Our customers

Our customers are at the heart of what we do. Every day around 100,000 people trust us to get them where they need to be. Whether it’s Steve on his way to a job interview, using the bus for the first time in ages or Moira who’s making her twice-weekly trip to see her grandkids, Finn taking the school bus or Jasmine heading back to university our services are an important part of the community.

We love our regular customers, getting to know their routines and sharing in their day-to-day lives. It’s always great to welcome new faces on board, too, and we’re happy to help get them where they need to be.  

Our people

It’s our people who make our service special. They do more than make the wheels go round; they are the very spirit of Stagecoach. From bus and coach drivers, to engineers, cleaners and customer service staff, there are over 1100 of us working together to help Stagecoach South West reach our goal of becoming the UK’s favourite and most successful public transport company.  

But it doesn’t stop there. We also support around 10,000 jobs nationally through our supply chain. That’s a lot of people and creating an inclusive workforce is a responsibility that we take seriously. For instance, we’re proud to say that the number of female bus drivers continues to grow each year and we celebrate diversity across the whole business. 

The future of Stagecoach relies on supporting our country’s young people. We’ve been at the forefront of championing apprentices in our workforce for years. Right now there are over  over 800 apprentices across the business in England, Scotland and Wales. Our apprenticeship scheme is award-winning and can help deliver the skills needed to support the new technologies and fleets of the future.  

Our communities

While we may have seen a lot of change over the years, our mission has always been the same: connecting people and communities.

Our depots in Barnstaple, Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth are proud to be a part of day-to-day life in their community. Whether it’s getting to know the names and faces of regular customers or supporting local causes, we care about our communities.

Our environment

It’s never been more important to do the right thing when it comes to our environment. That’s why we continue to tackle climate change and boost air quality with each new vehicle that enters our fleet.

Vehicle engines must meet increasingly higher Euro standards of exhaust emissions. 100% of our fleet meets at least the Euro 3 standard and, out of that, 63% is Euro5 or above. Our Ecodriver system is installed on all of our vehicles and provides drivers with real-time feedback on their driving style, reducing accidents and improving fuel consumption. Our buses also have an Automatic Vehicle Location  (AVL) system on board which allows us to manage our services more effectively on a day-to-day basis.

It’s about more than just our environmental responsibility on the road. Our wider company initiatives have helped cut buildings emissions by 21% and Stagecoach Group has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for measuring, managing and reducing our global carbon footprint.  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.

Read more about our sustainability strategy and our drive to net zero

Our buses

With a fleet of 400 buses and coaches serving more than 100 routes across the region you can see why we’re one of the biggest public transport companies in the South West. But did you know that we also have one of the most modern fleets in the UK?

We’re constantly investing in newer, greener buses and, over the past eight years, Stagecoach Group have spent £630 million on regional buses. 

Our services

Our mission for every journey is simple: get everyone safely where they need to be, every day. 

If you’ve got a journey to take, we’ve got a service to help you make it. Our local buses are ideal for daily travel either for leisure or work. Even if you work a little further from home, our interurban services will help you get there.

When the British weather allows, our open top buses are the perfect way to experience the beautiful scenery of places like the North Devon Coast or Torbay. Or maybe you’re more of a city fan? No problem, our extensive network of buses in Exeter and Plymouth will get you where you need to go. 

When it comes to Education, Education, Education, we’ve got that covered, too, with dedicated school services, and great value travel to colleges and universities. Plus, our Stagecoach Solutions team can arrange travel for events, businesses and rail replacement.

We constantly review our safety procedures and, as we’re all too aware since the unscheduled arrival of Coronavirus, we’re placing even more emphasis on cleaning. We already had a great cleaning schedule in place but we’ve taken it to the next level, focusing on the areas of the bus in which you’re most likely to come into contact. 

We’re constantly working hard to increase the quality, reliability and frequency of our bus services to offer car users a realistic transport alternative. Not only will this help with the usual congestion and car parking hassles, but it’ll also help the environment by taking more cars off the road.

Our tickets and tech

We’ve made the bus journey simple for everyone and embraced the changes that have come into effect over the years. Tickets can be bought in advance on our website or app or paid for with contactless on board.

Don’t worry if that’s not your thing, we still accept cash. Plus, our fares are among the lowest of any national UK bus company.  

We know there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” so we offer a wide range of tickets so you, our customer, can choose the best value travel for you. 

We’ve updated our website and app to make bus travel even easier. Catching the bus today, tomorrow or later? Our Plan your journey feature does exactly what it says on the tin so you can plan the date, time and route of your journey. Not sure where to wait for the bus? Use the website or app to find your nearest bus stop.   

We recently added a live map to our Stagecoach Bus App, letting you track where your bus is on the route and check if you’ve got time to grab a coffee before it arrives. Plus, our Busy Bus indicator on the app shows you when it’s the quietest time to travel. Forget time travel...this is travel for the 21st century.