Free for all on the buses as Stagecoach celebrates success!

Free travel for a day is the bumper birthday present lined up for its thousands of customers by Stagecoach Yorkshire as the company celebrates a landmark achievement.

Since its extensive service improvements a year ago – the biggest changes in the last 20 years – there has been a 3.2 per cent growth in passengers overall and a 5 per cent increase in the number of adult fare paying passengers.

And as a thank-you to customers, the leading bus operator, which bought out Yorkshire Traction in December 2005, will be offering a free fares day for travel throughout Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Mexborough on Saturday May 17.

Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director Paul Lynch said: We are delighted that the changes we introduced a year ago have proved to be so popular with our passengers and the free travel day is our way of thanking them for their loyalty.

As with any major operation involving so many services, it is extremely difficult to please everyone all the time but, by and large, there has been a very positive response to all the changes we made and this has been reflected in passenger numbers.

Our plan now is to continue to build on the improvements by listening to what our customers say to us about the various services and acting accordingly.

The company’s revamp of services last May followed a major review which took into account feedback from key stakeholders, including the Passenger Transport Executives in South and West Yorkshire, customers, staff and councillors.

The new structure included a number of new routes, extended routes, timetable changes to improve reliability and improved frequency on some services.

Stagecoach Yorkshire has invested in 30 new buses in the last 12 months, 13 in Doncaster, ten at its Shafton depot and seven in Barnsley, and plans to introduce more during the summer.

The 3.2 per cent overall passenger growth is equivalent to almost half a million more journeys.

Six routes have all seen an increase of more than 30 per cent – service 1 (Barnsley-Staincross), 6 (Barnsley-Kendray), 32 (Barnsley – Cudworth), 66 (Barnsley-Hoyland), 108/109 (Rawmarsh Circle), and 224 (Doncaster-Mexborough).

Paul added: The network is more reliable and punctual than a year ago and new marketing initiatives have helped to spread the message that we are determined to give customers the best possible service throughout our entire operating area.

Under Yorkshire Traction, a third of the buses were low floor and now 70 per cent of the fleet has this facility, making it easier for passengers to board and alight.

Free travel on May 17 applies all day, apart from Stagecoach East Midlands services 19/19A, 19B, 22, 25 and 99.