About Stagecoach Manchester

Key facts 

In 2018/19 

• £37 million investment in new buses and services over the last five years
• 106 million passengers 
• 26.5 million miles operated 
• 2323 employees 
• 92% of journeys started on time 
• 750 buses 

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Our passengers

In total our customers made 106 million journeys on our buses over the year.

In the same period, we received the equivalent of 1 complaint per 20,600 passenger journeys.

Every complaint is fully investigated in compliance with our industry code of practice.  All suggestions and comments on possible service improvements are considered and many changes to services, routes and timetables have been made to take into account feedback from our customers.

An independent customer satisfaction survey by Passenger Focus, published in March 2017, showed that our overall customer satisfaction rating was 91 per cent.

Our staff

We’re a major employer and our staff are fully trained in courses relevant to their professions. 

We have: 

• 2,362 staff 
• 1,950 drivers 
• 250 engineers and cleaners 
• 162 supervisors, managers and ancillary staff 

All of our drivers have or are in the process of earning a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). They also receive other internal training, such as cycle awareness and disability awareness. 

Each of our engineers is a skilled worker, and we employ apprentices to develop the workers and managers of the future. We currently have 21 engineering apprentices in training.

Our supervisors and managers have all completed relevant training courses for their roles. Many of our staff have shown an impressive commitment and loyalty to Stagecoach. 

Each year we hold Long Service Awards and in 2017/18 35 of our staff archived milestones of between 20 and 45 years service with us.

Our services 

Our services operated a total of 29 million miles over the year.

Our key measures of performance are the reliability and punctuality of our services. 

All of our buses are fitted with automatic vehicle location technology. In the past year 91% of our services started their journey within five minutes of their scheduled time. Traffic congestion and roadworks continue to be the main reason for delays. 

We continue to seek improvements both through rescheduling our services and in discussions with Transport for Greater Manchester and our local highways authorities. 

Our fares 

We offer a range of value for money fares and a number of different ways to pay including contactless payments on all of our buses and mobile tickets available on the Stagecoach Bus App.  Fare information including single fares can be found  in the Plan your Journey or  Tickets section of this website.

Guide dogs and assistance dogs will be carried free of charge at all times.  The charge for all other dogs is £1.00 for unlimited travel all day.

Independent research by Passenger Focus rated Stagecoach Manchester amongst the best operators for value for money, with satisfaction of 75 per cent.

Standard Fare

All passengers are expected to have a valid ticket or pass for their journey. Failure to show this when requested may result in a Standard Fare Charge – the current Standard Fare Charge for  Stagecoach Manchester is £50. To avoid prosecution the Standard  Fare Charge must be paid within 21 days.

Our fleet

We operate a fleet of 750 buses, which includes 144 hybrid electric buses and 144 buses with EURO 6 engines, placing Stagecoach Manchester as one of the leading investors in this greener technology in the UK, outside London. 

In the last year we invested £4.5 million in new buses. 

These new buses add to our fleet of efficient, modern buses and continue to reduce the impact public transport has on the environment. 

Servicing our buses

All our vehicles are inspected by our engineers at least every 28 days, and maintained to high standards to ensure passenger safety and comfort. 

Every vehicle is cleaned daily and in response to customer feedback we also have in-service cleaning teams operating in Piccadilly Gardens, Chorlton, Stockport and various other locations. 

Independent research by Passenger Focus revealed 82 per cent of our customers are pleased with the condition of the bus exteriors, while 81 per cent were satisfied with the tidiness of the bus interiors.

Free Wi-Fi and USB charging points

Over half of our buses are fitted with free Wi-Fi and a number are also fitted with USB charging points for the convenience of our customers. 

Our environment 

We continue to make real progress in becoming a greener, smarter bus operator; not just on the road but in our depots, workshops, offices and canteens. 

We use hybrid electric buses and our new buses with Euro 6 engines to maximise fuel efficiency. 

Our fleet runs on B30 diesel which has only 70 per cent carbon content, and our engines are fitted with controls which optimise fuel consumption. 

We recycle or redirect away from landfill 100 per cent of our total waste.

Our community

We enable thousands of people to go about their daily activities and also work with many local organisations to improve transport access and information. 

Our staff support a number of activities to promote bus travel including events like Catch the Bus Week, Green Week and Customer Service Week. 

We also work closely with our staff to raise funds for local charities and in September 2015 our staff elected our charity partner Prevent Breast Cancer (formerly Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention).   Through a range of fundraising activities including sponsored runs and cycles we raised £21,900.  

In September 2017 we chose our new charity partner, and our staff are currently fundraising for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity.