1st Aug 2005 12:00
Stagecoach Group PLC01 August 2005 1 August 2005 STAGECOACH GROUP PLC STAGECOACH INVESTS £3.5M IN NEW WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE COACHES • New order boosts service for passengers with disabilities • Total vehicle investment for 2005-06 now hits nearly £60m Stagecoach has given a major boost to people with disabilities with a £3.5million investment in a fleet of new accessible coaches. The Perth-based transport giant has placed an order with bus manufacturerPlaxton for 25 Profile coaches, which provide easy access for wheelchairpassengers through the main entrance. Following orders for more than 500 vehicles placed with a number ofmanufacturers earlier this year, this brings the total Stagecoach investment innew buses in the UK for 2005-06 to just under £60 million. Les Warneford, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said the new vehicleswould be introduced on the company's inter-urban express services in the UK. "Accessibility is an important factor in providing attractive public transportservices. As far as possible within the resources we have available, we arecommitted to making it easier for people to use our buses and coaches," he said. "We are investing millions of pounds every year on new vehicles as part of ourprogramme to make all our buses in the UK fully accessible. These new vehiclesare the best solution in the market in terms of providing wheelchair access oncoaches." The Profile coaches, based on Volvo B7R chassis, incorporate a wheelchair liftin the entrance which folds out of the way when not in use. Designed to beeasily operated by the driver, it gives access to a space alongside the entrancewhere there are secure fixings to hold the wheelchair and its user safely inposition. MORE Plaxton Sales Director Kevin Wood said: "In developing this innovative solutionto carrying wheelchair passengers, we were mindful of the need to make boardingand alighting as easy as possible, and to provide a vehicle which could be usedwith existing roadside and bus station infrastructure. This is our secondsubstantial order for our new accessible Profile, and I'm delighted to besupplying 25 to Stagecoach." The new coaches are scheduled for delivery between November 2005 and February2006. They follow a batch of conventional B7R Profiles, which joined theStagecoach fleet at the start of the year and were used to upgrade services innorth-east Scotland. ENDS For further information please contact:Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach GroupTel: 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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