New fleet of green buses take to the road

STAGECOACH has ploughed more than £9m into a new fleet of buses to be rolled on to the roads of Greater Manchester.

The 53 buses are running on various routes out of Ashton on the 330 and 216 routes.

They will also travel from Stockport on the 23, 23A and 24 service and will be used on the 250/X50 to the Trafford Centre.

Most are already up and running, with the last due to appear shortly on the Trafford Centre route.

All are Enviro 400 models, which have the latest low emission engines.

The investment takes Stagecoach Manchester’s total spend over the last decade to £122m.

That includes 100 new buses in the last three years, complete with USB charging points, wifi and low emission engines to lessen the impact on the environment.

In all, 111m passenger journeys were made with Stagecoach Manchester during the latest financial year.

Stagecoach Manchester has also invested in a live ticketing app - giving passengers live journey updates.

And contactless payment will be accepted from January next year.

Elisabeth Tasker, Stagecoach Manchester managing director, said: “Bus travel in Greater Manchester has transformed over the last decade.

“Our services offer a comfortable, clean and stress free form of transport for people across the region, while well over half of our buses are now fitted with complimentary wi-fi and many also offer USB charging points too so passengers can stay connected.

“We continue to lessen the impact public transport has on the environment both through noise pollution and our carbon footprint and the new vehicles represent our on-going commitment to making sure we are as environmentally friendly as possible, while remaining the most affordable mode of travel for both commuters and the wider public across Greater Manchester.”

Stagecoach Manchester, part of the Stagecoach Group, operates around 800 buses in north and south Manchester, including Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Salford and Wigan.

The company, which carries 111 million passengers a year and employs more than 2,350 staff from the local community, has invested more than £19m since January 2015 in new buses and facilities.