Bus group invests £80m in new fleet of coaches

STAGECOACH has handed a major boost to Scottish manufacturing after placing orders for 470 new vehicles, 70 per cent of which will be built by Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL).

The Perth-based transport giant said the £80 million investment in buses and coaches maintains its policy of reinvesting profits in improving services in the UK and mainland Europe. The new vehicles, many of which will be equipped with wi-fi, will be introduced in the 2015/16 financial year.

Martin Griffiths, group chief executive of Stagecoach, said: “This new investment is all about delivering better bus and coach journeys for our passengers.

“I’m delighted that most of our new buses will be built right here in the UK, helping support British manufacturing and hundreds of jobs in the supply chain.”

Alexander Dennis will build 244 complete vehicles, including 91 midi buses, 89 full-length single decks and 64 double decks. It will also body 80 double decks and 28 fulllength decks on Scania chassis, and body 56 luxury coaches on Volvo chassis.

The manufacturer described the deal as a major vote of confidence in its latest range of vehicles. It will not result in further jobs for ADL, but will preserve employment for its 2,000 staff, about 900 of whom are based in Scotland.

Chief executive Colin Robertson said: “Orders like this demonstrate the strength of the UK bus and coach manufacturing sector and support thousands of jobs across the country, both in our factories and in our extensive supply chain network.”

The latest investment takes to £630m the level of expenditure Stagecoach has made in the UK regions in the last eight years. It has also invested more than £100m in London since 2010 and more than £20m on its megabus. com services in mainland Europe since 2013.