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8 September 2003
SCOTS CLICK AND GO WITH UKS FIRST INTERNET BUSOPERATION
TheUKs first internet-only bus operation went live in Scotland today(8 September 2003), offering passengers travel between major cities forjust 1.
Transportgiant Stagecoach has adapted the low-cost, no-frills approach of the budgetairlines to develop megabus.com.
Theweb-based ticketless service provides passengers with cheap travel betweenGlasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee using comfortable double-decker buses.
Distinctiveblue and yellow Megabus vehicles, featuring the services 13ft-high Megadrivercharacter, run 10 times a day on the highly-competitive route between Glasgowand Edinburgh.
Sevenservices a day link Perth and Dundee to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Perthservices will be routed through the Broxden Park and Ride site, allowingdrivers the convenience to park their cars for free and let the bus take thestrain.
StagecoachChief Executive Brian Souter said: This is a totally new concept, a first forScotland and it heralds a new era in low-cost inter-city bus travel.
Wevelooked at the way the cheap airlines run their operation and we believe thereis a big market out there that doesnt use the bus at present but can beattracted to our new product.
Wefeel young people, and students in particular, will catch on to the service andthe bargain-basement prices will be ideally suited to their budget. We alsohope the low cost will encourage car drivers to switch to public transport andhelp ease congestion on our roads.
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Atrial megabus.com service was launched on the popular Oxford-London route lastmonth, with 3,000 tickets sold in three weeks. If the Scottish routes are asuccess, Stagecoach plans to roll the service out to other parts of the UK.
The94-seat vehicles can carry almost double the number of passengers than atraditional express coach, allowing megabus.com to target high-volume, low-costbusiness.
Allmegabus.com fares will be 1 in the short-term until the service isestablished. The company will then yield manage the seats in the same way asthe budget airlines, with slightly higher fares for last-minute bookings orpopular journeys.
However,Mr Souter added: Megabus.com is a genuine bargain. At least 40% of our seatswill always be at the lowest 1 fare and the highest prices will still beextremely competitive at around 3 to 4.
Theno-frills buses have no toilets, although the refurbished interiors are cleanand comfortable.
Megabus.comis the second UK first for Stagecoach in only a few weeks. Last month, thecompany launched the phone and go Yellow Taxibus, a combined taxi and busoperation, running from Fife to Edinburgh.
YellowTaxibus, the UKs first commercial demand responsive service, combines the benefitsof a fixed bus route with the flexibility of pre-booked taxi pick-ups. A fleetof upmarket people carrier vehicles offer a high-frequency service betweenDunfermline and the Scottish capital seven days a week, with fares as low as2.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, StagecoachGroup
Tel: 01738 442111 or 07764 774680