30th May 2007 10:30
National Express Group PLC30 May 2007 National Express Group PLC National Express Group places £69 million coach and bus order for UK operations National Express Group PLC ("National Express" or "the Group") today announcedthat it has placed new orders valued at £69 million for up to 480 coaches andbuses for its UK coach and bus divisions. Vehicle manufacturers Scania andAlexander Dennis Ltd ("ADL") will supply the vehicles over a three year periodand the first vehicles will start to enter service in Autumn 2007. As a result of this investment the Group's UK-wide coach network and busoperations in the West Midlands and London will be fully accessible to allcustomers including wheelchair users. The vehicles will be fitted withstate-of-the-art clean engine technology and boast the latest in fuelconsumption efficiency and emissions technology. Group Chief Executive Richard Bowker said: "We are focused on providing thelatest products and services to our customers and today's order confirms ourcommitment to further upgrade our fleet to make it accessible to all. "Buses and coaches are the most environmentally friendly ways to travel andconsumers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of using publictransport. We want to ensure we are well positioned to cater for that demandand, as a leading provider of travel services, we are committed to sustainableand responsible travel by providing our customers with the latest state of theart vehicles on the market." The ADL order comprises single and double deck buses totalling £26 million. TheScania order comprises single and double deck buses and Caetano Levante coachestotalling almost £43 million. Both the Scania and ADL vehicles are fitted with clean-burning engines whichcomply with the latest European low exhaust emissions standard (Euro 4). All of the buses will run on low-sulphur diesel, are fully DDA compliantincluding low-floor easy-access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and all haveCCTV fitted as standard. The 60-seater tri-axle Levante coaches will be fittedwith special lifts to help wheelchair users to board. The order will complementthe Group's existing roll-out of fully accessible vehicles which is currentlyunderway across its UK coach network. - ENDS - Notes to Editors • National Express Group serves more than one billion passengers a year worldwide on its bus, train, light rail and express coach and airport operations. It has leading positions in each of its markets - the United Kingdom, North America and Spain. Over 25% of our operations are now in international markets. • The Group's bus division operates more than 2,000 buses and provides approximately 380 million passenger journeys a year. It employs 7,000 people in the West Midlands, London and Dundee. • The Group's coach division provides Britain's only scheduled national coach network and serves more than 1,000 destinations, providing approximately 19 million customer journeys each year. The airport service provides premier, high frequency scheduled coach services to all the UK's major airports. The division employs nearly 1,700 people. For further information, please contact: Nicola Marsden/ Alison Flynn National Express Group PLC 020 7529 2000 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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