About Stagecoach South East

Key facts May 2017 – April 2018  

• 43.3 million passenger journeys 
• 19.4 million miles operated 
• 1,298 employees 
• 459 buses and coaches 
• 99.4% reliability 
• 94% punctuality

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Our passengers

We carried over 43.3 million passengers during the year.

We received a total of 4,163 passenger complaints about our services which equates to one complaint per 10,422 passengers.

We comply with our industry code of practice, and every complaint is investigated and action taken to avoid repetition of the problem.

Our staff

We are a major local employer with 1,298 drivers, 169 engineers and cleaners, and 90 support staff, supervisors and managers all based locally. 

Our drivers complete an ongoing programme to achieve their driver Certificates of Professional Competence (CPC).

Our engineers are all skilled workers and we currently employ 13 apprentices to provide skills for the future.

Our supervisors and managers have all completed relevant training courses for their various professions.

Our services

We operated over 19.4 million miles during the year. Our key measure of performance is the reliability and punctuality of our services.

In the past year we operated 99.4% of our scheduled services. We monitor our services for punctuality and 94% of our services operated within 5 minutes of their scheduled time, traffic congestion being the main reason for delay.

We continue to seek improvements both through rescheduling services and in discussions with our local highway authorities.

Our fares

In July we made some big changes to help simplify our fares and tickets. 

We restructured how our fares are calculated making return fares a set multiple of 1.5 times the single fare. 

At the same time we also reduced the number of single fare variations by 85% making everything a lot simpler for our customers and our drivers.  

Our fleet

We operate a fleet of 459 buses and have a programme of investment that replaces older vehicles each year - our entire fleet is DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant.

New buses are introduced to our busiest routes, ensuring the highest possible number of customers benefit from these modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles.

All of our vehicles are inspected by our engineers every 4 weeks, to ensure safety and comfort. Every vehicle is cleaned daily.

Our environment

We used over 2.41 million gallons of diesel during the year, at an average of 8.09 miles per gallon. We are working to improve fuel consumption through technical measures, and all our drivers have completed a Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving course. 

All of our fleet (except biofuel buses) runs on low sulphur diesel, with a high-tech additive Envirox to reduce pollution and improve fuel consumption. Vehicle engines must meet increasingly higher Euro standards of exhaust emissions - 21% of our buses contain Euro 6 specification engines. 

We recycle most of our waste, such as litter, used oils, filters, batteries, parts, etc. We also recycle the water we use to wash our vehicles every night.

We have a company Green Team with members representing different job roles from all of our seven depots. The team has been given special training and looks at each depot’s energy, recycling and sustainability performance and suggests areas for further improvement.

All of our buses are equipped with an eco-driving system called Green Road. The system gives drivers an indication of how they are driving via a green, amber and red warning device which reduces fuel consumption by encouraging better driving practices.

Our community

We play a big part in the local community and we enable thousands of people to go about their everyday activities.

We have Quality Bus Partnership schemes set up in the majority of the main urban areas in the region, where we work together with our partners, in particular local authorities, to improve local bus services.

We support a number of community groups and good causes. Our corporate charity is Pilgrims Hospices in east Kent and our staff often take part in fundraising events for the charity. 

In November, we saw Herne Bay Harriers under 11s squad ditch their ragtag strip and march out in a smart new kit for their first season of nine-a-side football. Our sponsorship provided funding for each team member to receive a full kit including kit bags and an away strip.

In December, Santa (aka local bus driver Brian Newton) journeyed around Eastbourne on our Special Santa bus spreading Christmas cheer on routes 1/1A and The Loop. The fundraising driver handed out sweets to youngsters and all donations went to our now annual Christmas fundraising campaign for local charity Children with Cancer Fund. A total of £1160 was raised during the one week period the service ran, beating the previous year’s figure by £100.

Our achievements

Wave Launch

In January, 12 new double deck buses were introduced on the popular coastal route 99, branded the ‘Wave,’ between Hastings and Eastbourne.

The £2.5 million investment provided more environmentally friendly Euro 6 buses with free WiFi and USB charging points for passengers. Each bus is equipped with high-back faux leather seats, allowing customers to travel in comfort. Our ‘Wave’ buses also feature a refreshed livery, which includes a montage inspired by the seaside route.

Transport Focus Survey 

In March, more than 9 in 10 customers across Kent and East Sussex gave the thumbs up to the company’s services with a 91% passenger satisfaction rating according to independent research by consumer watchdog Transport Focus. The watchdog also recorded high levels of satisfaction with the bus operator, achieving a 77% satisfaction rating with the punctuality of its buses and 78% with the length of time waited. 84% of passengers were also satisfied with on-bus journey times.

Once again, customers rated Stagecoach as the best value UK bus operator, for the fifth year in a row.

Route 3 extension to Sittingbourne

In September, we extended our route 3 service which connects Canterbury and Faversham to include Sittingbourne. The new link now starts from the bus stop outside the rail station on St Michael’s Road (opposite the Forum shopping centre). The buses now run to Faversham and along London Road and continue to Canterbury via the A2, dropping passengers off in the heart of the city next to Whitefriars shopping centre – handy for onward connections at the bus station and just a short walk from Canterbury College and Christ Church University.