19/07/2007

• Pre-booking available for regular customers travelling on peak-time trips
• New system may also be extended to leisure trips on popular transport link
• More than 8,200 passengers carried already on Kirkcaldy-Portobello service

Commuters using Stagecoach's popular cross-Forth hovercraft service are now able to pre-book their journeys via a dedicated priority hotline.

More than 8,200 people have used the Kirkcaldy to Portobello Forthfast link since the two-week trial started on Monday 16 July, resulting in most trips on the 130-passenger hovercraft being full.

Now passengers using the first two services of the day from both Kirkcaldy and Portobello and making their return journey from 3.30pm or later will be able to pre-book seats by calling 0797 689 1529. Bookings can be made for day return trips or weekly travel.

The priority booking line will operate Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday. To ensure the system operates fairly and effectively, any passengers that book a week's travel in advance and fail to turn up for a journey will invalidate their bookings for the remainder of the week.

Regular travellers can make use of Stagecoach's excellent value weekly megarider ticket, which gives seven days' unlimited bus travel between Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh for just £18 and is also valid for hovercraft trips. Individual return trips are priced at £4.50 off-peak and £9.50 peak*.

Stagecoach will be monitoring the new arrangements over the next few days and the system may also be extended to leisure trips next week if it proves to be successful.

Robert Andrew, Managing Director of Stagecoach Scotland, said: "There has been a fantastic response to the hovercraft service from passengers and the demand has exceeded all expectations.

"The purpose of the trial has been to learn more about what customers want from the hovercraft and we have made a number of improvements since the service was launched.

"Commuters are a key market for this new, innovative public transport link and the numbers using the service have been growing steadily. We believe the new priority booking hotline will help attract even more people out of their cars by giving them certainty over planning their working day."

Mr Andrew added: "We have already made a number of additional trips on top of the published timetable to ensure as many people as possible experience the hovercraft service. If the commuter priority booking hotline is a success, we may extend it to cover leisure trips in the second week of the trial."

Stagecoach is undertaking a two-week trial, part-funded by SEStran (the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership). It runs until Saturday 28 July – excluding Sunday 22 July - offering a fast 20-minute crossing time using a 28-metre BHT130 hovercraft, incorporating the latest diesel engine technology.

A total of 22 services a day – 11 in each direction - operate on the route, with convenient peak-time services and integrated bus links to accommodate commuters looking to avoid congestion on the Forth Road Bridge.

The £300,000 trial will cover part of the period of the Forth Bridge closure, giving commuters a further public transport alternative to the train in addition to existing regular bus services.

Mr Andrew said: "The first few days of the trial have proved there is a huge demand for a new public transport option over the Forth.

"The hovercraft crew and the ground staff have done an excellent job over the past few days. We have been particularly impressed with the performance of the hovercraft, which has been able to operate in Force Six sea conditions with waves of up to two metres, which would have forced some small ferries and catamarans to cancel services.

"We look forward to learning more about the demand for a cross-Forth link in the second week of the trial, improving the delivery of the service to customers and undertaking a full evaluation of the project in the months ahead."

Stagecoach estimates that running a two-craft operation would cost around £2million a year. Around 9,000 passengers a week - and up to 470,000 passengers a year – are estimated would use the service. While the service would require initial public investment, Stagecoach believes that within a few years passenger volumes could grow to make it commercially sustainable.

ENDS

For media inquiries, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Director of Corporate Communications,
Tel: 01738 442111 (office) or 07764 774680 (mobile)
steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com

Note to Editors:

• Full timetable, fares and bus link information is available on the web at www.stagecoachbus.com/fife/forthfast. Customers can also call 01592 642394 for further information.
• Off-peak returns are available for travel from 9am Monday to Friday and all day Saturday.