any skills he can’t get withStagecoach are met by sending him toget experience with anotheremployer.

NZ on the right road with apprenticeships

Stagecoach played its part inmaking it a great day out forhundreds of youngsters by providingtransport to a special pantomime inGlasgow.

Staff from auditorsPricewaterhouseCoopers put on fourperformances of Beauty and the Beastover two days and Stagecoach helpedbus in hundreds of children fromprimary schools, children’s homesand Scottish charities.

A cast of 100PricewaterhouseCoopers staff starredin the hit show at the MitchellTheatre, which was also relayed liveby satellite link to hospitals and othervenues. Behind the scenes workincluded the creation of the set and 48days worth of rigging and de-riggingso the show could go on.

Panto day outfor pupils

Spring 2003

On the right road – Grant (left) and Tim pictured at the North Shore Depot.

New late night buses provided byStagecoach have given a boost to thevibrant nightlife in Cheltenham.

The new N10 route – and anextension to the existing N94 – nowgive many of Gloucester’s estates adirect link to Cheltenham and areproving popular with students fromthe University of Gloucester.

Thousands of drinks mats wereproduced and distributed aroundnightclubs to promote the newroutes.

The latest initiative builds on thesuccess of the existing Friday andSaturday night service linkingCheltenham and Gloucester.

6

The first of state-of-the-artPendolino Trains has goneinto scheduled passenger

service.Passengers travelling on an early

morning service from ManchesterPiccadilly to London Euston enjoyed thecomfort of a brand new £11m train.

Virgin Trains, 49% owned by StagecoachGroup, is delivering one of the biggestinvestments in rail travel the UK has seen.

Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson,who boarded the City of Manchester trainbefore it headed south on its 189-milejourney to London, said: “I have waited fiveyears for the Pendolino to enter passengerservice and I am veryproud to be travellingwith the first customersand staff.”

A fleet of 53Pendolinos, built byALSTOM, will soon beregularly linkingLondon Euston toManchester, Liverpool,the West Midlands andGlasgow over the WestCoast Main Line.

On VirginCrossCountry, timetablechanges have beenagreed with theStrategic Rail Authorityto help develop theservice and improveperformance.

The restructuringwill be completed on May 18 with morecomprehensive alterations to the service tomaintain frequency on core routes and toprovide more seats on principal long-distance trains for the summer.

To provide more seats between Scotlandand the West Country, six High Speed

UK’s first goes into s

...and the food isMenus have had a makeover for firstand standard class customers using thePendolino to match the new-looktrains, combining innovative featureswith popular traditional elements.

In first class, the weekday menu isnow split into five specific times,reflecting customers’ eatingrequirements during the day. It offerseveryone much more choice, frombutties and continental pastries atbreakfast and brunch to filled rolls atlunch, late afternoon ‘nibbles’ andlight snacks, and a new evening ‘Clip’Box with four separate food itemsalong with alcohol, soft drinks and atea and coffee service.

The entire first class menu cycle,including vegetarian option, will berotated every two weeks. All food anddrink served in first class continues tobe complimentary.

Pendolino trains feature an on-

Customers using theOxford Tube have given it amassive vote of confidence.

A recent survey hasshown that more than 90%of those interviewed weresatisfied with the service.

Independent researchfound that 96% ofcustomers were satisfiedwith the premier serviceoverall, there was 99%satisfaction with the route,98% backed the frequencyand 96% were happy withthe reliability.

Four out of fivecustomers also rated theOxford Tube good value formoney.

Marketing ManagerDavid Whitley said: “This isthe highest rating theresearchers have ever comeacross for a publictransport service.

“The research has givenus a good insight into ourcustomer base and how itperceives the Oxford Tubeservice, but we are far fromcomplacent. We will belooking at how we canimprove the service stillfurther.”

The Oxford Tube, whichuses distinctively brandeddouble decker vehicles, hasa 1 hr 45 min journey timefrom Oxford to London.

Public givesOxford Tubethumbs-up

“I have wyears for th

to enter pservice anproud to b

with thcustomers

Sir Richa

Stagecoach Manchester haslaunched its new Megaridercampaign, ‘Poetry inMotion’.

Manchester poet, writerand broadcaster LemnSissay is the face of thecampaign and has twospecial ly-commissionedpoems on display insidethe buses.

The campaign invitescustomers to collect theirused Megarider tickets andexchange them against 12agreed special offers and arange of holiday and traveloptions.

To promote thecampaign, StagecoachManchester had a four-week advertising campaignwhich involved setting up acustomer helpline andprinting special ticketbacks.

The aim of the campaignwas to raise awareness ofthe Megarider brand andboost ticket sales.

Manchester’sMegaridermega-deals

Revolution

Spring 2003

7

Pendolinoservice

s first class tooboard shop positioned so thatstandard class passengers are nevermore than two or three carriages walkaway. The self-service layout in theshop now offers a wider range of itemsbeyond the traditional lightrefreshments.

Games, disposable cameras,magazines, books and popular musicCDs, as well as toiletries, are all part ofan expanding retail range. The rangeof food and drink has also expandedwith upmarket sandwiches, bagels andciabatta.

Philippa Cresswell, Virgin TrainsDirector, Service Development andImplementation, said: “The new foodoffer for both first and standard classpassengers is all about choice andquality. We have listened carefully towhat our customers want and believethere is now something for every tastewithin the new range.”

Virgin Trains has beaten Eurostar and Heathrow Express to win first prize for itsstate-of-the-art Voyager and Pendolino trains in the Rail Network category of theprestigious national Business Travel World Awards 2003.

The judges, who were unanimous in their decision, felt Virgin Trains hadcontinued to improve and was now, in the words of one judge, “spearheading changein the industry”.

In its submission, Virgin Trains gave examples of train safety improvements suchas high visibility exterior doors and safety instructions in Braille.

Award-winning serviceSir Richard atthe start of hisjourney on thePendolino and(below) enjoyingthe first classfayre!

Trains (HSTs) will be retained andlengthened to supplement Voyager capacity.

In addition, formations of the busiesttrains between Scotland and the WestCountry via Preston will be doubled to eightcoaches.

Passenger volumes on VirginCrossCountry have shot up by 40%,compared with last year, following theintroduction, in September, of therestructured and high frequency serviceprovided by high-quality Voyager trains.

The new timetable changes, part of amove to refocus CrossCountry as a longdistance rather than regional and localpassenger operation, should resolve theproblems of cancellations, overcrowding

and poor punctuality. Voyager trains have

proved to be more thantwice as reliable as theirpredecessors but needtheir planned qualitymaintenance time tokeep them on top form.

Meanwhile, VirginTrains has starteda crew trainingprogramme which willsee some 180 driversqualified to drive Class221 Super Voyagers intilting mode onThames Valley routeCrossCountry servicesby September this year.

The four-daycourses begin withclassroom and

simulator training and assessment at VirginTrains’ facility at Crewe before drivers take aSuper Voyager onto the main line betweenBanbury and Oxford at tilting speeds of upto 110 mph. All 800 Virgin Trains drivers willeventually undertake the tilting trainingcourse.

waited fivehe Pendolinopassenger

nd I am verye travellinghe first

s and staff.”

rd Branson

The first Stagecoach UK Busemployees are set to get theirnew uniforms in November.

Plans are in place to rollthe new uniform range outacross the UK by the end ofOctober 2004, givingStagecoach the smartestworkforce in the country.

The modern, smartdesigns have been developedfollowing input fromstaff, trade union andm a n a g e m e n trepresentatives. Made frombreathable fabric, the newwork wear is easy-care,practical and comfortable.

Further information willbe provided to depots in themonths ahead to giveemployees some choice inselecting the items that bestreflect their individualneeds.

New uniformson the way

The Metropolitan Police hasput some new stations onwheels – thanks toStagecoach.

Three East Lancs-bodiedvehicles have beentransformed into mobilepolice stations, one of whichfeatures the Stagecoach nameand logo on both sides.

It will be used by thepolice in areas where anti-social behaviour is having aneffect on bus services andmay also be used byStagecoach in London for itsown recruitment initiatives.

Sir John Stevens, PoliceCommissioner, and LordHarris of the MetropolitanPolice Authority were amongthose present at the launch.

Police bus in totrouble spots

Lau Wai Ming of Citybus haswon the silver medal in aterritory-wide professionaldriver contest held by theRoad Safety Council andTransport Department.

Another driver, TsangYam Chung, also joined the30 finalists.

To commend them onproviding a high qualityservice and to mark theirachievements, Mr Lau andMr Tsang, with other awardwinners, were invited to joina four-day visit to Singapore.

During the trip, they notonly visited well-knownattractions but also metwith local road safetyorganisations to share theirdriving experience andcustomer service knowledge.

Safe handsstrike silver

on the rails

Spring 2003

8

History to hit the roads

Friends of KingAlfred members(from left) BrianGuilmant, KeithAndrews andRoger Harriswith the singledeck 1959Leyland Tiger Cuband the doubledecker 1956Leyland PD2.

History will be rollingback out on to the road inApril.

The collection ofheritage buses preservedby the Friends of KingAlfred Buses will be joinedby other restored singleand double deckers duringa special open day atStagecoach’s Winchesterbus depot on Sunday,April 17.

The Family Open Day isto commemorate the 30thanniversary of the end ofthe former King AlfredMotor Services, the buscompany that operatedservices in Winchester.

Sponsored byStagecoach South East,money raised from theevent will be split betweenthe Naomi HouseChildren’s Hospice and theFriends of King AlfredBuses, which is also a

registered charitydedicated to therestoration of the busesthat were a familiar sightin Winchester before 1973.

There will be stallsselling memorabilia andother related items andthose attending the eventwill be able to take a tourof the depot, including thespecialist paint spray shop,and have rides through thegiant bus wash.

There will also be toursaround the area on theheritage vehicles.

Keith Andrews, amember of the Friends ofKing Alfred Buses, says hehopes the event will be anenjoyable day for all and achance to travel back inthe past.

For more informationcontact the Stagecoachenquiry line on 0845 1210180.

Oxford bus depot is getting a£200,000 facelift to improve theon-site operation.

The four-point improvementscheme at the Horspath Roaddepot comes after plans tobuild a new facility atKidlington could not be takenforward.

The seven-weekconstruction project includes:

• opening up the entrance towiden the splay and improvethe sightlines

• a brand new surface for theparking and manoeuvringareas

• opening up the entrance tothe main building housingthe vehicle fuelling andwashing facilities.

• replacing the surfacing inthe main fuelling andwashing building.

A detailed plan has been puttogether to minimise theimpact of the work on the day-to-day operation.

James Freeman, OperationsDirector for Stagecoach SouthMidlands, said: “All the staff atOxford agree these vital andurgent improvements can’tcome too soon.

“We are confident this willbe the solution to our futureneeds and, once the work iscompleted, we will have a farbetter external presentation forour bus and coach fleet inOxford.”

Depotreceives£200,000facelift

Citybus is celebrating the new year – Chinese styleof course.

There are 12 animal signs in the Chinesecalendar and this year is the year of the goat or ram.

Traditionally, this is seen as a year of cheer andso Citybus designed its own special bus to reflectthat sentiment.

As well as such obvious goodwill messages as‘Happy New Year’ the bus is also emblazoned witha more Eastern philosophy such as ‘Everything isgood’ and ‘Earn more’.• Our pictures show the bus in all its glory and12 youngsters, all born in 1991, the last year of thegoat, wishing all On Stage readers health, prosperityand, of course, good cheer!

It’s ‘Stagegoat’ in Hong Kong!

Spring 2003

It’s trendy to text... and it’sreally trendy to be a‘Coolrider’.That’s the message sent out

in a novel initiative.Stagecoach West Scotland

and JCDecaux UK Limitedjoined forces to produce the firstever PosterTxt campaign inScotland, specifically designedto target young peopletravelling by bus.

The campaign launched inFebruary on bus shelters in andaround Ayrshire and ran for twoweeks.

The poster invited 16 and 17-year-olds to text the word‘Coolrider’ to the specifiednumber, giving them 50% off the‘Coolrider’ ID discount card.

After texting the number, theyouths were given a code totake to their nearest bus depot.

Upon proof of age, thetravellers were then given the

Coolrider card for £2.50 (ratherthan the normal £5).

This card then provided thebus user with half price travelon Stagecoach Western buses,when a 10-journey ticket wasbought. For example, 10 £1.50rides, normally costing £15, cost£7.50 when someone took upthe promotional offer.

Stagecoach West Scotlanddesigned the campaign toencourage 16 and 17-year-oldsto ‘stay mobile for less withCoolrider’.

Emma McNae, MarketingManager for Stagecoach WestScotland, said: “Targeting youthsin their outdoor environment iskey in communicating ourmessage. Outdoor and SMSmessaging share a bias towardsthe younger consumer and thisconcept was the ideal platformin which to advertise ourcampaign.”

‘Text and travel’ dealtargets teen market

9

Scotland’s leading disabilityorganisation has been able totransform its transport

provision – thanks to a six-month Stagecoach secondment.

Operations Manager IanVlemmiks, whose day job wasbased at Stagecoach’s Aberhill depotin Fife, carried out a wide-rangingreview of Capability Scotland’s 60-strong fleet of adapted vehicles.

As a corporate volunteer, Ianworked free of charge withCapability Scotland and used histransport expertise to look at theagency’s vehicle allocation andmaintenance programme.

Based at the Upper SpringlandCentre in Perth, Ian worked withthe organisation’s centresthroughout the country. Hisrecommendations, based ondiscussions with staff and users ofthe transport service, are now beingimplemented across CapabilityScotland.

“It was really interesting and Igot a lot out of it as well as helpingCapability Scotland,” said Ian. “Itwas very different working in a non-commercial area and, until I startedworking with the charity, I didn’trealise the problems that peoplewith disabilities face.”

Ian, who retired from Stagecoachin February, added: “I learned a lotand I’m going to be doing somefurther work with them in my owntime.”

Capability Scotland’s Director ofFinance, Richard Hellewell, said:“This secondment gave us a level of

Kind-hearted drivers at StagecoachNorth East have raised £2,500 tohelp a schoolgirl who lost fingersand both her legs after being struckdown with meningitis.

Joanne Davidson has twoartificial legs but, despite herdisability, is still able to attend herlocal school, Farne Primary, inWesterhope, Newcastle.

Drivers based at Stagecoach’snew Walkergate depot decided toget into fancy dress over the festiveperiod to help raise funds for acampaign to buy replacementartificial legs for Joanne.

The drivers’ impersonations ofclowns, a Christmas pudding,cowboys, Peter Pan and Santa Clausmanaged to raise enough money toget the £11,000 campaign off to agreat start.

Charity fleet benefitsfrom expert help

expertise in vehicle managementthat would otherwise not have beenavailable. Our thanks go toStagecoach for its generosity inenabling this to happen. Ian hasapplied himself to the task withgreat vigour.”

Robert Andrew, Deputy Directorfor Stagecoach Scotland, said: “Wewere delighted Ian was able to use

his operational expertise to helpCapability Scotland.

“Stagecoach plays an importantrole in the community in deliveringlifeline bus services. Ian is a greatexample of the hundreds of ourpeople, from managers to frontlinestaff, who also devote many hoursof their personal time every day tocharities, support groups and local

community projects.”Capability Scotland is the

country’s largest disabilityorganisation, helping disabledpeople of all ages. It offerseducation, early years support, outof school provision, respite andcommunity support, residentialaccommodation, as well as day,employment and therapy services.

South West Trains has provedit’s on the right track when itcomes to helping the localcommunity.

An appeal bySouthampton’s 2nd Scoutgroup to raise funds for roofrepairs saw SWT step in anddonate £500.

The Scouts need to raise£25,000 to repair the roof andother parts of their hut thathave fallen into disrepair.

Already the 50-stronggroup, one of the oldest in thecountry, has managed to raisean amazing £18,800, and thedonation by SWT was seen as awelcome addition to its fund-raising.

Scout Leader Gail Langtonsaid: “We would like to thankSouth West Trains for boostingour funds. We feel this willencourage other localbusinesses to donate moneyand save the Scouts frombecoming homeless.”

SWT’s Group StationManager, Stuart Giddings, saidit would be extremely sad ifthe Scout group, which hasbeen running for 94 years, hadto close down the hut.

He said: “The local childrenwho use this facility lookforward to their regular Scoutmeetings. South West Trains isdelighted to help the groupwith their fund-raising andhope they will continue tohave many happy yearsthere.”

Full steam ahead for Scout appeal

Joanne with thewhopping chequepresented by the fund-raising Stagecoachteam, pictured inresplendent fancydress

Drivers raise £2,500 for brave JoanneYoungsters in Wales arelearning how to becomegood citizens thanks to theCrucial Crew initiativebacked by Stagecoach.

Stagecoach has donated abus for the Crucial Crewscheme, which bringstogether a range of publicsector agencies to help 10and 11-year-olds avoidgetting into trouble as theymove into secondary school.

Role-playing allows a lookat issues such as personalsafety, crime prevention andthe role of the emergencyservices. Youngsters have todeal with a number of tasksand problems during theday.

Stagecoach driver BrianWatters, based in Aberdare,attends events at Treforestevery few months. Otheragencies that take partinclude police, fire andambulance services, theForestry Commission, RSPCAand the Coastguard.

Campaign to nurturegood citizens

Ian talking transport with Capability Scotland’s Richard Hellewell.

Spring 2003

10

Certified with sharpened skills – that’s the trendat Stagecoach South East.

Drivers Vic Salisbury, Paul Deacon, MickBeale and Neil Wallis are the latest based inAshford to gain their NVQ level 2 forTransporting Passengers by Road, issued by theQualifications and Curriculum Authority.

The certificates were presented to the driversby Stagecoach’s NVQ Assessor Bill Webb, after atleast six months of studying and practical trainingand assessments.

So far, 20% of the drivers at Ashford havetaken the voluntary course as a way of enhancingtheir driving and people skills.

“This is a bus industry recognised qualificationwhich tops up the driver’s skills for what is a verydemanding and pressurised job,” says Bill Webb.“We have another 11 drivers based at variousstages of the NVQ course.”

The Ashford Depot is one of 15 StagecoachSouth East depots that provide 200 servicescovering five counties using a fleet of 800 buses.

South West Trains has extended its networkof TravelSafe officers.to help stamp outanti-social behaviour.

The aim is to make passengers feel more secureon trains and in stations.

The officers, the first of their kind in the country,were introduced last year to work closely withBritish Transport Police to target problem areas andincrease the uniformed presence on the network.

Following the success of the original launch atClapham Junction, the scheme has now beenextended to the Guildford and Portsmouth areaswhere a total of 11 officers will cover variousroutes.

The TravelSafe officers, recruited and trained bySouth West Trains and the British Transport Policein partnership, help enforce the railway byelaws.

They provide help, support and reassurance topassengers and staff, ensuring that travelling withSouth West Trains is as safe as possible.

Officers also take part in police operations tocatch offenders and go into local schools to warnchildren of the problems caused by trespassing onthe railway and anti-social behaviour on trains.

The extension of the TravelSafe network buildson the work carried out as part of ‘Operation CleanUp The Patch’, which was launched by South WestTrains early last year in the Portsmouth area, and‘Operation Take Back’, launched last August in theGuildford area.

The operations aim to stamp out anti-socialbehaviour, petty vandalism and fares evasion onthe railways.

Measures include increasing ticket checks ontrains and at barriers and more patrols by securityguards.

South West Trains has also invested £4.5 million,in conjunction with Railtrack, on installing HelpPoints and CCTV cameras around the network.Secure Station status has been awarded to 30 SouthWest Trains’ stations, the highest number of any ofthe train operating companies.

Drivers sharpen up skills

Action plan to improve bus services

Quality team – (from left) Vic Salisbury, Paul Deacon, Bill Webb, Mick Bealeand Neil Wallis at Ashford.

Rail passengers wingreater protection

An action plan has been launched in the Hastingsarea to make sure bus journeys are more regularand reliable.

The plan was agreed and signed by HastingsBorough Council, Stagecoach and East SussexCounty Council.

The Hastings & St Leonards Quality BusPartnership’s action plan will monitor reliability,punctuality, bus stops, information, the number ofpassenger journeys undertaken and provide morelow-floor buses.

The Partnership is also encouraging majoremployers in the town at Ashdown House and theConquest to develop ‘green travel plans’.

This would provide a realistic alternative to the

car, cutting down on traffic congestion andimproving the quality of life for residents living inthese areas.

The Council is also dedicated to workingtowards an integrated transport system with otherpublic transport providers.

This will include plans set out in the MillenniumProject and the Hastings & Bexhill Masterplan.

The Quality Bus Partnership will look atexpanding the bus corridor network which givesbuses priority over other vehicles.

Bus users can expect to be consulted everyyear about the service they receive.

The action plan is also committed to improvingaccessibility for people with impaired mobility and

for passengers with young children and shoppingtrolleys.

Councillor Paul Silverson, cabinet memberresponsible for transport, said: “The Hastings & StLeonards Quality Bus Partnership enablesStagecoach and the local authorities to co-ordinatetheir approaches in improving the bus network.

“Under current legislation within the TransportAct 2000, the partners have developed an actionplan to target areas for improvement over the nextthree years.

“As part of future development we are keen tointroduce a bus users’ group within the town thatcould advise on further improvements that it wantsto see.”

Roy drives offinto the sunset

Roy Carter is the first to admit thathe will miss his fellow driversfrom Folkestone bus station nowhe has retired.

But at the age of 65, with over40 years’ service on the buses inthe region, Roy says he andPatricia, his wife of 46 years, arelooking forward to travelling toother continents on holiday nowthey will have the time.

“I only joined the bus serviceas a summer job,” joked Roy, whowas driving the double deckerswith open rear doors andconductors.

“It still traded as the East KentRoad Car Company then withbuses that had the old synchro-mesh gearboxes, unlike theelectric push button ones oftoday’s modern fleet.”

Roy completed a four-year stintas a coach driver for the company,before returning to the Kentroutes to help Patricia bring uptheir son, Mark – who laterbecame a bus driver but, sadly,died of a heart attack at the age of35.

Kevin Jenner, FolkestoneStagecoach’s Assistant OperationsManager, said Roy would not onlybe missed by his colleagues. Headded: “Roy is very popular withthe passengers who have grownup in the area and have used theservices for years. I’m sure theywill join me in wishing Roy ahappy and long retirement.”

Roy was presented with giftvouchers from his colleagues at aparty thrown by staff andmanagement.

Kevin Jenner (left) congratulates Roy Carteron his retirement.

High-impact ads hit Hong KongCitybus has been developing a new eye-catching format for its bus bodyadvertising.

It’s been named ‘Emperor’ to reflect theimposing nature of the advert on the sideof the bus.

The reason behind the new format,which is a massive four metres square onthe off side of the bus, is that it provides amore flexible shape for the advertdesigners and, of course, it makes muchmore of an impact on those who see it.

The advert is also revolutionary in HongKong as it covers part of the lower deckwindows.

A lot of time was spent convincing therelevant authorities to allow this andeventually Citybus’s persistence paid off.

All the sections which cover thewindows are created in ‘contravision’material which allows people to see bothinside and outside of the bus.

Nikon has taken a combination oftraditional side superside adverts as well asthe new Emperor format (pictured above)to promote its new ‘Coolpix’ cameras.

And Heineken has incorporated the newEmperor format into an all-over advertwhich is having quite an impact in HongKong.

Partnership in progress:It was all smiles at thelaunch of the Quality BusPartnership.

Spring 2003

11

PA Katie Loudon is off to the World Curling Championshipsin Canada during April.

Katie, who works with Group Finance at StagecoachGroup’s HQ in Perth, was part of a four-strong team, led byher sister, Edith, which won the Scottish championshipsrecently with an unprecedented winning streak of 14games.

The team’s impressive run included victories over theOlympic champions, led by Rhona Martin, and JackieLockhart’s reigning world champions.

Katie and the rest of the Perth team will now representScotland at this season’s world championships in Winnipeg.

She said: “It is fantastic to have all our hard workrewarded. We’ve been fitness training and practising ouron-ice skills and now really look forward to the trip toCanada.

“The atmosphere in Winnipeg will be great with crowdsof 10,000 expected – let’s hope we can extend our winningways.”

The other members of the winning rink were KarenAddison, the sister of former champion Kirsty Hay, andLynn Cameron.

All four have competed at European, World Junior andWorld Championship level with Edith and Katie also takingpart in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan where theyfinished fourth.

Stagecoach Scotland Director TomWileman has received a specialaward for 30 years’ service.

Tom started his career in thebus industry as a driver with thethen Midland Bluebird inCumbernauld where he rose tobecome Operations Manager,working under former StagecoachDirector Brian Cox.

His Stagecoach career beganwhen the company acquired the

Fife operation in 1990 with Tombeing Operations Manager atDunfermline at the time.

In the past decade, he has heldsenior management positions inEast Midlands, Bluebird, Westernand Fife, as well as helpingorganise Swebus in the late 1990s.

Before returning to Scotland tohead up the operation north of theborder, Tom was ManagingDirector at Stagecoach Manchester.

Tom received his long serviceaward at a special dinner, hostedby Stagecoach Chief ExecutiveBrian Souter, which was alsoorganised to mark the recentretirement of headquartersreceptionist Kathleen Fletcher.

Computers for schoolsprove just the ticketPupils at three Perthshireprimary schools are getting thechance to learn more aboutcomputers – thanks toStagecoach Group.

It has recycled some of thecomputers it no longer requiresand donated them to Rattray,Alyth and Coupar Angusprimaries.

Stagecoach is also giving theschools £1,000 of software torun on the PCs, which pupilswill use to learn more aboutcomputing and the internet aspart of their school work.

Alistair Smith, StagecoachGroup IT Director, said: “As amajor company, we have toupgrade our systems from timeto time. We are happy to be ableto donate our computers as anadded facility to the schools.

“We thought it made sensefor local schools to get the useof what are still good PCs andhelp pupils with their studies.”

Councillor Margo Lennie,Convener of the local authority’sEducation and Children’sServices Committee, said: “It isvery exciting that a nationalcompany is happy to work withour schools to further enhancetheir learning.”

300 yearsof unbrokenservice

Director’s loyal career honoured

Ice cool Katieheads for Canada

It’s the train that came in from thecold – that’s Island Line’s ‘missingtrain’. It has rejoined the fleet of two-car

class 483 units operating between Rydeand Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

And for enthusiasts of historic railvehicles, you could say unit 007 islicensed to thrill.

In marked contrast to its five sisterunits on the line, which have borne thestriking ‘dinosaur’ livery since 2000, unit007 has re-entered service resplendent inan authentic reproduction of the famousred London Transport paint scheme itcarried when built for Undergroundduties back in 1938.

Its re-emergence on to the runninglines from Ryde Traincare Depot finallybrought to an end what must surely rankas one of the most drawn-out andproblematic ‘paint jobs’ in railway history!

Not that any blame for the unit’s long-delayed reappearance should be attachedto Island Line.

Rigorous attention to detail and a

Three centuries of unbrokenservice to the community hasbeen marked by StagecoachWest with a special presentationto some of the company’s finestambassadors.

Eleven employees, whobetween them have clocked upan incredible 330 years ofservice, were honoured at aspecial dinner in Cheltenham.

They received their longservice badges from StagecoachWest and Wales ManagingDirector John Gould.

Gloucester driver Bryn Davisand Head Office SchedulerClive Norman were eachcongratulated on 40 years’service, while Cheltenhamengineering clerk Phil Touminehas reached the 35 yearsmilestone.

Badges for 30 years’ servicehave gone to Gloucester driverTom Clark, Cheltenham driverMike Schofield and Frank Cleasefrom engineering in Stroud.

Swindon fueller Brian Dixon,Gloucester drivers Darryl Hobbsand Peter May, Swindon driverRay Fisher, and Cheltenhamdriver John Fry were recognisedfor 25 years’ service.

determination to ‘get it right’ meant it wasnever going to be a quick turnaround.

But the railway has had to contendwith an unbelievable run of ill fortunesince 007 entered the depot in mid-2000for its historic refurbishment.

Damage caused by two major floodsand a series of graffiti attacks have notonly disrupted the revamp but kept theunit literally sidelined.

When the ‘dinosaur’ livery was firstunveiled in the spring of 2000, IslandLine made clear that it would be carriedby five of the units (002, 004, 006, 008and 009) with 007 entering the depot lastfor its 1938-style Underground repaint.

“At that time we were experiencinggreat difficulty in sorting out the correctLondon Transport livery and numbering,”explained Island Line General ManagerSteve Wade.

“There were also a series of issueswith running the remainder of the trainfleet and, as a result, the 007 project wasput on hold.

“Although it has been out of action for

Island Line’s 007Iicensed to thrill

so long, we have managed tokeep the train service runningfully and I think this reflectsenormous credit on the staff,despite all the problems we havefaced.”

The hard work in recent weeks

has, of course, included – at last –applying the finishing touches tothe historic ‘Starlight Express’repaint. The unit now bears itsauthentic ‘as new’ 1930s liverywith red bodywork, grey roof andblack underframes.

Picture courtesy of Perthshire Advertiser.

Spring 2003

The way we were... the 1938 livery revived.

Delighted to be representing Scotland in the World Curling Championships are, from left, Karen, Katie, Lynneand Edith (front).

Brian presents Tom with hisaward while UK Bus Managing

Director Les Warneford looks on.

12

Road safety boost for schoolkids

Spring 2003

Strengthenedteam forSouth East

Stagecoach UK Bus hasstrengthened itsmanagement team in theSouth East of England aspart of moves to developthe business.

Roger Bowker, SeniorVice President North East atCoach USA, has beenappointed RegionalDirector for the South Eastin the UK and will dividehis time equally betweenthe US and the UK.

Stagecoach UK Bus issplitting its South Eastregion into two separatecompanies, with AndrewDyer confirmed asManaging Director forStagecoach South, and PaulSouthgate as ManagingDirector for StagecoachKent & Hastings.

Les Warneford,Managing Director ofStagecoach UK Bus, said:“This new managementstructure is part of ourongoing plan to devolvebusiness development tolocal level. We have anumber of plans to developand grow our business inthe South East this year,and the new structure willgive us a strongmanagement team toachieve that growth.”

Roger Bowker

Hair-brained anticsaid Comic Relief

Chuckles galore as a group ofAyrshire youngsters join in thespirit of Comic Relief

Stagecoach is playing its part in aunited effort to improve safety forprimary pupils.

Along with Perth and KinrossCouncil and Tayside Police,

Stagecoach is supplying theyoungsters in the area with high-visibility waistcoats.

Brian Souter, StagecoachGroup Chief Executive, and local

Smart and safe – A group of pupils in their high-visibility waistcoats.

Weird and wonderfulfund-raising anticsrippled through

Stagecoach in aid of ComicRelief.

This national cash drive in theUK, in aid of good causes athome and in Africa, involvespeople from all walks of life andinspires companies to throw theirweight behind the worthy cause.

And Stagecoach did its bit aswell with this year’s theme beingthe ‘Big Hair Do’.

At HQ, staff embarked on a‘kiss and sell’ spree, puckeringup to pull in the pounds, raisingdough through home baking andgenerally putting the fun intofund-raising with wackyhairstyles and quizzes.

And there was something elseto smile about – the HQ’s effortshit the £400 mark.

The team at Stagecoach NorthWest wasn’t far behind, rallyingaround to raise £350. One of themore unusual stunts sawCommercial Director ChrisBowles dyeing his hair to matchthe Stagecoach bus logo!

In Ayrshire passengers wereseeing red as Stagecoach WestScotland launched its ComicRelief designer bus at theKilmarnock Football Clubground, Rugby Park.

In keeping with the ‘Big HairDo’ theme, Stagecoach turnedAyrshire into ‘Hayrshire’ byattaching a giant red latex quiff tothe top of one of its buses, alongwith a customary big red nose onthe front, to encouragepassengers to join in the fun andhelp raise much needed funds.

At each of the main townswithin the Ayrshire network, alocal primary school was invited

to take part in helping promote thehair-raising event and were giventhe opportunity to learn more aboutthe charity and its objectives as theyrode around their town on the redheaded bus. Adding to the true spiritof the event, a hairdresser was alsoon hand to create the ultimatecoiffed red quiff for them all.

Perth & Kinross Councillor Colin Youngrecently joined pupils at DunningPrimary School as they tried out thenew waistcoats for the first time.

All primary schools in the region arereceiving a supply thanks to thesponsorship deal.

Children will use the waistcoats,which make the pupils more visible todrivers and teachers, when they are outof school on trips or during road safetytraining.

The waistcoats will also be used byschools involved in Walkwise, aprogramme of structured training foryoung pedestrians, organised by theTayside Police Road Safety Officer.

Under the initiative, small groups ofP1 pupils are taken out by adultvolunteers and taught how to behaveon the roads, shown safe places tocross and warned about dangerous

situations to try to avoid.Councillor Bob Scott, Convener of

the Roads & Transport Committee, said:“I welcome Stagecoach’s contributionto this joint initiative. It willcomplement all the work carried out bythe Council under the Safer Routes toSchools and Safer Streets initiatives.

“I am also pleased that it is beinglaunched when Tayside Police arecarrying out a Child Casualty ReductionInitiative and hope that it will reapdividends in saving young lives.”

Brian added: “I am delighted wecould support this initiative. As one ofthe country’s biggest transportoperators, safety is our top priority,particularly when it involves youngchildren.

“It is vital that we all work togetherto make life safer on the roads for ouryoungsters.”

The colourfulstaff at Perthheadquarters

where a zany daysaw the laughs

and the cashmount up.

The colourfully-coiffured Chris Bowles at North West withCommercial Assistant Lucinda Smith.