16/04/2009

• Transport group launches week-long environmental awareness drive
• Green Week to promote sustainable, reliable, good value public transport
• Chance for customers to win a year’s free bus travel in their local area
• Search on to find employee named Stagecoach’s first Green Champion

Environmental issues will be at the top of the agenda next week as transport giant Stagecoach launches its first ever Group-wide Green Week on Monday (20 April).

As well as highlighting the environmental benefits of using public transport, Stagecoach Green Week aims to inform staff and passengers of ways in which the company is reducing its own carbon footprint.

The week-long event – which takes place between 20 and 24 April - is also a chance for Stagecoach to highlight the additional cost and time savings that can be achieved through the use of public transport.

Launching Green Week, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, Brian Souter, said: “This is a very important initiative for our company. We want to grow our business in a sustainable way, enhancing the communities in which we operate and playing our part in meeting the global challenge of climate change.

“Public transport has a crucial role to play in reducing global carbon emissions. Our research has told us that the issue of climate change is of real concern to our customers. As well as looking to save time and money, people want healthier and more environmentally friendly ways to get around.

“Taking the bus, coach, train or tram instead of commuting by car is perhaps the single most effective way for people to reduce their carbon footprint. By providing good value, reliable and convenient low-carbon travel, we believe we can attract even more customers on to Stagecoach services.”

Throughout Stagecoach Green Week, staff and passengers across all areas of the business will be invited to participate in a number of awareness-raising events.

For customers across the UK, there will be the chance to win a year’s free travel on their local Stagecoach bus network. Stagecoach will also be handing out 20,000 practical – and environmentally-friendly – green kits at bus stations as well as running poster competitions at a number of schools. Green roadshow and demonstration events will also be held across Stagecoach’s rail operations, along with energy saving trials and initiatives.

Information on green issues will be provided to Stagecoach employees throughout the week as well as advice on ways in which they can reduce their carbon footprint both at work and at home. The employee nominated by his or her colleagues who is felt to be contributing the most to reducing the company’s carbon footprint will be named Stagecoach’s first Green Champion.

Brain Souter added: “By promoting our message of greener, smarter travel we hope we can help our passengers and our own employees identify easy ways in which they can live greener lives – not just for one week, but day in, day out.”

Stagecoach has a wide-ranging strategy to tackle climate change and make its business more sustainable. As well as meeting its regulatory obligations, it includes:

• Investing in more fuel efficient vehicles
• Using alternative, renewable fuels
• Providing training in more efficient driving techniques
• Saving energy at offices and depots
• Conserving and recycling water
• Reducing and recycling waste
• Reducing business travel
• Providing affordable bus and rail travel
• Developing green travel plans and incentives for staff, customers and partner organisations

Stagecoach is continuing to improve its environmental performance with the introduction of a three-year Carbon Management Programme (CMP), in partnership with energy management consultancy, Inenco.

For further information on Green Week or about Stagecoach’s wide-ranging strategy to tackle climate change, visit www.stagecoach.com

ENDS

For further information contact:
Lindsay Reid
Corporate Communications Manager
Stagecoach Group
10 Dunkeld Road
Perth
PH1 5TW
Phone: 01738 442111
Fax: 01738 443076
Mobile: 07500 446896
email: lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The green kits contain a non-woven eco-friendly shopping bag, a recycled notepad, an eco-pen, a recycled tyre bookmark and a recycled steel shopping trolley coin keyring. They also include information about local Stagecoach bus services.
• A recent Stagecoach study showed that travelling by bus can be up to 80% cheaper than commuting by car, saving households up to £3000 a year. Full details of the survey are available online at http://www.stagecoachgroup.com/scg/media/press/pr2008/2008-08-29/
• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.