19/05/2006

• New buses among first in Stagecoach fleet to feature Euro 4 engines
• £1m investment partnership with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

Stagecoach Group plc announced today (19 May 2006) that it has placed its first order with East Lancashire Coachbuilders Ltd for new Euro 4 buses.

The Blackburn-based bus manufacturer will supply the bodies and MAN will produce the chassis for nine Neoman 18.240 single-decker vehicles.

Fitted with state-of-the-art exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) engines, the buses will be among the most environmentally friendly in Stagecoach’s UK fleet.

Based on the MAN Lion City model, the vehicles have a striking new design and interior.

The 43-seater buses will be introduced on Stagecoach’s Ayr-Girvan-Stranraer service from September this year.

It is part of a £1 million joint project with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, which has part-funded the new buses.

The announcement comes only three months after Stagecoach Group placed £50 million of orders with four other vehicle manufacturers for more than 460 new buses for the UK.

Vehicle manufacturers Alexander Dennis, Optare, Plaxton and Volvo are already supplying a total of 13 single-deckers, 160 double-deckers, 165 midi-buses, 95 minibuses and 31 coaches, which will be delivered by the end of February 2007.

Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “This is our first order with East Lancashire Coachbuilders and will ensure we have access to an even wider range of high quality vehicle suppliers.

“We have invested more than £150million in new vehicles for the UK over the past three years as part of our drive to make our operations greener and attract more people to public transport. Our joint initiative with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport will deliver a step-change in the travelling environment for our passengers in Ayr, Girvan and Stranraer.”

East Lancashire Coachbuilders Sales Director John Horn said: “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to work with Stagecoach and securing this business is real feather in our cap. Since our management buy-out last year, we have secured significant new business and we have established East Lancs as a mainstream supplier to the larger UK bus groups.”

Stagecoach’s Barrow depot currently operates a number of vehicles manufactured by East Lancashire Coach Builders, which were ordered by Cumbria County Council. However, the new buses are the first ordered directly by Stagecoach to its own specification.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680

Notes to Editors:

An image of the new vehicles is available on request.

Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators, connecting communities in more than 100 towns and cities. The company runs over 8,000 vehicles from Devon in south-west England to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland, carrying around 2 million passengers every day.

East Lancashire Coachbuilders Ltd, which were founded in Blackburn in 1934, produce a range of single and double-deck bus bodies. Their vehicles are in operation around the globe, including in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Denmark and Hong Kong.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is the regional transport partnership (RTP) for the West of Scotland. It is one of seven RTPs established under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 covering the country.