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STAGECOACH PLACES FIRST ORDER WITH EAST LANCASHIRE COACHBUILDERS

New buses among first in Stagecoach fleet to feature Euro 4 engines

£1m investment partnership with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport


19 May 2006

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.



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