Stagecoach invests £2.5m in luxury vehicles

Monday 23 November sees Stagecoach’s flagship brand, Stagecoach Gold, introduced on route 57, which connects Exeter and Exmouth with Topsham, Lympstone and Brixington.

The local operator has invested £2.5m in 11 new vehicles, all of which feature free Wi-Fi and USB charging, as well as leather seats with extra legroom, giving customers a luxury travel experience between city and sea.

Bob Dennison, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, will cut the ribbon on one of the new vehicles at the official launch, which is being held at Darts Farm on Friday 20th November.

He commented: “I am so pleased to be able to introduce this evolution of our 57 service. The success of our Gold service in Torbay proves how popular these buses are with our customers and, of course, we’ve gone one better than Torbay by also featuring free USB charging as well as free Wi-Fi!”

Councillor Mark Williamson, Chairman of the Exmouth Transport Partnership, added, “The new fleet of 57s is excellent news for the many frequent travellers on this popular service. It will be particularly welcomed by those who use the 57 daily for work and can look forward to a comfortable ride home at the end of a long day. The new buses also add value to our many thousands of visitors, connecting our wonderful seaside resort with the ancient city of Exeter.”

Stuart Hughes, Devon’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “Devon County Council welcomes Stagecoach's investment and commitment to further improving this high frequency route with these luxury buses.

“It’s buses like these that will encourage more people to use public transport and again demonstrates the effective partnership approach between the company and the council. These buses will produce real benefits for passengers.”

At the same time as the new buses go into service, Stagecoach will also introduce a revised timetable that will improve reliability whilst also maintaining the current frequency of buses up to every 15 minutes, 7 days a week. Buses will also continue to run late into the evening, making Stagecoach Gold 57 the ideal choice for commuters, shoppers and tourists.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to look around one of the new buses and pick up a new timetable as well as gold freebies at two roadshows. The first takes place in Princesshay, Exeter on Saturday 21st November and the second at The Strand in Exmouth on Monday 23rd November. Moreover, the first 50 visitors at each roadshow will be able to claim a ‘golden ticket’, which will give a day of free travel on one of the new buses.

Stagecoach Gold is also characterised by its team of smartly uniformed drivers, all of whom are regulars on the route. In addition, the Gold ‘Customer Promise’ defines the service standards customers can expect from the company, vehicles and drivers. Details of the Customer Promise, along with the Stagecoach Gold timetable and route map, will shortly be available at www.stagecoachbus.com with printed timetables to follow soon afterwards.