29/08/2008

• Stagecoach survey reveals consumers can save £3500 a year by switching
• Savings equivalent to up to 100% of typical UK household's main bills
• Motorists urged to get on board public transport to beat soaring fuel prices

Bus travel is up to a massive 80% cheaper than commuting by car, according to new research by Stagecoach.

A Stagecoach survey of key routes across the UK found that consumers could save as much as £3500 a year by switching from the car to public transport.

The saving would pay for up to 100% of the typical UK household's main bills, such as council tax, gas, electricity, water, fixed-line telephones, home insurance and TV licence¹.

It follows recent research by Stagecoach and other UK transport groups, which revealed that increasing numbers of motorists are using their cars less due to environmental, health and cost concerns.

The findings come against a backdrop of rising fuel prices over the past year, with the cost of unleaded petrol and diesel at the forecourts up by as much as 25%².

Stagecoach surveyed more than 30 key routes across its national network, which stretches from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to south-west England. Around 50 million people a year currently use Stagecoach buses on these routes.

The survey – which included major cities such as Manchester, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge, Oxford, and Sheffield - compared weekly bus travel prices with the cost of fuel and parking charges for commuting by car.

It found:

• Commuters using Britain's busiest bus route from Stockport to Manchester, carrying nearly 11 million passengers a year, save 75% on travelling costs over the car.
• Motorists commuting to work between Witney and Oxford could save more than £70 a week by taking the bus, equivalent to around £3500 a year.
• Bus users travelling from Ferrytoll park and ride in Fife to Edinburgh are well over £2,000 a year better off than if they travel by car.
• Catching the bus to work from Histon to Cambridge is 83% cheaper than going by car.
• Travelling Monday to Friday by car between Pontypool and Newport in Wales is around £700 a year more expensive than taking the bus.
• Express coach passengers travelling to work from Ayr to Glasgow can save around £3500 a year by leaving their cars at home.

Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: "Many hard-working families are facing a tough time with higher food costs, soaring energy bills and the increasing cost of running their car.

"This new research proves that buses are the greener, smarter and cheaper way to travel. Just by switching to the bus for the daily commute to and from work would pay for the majority of the main household bills for a typical family in the UK.

"The potential for people to save money and at the same time make a real contribution to helping tackle climate change is huge. There has never been a better time to get back on board the bus."

Stagecoach also offers online access to monthly and annual bus tickets, allowing customers to receive even further discounts and fix the cost of their travel for up to 12 months in advance. Passengers can log on to www.buymymegarider.com to purchase travel on their local Stagecoach bus network.

The number of people travelling on Stagecoach buses across the UK has shot up by 3.9%³ over the past year – the sixth successive annual rise.

Earlier this year, a Stagecoach study of more than 4,000 consumers in the south of England found that more than 10% of people have changed their mode of transport in the last three years, driven by health and environmental concerns. It found that 47% were using their car less, with 36% switching to the bus, 30% now walking and 5% changing to travel by train.

Stagecoach is continuing a major drive to make its own business more sustainable and attract more people to travel by bus, coach, train and tram. The Group's wide-ranging strategy includes investment in renewable fuels and cleaner engines, state-of-the-art energy efficient facilities, water and waste recycling initiatives and offering businesses green travel incentives for their employees.

ENDS

For further information, please contact: Steve Stewart, Director of Corporate Communications, T. 01738 442111 (office) or 07764 774680 (mobile)
E. steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.
• Full details of the survey are in the attached document.

¹ Research by Citizens Advice, published in March 2008, found that the annual cost of main bills, such as council tax, gas, electricity, water, fixed-line telephones, home insurance and TV licences, was £3,426 for the typical UK household.
² BBC News website, "Brown defends fuel duty decision ", 16 July 2008.
³ Stagecoach like-for-like passenger volumes in the UK for the 12 months from 1 May 2007 to 30 April 2008 were 3.6% higher than the equivalent prior year period. Estimated underlying full fare passenger volume growth was around 2.9% with the remaining growth coming from concessionary travel schemes.