On Stage Issue 71 - Stagecoach Group

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All aboard the rail musical express A MUSICAL train made tracks on a special journey from Nottingham to Worksop. Skiffle and blues provided the soundtrack on the East Midlands Trains 19:56 service on April 30. The music train formed part of an Association of Community Rail Partnership (ACoRP) conference discussing wider diversity on rural and local services. The main conference, sponsored by East Midlands Trains, took place on May 1 at the Arena in Nottingham, but guests and members of the public were invited to enjoy the musical journey as part of a pre-conference social event. Speaking before the event, David Horne – Commercial Director for East Midlands Trains and the keynote speaker at the conference – said: “Community Rail plays a vital part in the development of our franchise, and we are very pleased to be sponsoring this national conference which looks at some very topical issues. “However, we’re also keen to show our local communities the benefits of train travel and just how relaxing it can be, so we’re delighted to be working with ACoRP to provide a train with a difference – and a community slant.” Ex-soldier armed with new career A FORMER soldier and warehouse supervisor is on the road to a new career, thanks to taking on new training. After being made redundant in 2004, Billy Scobie joined the Dundee and Angus Individual Initiative, a training scheme managed through Helm Training which allowed him to re-train as a bus driver for Stagecoach Strathtay. Billy has now taken his career a step further with more training to become a driving instructor. He said: “At the time I lost my job it was a difficult decision to change. “But now, with my bus licence, I know I’ll never be out of work and I enjoy the challenges of continuing my training with Stagecoach.” PRAISE FOR DEARNE VALLEY BUS SERVICES STAGECOACH Yorkshire has been praised by the Minister of State for Transport for its commitment to passengers in the Dearne Valley. The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton, MP for Doncaster Central, was in the area to launch a fleet of 13 brand new Stagecoach Yorkshire vehicles set to benefit bus users across the Dearne Valley. The new buses, costing almost £1.5m, are an addition to seven introduced in the area last year. All 20 now carry a fresh logo bearing the words “the Dearne link” and feature an eye-catching livery. Ms Winterton said: “I am very pleased to see the results of Stagecoach’s investment. “Local bus services play a vital role in our communities and these new ultra-modern buses around the Dearne Valley area represent a significant commitment towards providing the level of service that passengers look for. Stagecoach Yorkshire Managing Director Paul Lynch and The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP officially launch the new Dearne link buses along with competition winners Wardene Riggs, James Perry and Wayne Bateman. “I am particularly keen that all public transport is responsive to the needs of everyone who wishes to use it, so I am pleased that this new fleet has low-floor access, providing improved access for disabled and elderly passengers as well as parents with young children.” Renovation reaps rewards for charity A VIP visitor has endorsed the renovation of an East Midlands railway station. Jonathan Shaw MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Jonathan Shaw MP visits Oakham station to acknowledge the Community Stations project based there. A BEDFORD bus driver has helped keep preparations for the Olympic Games on-track. Jim Clark searched his Luton Airport transfer coach for a lost laptop computer containing crucial information on the Beijing games. Zoe Paget, Operations Manager at Stagecoach Bedford, explained: “A delegation of Olympic Games officials from Beijing visited Milton Keynes. “One of the party left a laptop computer on the airport VT99 coach. When this person realised what had happened we received a very urgent phone call and our Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, visited Oakham station. The Community Stations initiative is a project established to bring back life to redundant station Jim sets gold standard driver Jim Clark carried out a search of the relevant vehicle.” At first, the laptop was not found and it was assumed that someone else had picked it up. But, at the end of his shift, Jim had another thorough search and found the treasured item on a parcel shelf. Zoe added: “Jim, in his own time, delivered the computer to the hotel where the delegation had booked in. “They were so delighted to have it back they gave John a special Olympic trophy which is now proudly displayed in our depot.” premises by making them available to local community groups at a peppercorn rent. And one of the buildings at Oakham station has been let to registered charity Studentforce, which helps young people to learn, develop, work and volunteer with people in the workplace and wider community. Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, said: “Local railway stations really do play a key role in their local community and this is a fantastic example of how community groups and businesses can work together to promote benefits for all. “We welcome Studentforce to Oakham station and are extremely pleased the Minister is supporting this worthy initiative.” STAGECOACH in East Kent and Hastings has promoted former Schools Liaison Officer Tim Pomfret to the newly created position of Customer Services Manager. Tim, who has worked within the bus industry in the south east for 42 years, will be supported by an assistant to continue to oversee the school bus operations provided to the education authorities, as well as respond to customer suggestions and complaints on the network of over 100 routes provided daily from the six depots in the region. Joining Ms Winterton at the launch event were four local people who entered a competition run by Stagecoach to be the faces of the Dearne Valley services and have their image on the back of the buses. Paul Lynch, Managing Director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, described the initiative as “a reflection of our commitment to deliver a reliable, clean and affordable service to the travelling public and we are confident that users will find a huge improvement”. Earlier this year, Stagecoach also introduced simplified routes, refined timetables for improved reliability and combined ten-minute frequencies on the busiest bus routes into Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster. There has since been a 3.2 per cent growth in passengers overall and a 5 per cent increase in the numbers of adult fare paying passengers. Pat’ll do nicely A KIND-HEARTED Leamington bus driver awarded a cash prize for his exceptional service has donated his winnings to a local hospice. Pat Walsh was nominated as Stagecoach Leamington’s driver of the month recently and handed his £100 prize money to Warwickshire’s Myton Hospice. The company matched this generous gesture, doubling the contribution to £200. Sam Dixon, Stagecoach Leamington’s Operations Manager, said: “Myton Hospice needs the support of the whole community to operate effectively and I am sure that they would wish to join me in thanking Pat for his kindness.” Putting customers first “The new role is just part of the company’s determination to be more reactive and supportive to both customers and staff who either face problems or can see ways of improving the facilities and services we provide,” said Tim. “As with any bus operator, we face new challenges from the economic climate and the changes within the cities, towns and villages that we serve. “To improve the quality of our services we must listen carefully to the concerns raised by everyone involved.” 10 Summer 08
Geraldine Smith MP launches Morecambe’s new floor-level buses, watched by Stagecoach North West Managing Director Chris Bowles (left), Operations Manager Stephie Barber, Lancashire County Council Transport Manager Mick Porter and Lancashire County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson. FITTING TRIBUTE TO BRAVE TRINA A MARATHON round-Britain tour is set to raise charity cash in memory of a very special Stagecoach driver. Trina King served as a driver and office worker in Cwmbran, Wales, for a number of years. She died, aged just 27, last year following a brave battle with cancer. Now Trina’s husband and brother are set to join two colleagues on a whistle-stop tour of all 17 of Stagecoach’s regional HQs. And the team hopes every Stagecoach depot in the land will help them honour Trina’s memory by contributing to their collection for Macmillan Cancer Support. The sponsored drive begins at Land’s End on September 16, and is scheduled to go all the way to John o’ Groats then back to Land’s End in just three days – with the added challenge of staying off motorways for the entire trip. Taking part are Trina’s husband Andrew King and her brother Rod Teague – both Stagecoach drivers – and megabus drivers Gareth Evans and Pete Morgan. Pete explained that Stagecoach had paid for the rented van they’ll be using for the journey, while megabus will donate the fuel. In support of their challenge, he hoped that depots would carry out their own collections. Also lending a helping hand is megabus.com’s Network Manager Ian Laing, who’ll take a turn behind the wheel when the expedition reaches Perth. Pete added: “Trina was very brave. She never let her illness get her down – right to the very end. The mane attraction NEW buses have been trotted out in Morecambe with the help of some four-legged friends. A horse-drawn 20-seater bus was brought down from Scotland especially for the launch – a marked contrast to the state-of-the-art low-floor Optare Versas hitting the streets of the seaside town for the first time. Local MP Geraldine Smith officially opened the new service linking the Westgate area with Morecambe. Christopher Bowles, Managing Director of Stagecoach North West, said: “The company was very pleased to add the Westgate service to its stable of low-floor routes as this will ensure the continuing growth of passengers in the Lancaster and Morecambe areas and underlines the importance of investments with modern buses and higher frequency services.” Stagecoach in Lancaster has increased passenger numbers by over 40% in seven years and now carries some nine million passengers a year. Ready to roll! Charity round-Britain drivers (from left): Rod Teague, Andrew King, Pete Morgan and Gareth Evans. “If everyone around the country only donates one pound, it would make a huge difference for Macmillan Cancer Support.” Fleets in line for summer spruce-up Anyone seeking more information is welcome to call Pete Morgan on 07933 595180, or email peter. morgan39@btopenworld.com E-ticketing’s e-ffective E-TICKETING is really taking off for Virgin Trains. The company has sold over £500,000 worth of rail travel using e-ticketing since its launch in August last year. The 69,415 transactions have been sold as either Mobitix – with the electronic ticket sent direct to mobile phones – or as tickets@ home, where customers book on the internet and print their ticket at home. Graham Leech, Virgin Trains’ Executive Director Commercial, said: “The trial has been low-key to enable the system to be tested, but has proved to be highly popular with our customers. “Over the next few months we will work towards offering more of our online customers the opportunity to print their own tickets, and will be extending this facility to our other routes.” Virgin Trains has pioneered its e-ticketing solutions in partnership with The Trainline.com. Daniel climbs career ladder DANIEL Millis has been appointed Assistant Operations Manager at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Stagecoach depot. Daniel began his career with Stagecoach as a driver in Dover, progressing to Controller last year after completing his company’s development programme. He recently served as Assistant Operations Manager at Stagecoach Hastings. EAST Midlands Trains is carrying out a full refurbishment of its Class 158 train fleet, with the help of local company DeltaRail. The multi-million-pound refurbishment programme will see all 25 of the company’s Class 158 trains going through a complete overhaul, as well as being re-painted in the new East Midlands Trains livery. Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, explained: “This is a huge step forward for East Midlands Trains. “Not only will the refurbishment result in additional seating capacity, passengers will also get the benefit of more comfortable seating, new air conditioning and CCTV, as well as brand new toilets – something we know our passengers will welcome!” The project is just part of the £90 million of investment during the life of the East Midlands Trains franchise, making improvements in areas that impact directly on performance, reliability and customer service. It includes an upgrade to Derby train maintenance depot, improvements to stations and the opening of a brand new station – East Midlands Parkway. “I’m looking forward to working with DeltaRail on this contract, and especially pleased that the work will be carried out in Derby, ensuring that the city’s renowned reputation for fleet build and refurbishment continues on through this extensive improvement programme,” said Tim. Work is due to begin August, and each train will take between four and six weeks to complete. Meanwhile, East Midlands Trains Anna Matthews, CEO of DeltaRail, and Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, look forward to joining forces for a major refurbishment programme. Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, with the first re-branded Class 156 train. has also unveiled the first of its re-branded Class 156 trains. The company, which will be re-branding all 11 of its Class 156 trains into the new East Midlands Trains livery, has teamed up with Derby-based company Bombardier Transportation for the re-painting of its entire Class 156 fleet. Tim Shoveller said: “Our priority for the start of the franchise was to ensure a smooth transition and to get punctuality and reliability off to a good start. “Now we’re confident these things have been achieved, it’s time to start focusing on the refurbishment of our trains, both inside and out. “We’re starting with the re-painting of our 11 Class 156 trains, which will be completed by early May. “We’ll then move straight on to our Class 222 Meridian fleet, which will also be carried out by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby works.” Summer 08 11
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On Stage Issue 71 - Stagecoach Group

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