About Stagecoach West

Key facts May 2017 - April 2018

• 24.9 million passenger journeys 
• 13.3 million miles operated   carrying customers on our network
• 300  buses operating about 100 different routes across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Swindon, South Gloucestershire,  Bristol and Herefordshire with some journeys extending into Wales and Oxfordshire. 
• 820 staff working across 6 depots located in Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Ross-on-Wye, Stroud and Swindon
• £4.8m investment on 19  brand new double decker Gold buses
• 86.5% service punctuality
• 99.4% service reliability

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Our passengers 

We carried a total of 24.9 million passengers over the year, an increase of almost 3% compared to the previous year. This growth has been a result of an increase in the number of services and frequencies operated.

We received a total of 2,742 passenger complaints about our services equating to one complaint per 9,000 passengers which was an increase on the prior year. We comply with our  industry code of practice, and every complaint is investigated and  action taken to avoid repetition of the problem.

We received 244 commendations and praise for our drivers and members of staff - our largest number ever. 

Our staff 

We are a major local employer with about 600 drivers, 105 engineers and cleaners, and 55 supervisors, managers and clerical staff all based locally.

We continue to invest in training our staff. Every driver undertakes a training day to enable them to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). The focus of these courses during the past 12 months has been on providing  service through safety.

We employ 7 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 a total of 13.3 million miles over the year, an increase   of 4%   over the previous 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, with the largest reason for journeys not operating being factors within our control such as driver coverage and breakdown. We monitor every single bus and every journey using our real time tracking system. 90.8% of journeys started on time with 85.5%  of services being on time during the journey.

We continue to seek improvements by rescheduling services and through ongoing discussions with our local highway  authorities.  Unpredictable traffic congestion has a significant impact on our punctuality and reliability, with 11,000 miles not operated due to this factor.

We have made further improvements to services over the past year including the introduction of 19 new British built Gold specification ADL E400 double deckers for service S6 which links Swindon,  Faringdon and Oxford and Service 93 in Cheltenham.

During the year, we also commenced a number of new routes in and around Bristol which were previously operated by Wessex. Our Bristol depot now employs 70 people and runs 35 buses which carry around 1 million passengers.

Our fares 

We   increased   fare in February 2018 by an average of 3%, which was to   cover our increased costs of pay and insurance, whilst providing for further investment in new vehicles,   plant and equipment.

Our Fleet

We operate a fleet of 270 buses and coaches, of which we replaced  10 over the past year with a total investment of about £2.5 million. 100 % of our fleet  are low floor or wheelchair lift equipped to provide easy access for the elderly,  disabled and buggies.

All of our vehicles are inspected by our engineers at least every 4 weeks, and maintained to much higher standards than the legal minimum to ensure safety  and comfort. During the year we introduced a new proactive maintenance programme designed to reduce the overall number of vehicle breakdowns. Every vehicle is cleaned inside and outside daily.

Our environment 

We used 7.1 million litres of diesel last year, at an average of 8.10 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. We have installed a telematic system called Green Road to all of our service vehicles. This system allows us to better manage our drivers’ performance both in terms of actual driving standard to improve customer comfort but also improve their driving style to achieve better fuel economies.

 All our fleet runs on a higher blend of low sulphur biodiesel, with a high-tech additive Envirox to reduce pollution and improve fuel consumption. Vehicle engines must meet increasingly higher Euro standards of exhaust emissions. 100% of our fleet meets at least the Euro 3 standard and 60% of our fleet meets the Euro 5 standard. 

During the past year we have introduced a further 10 Euro 6 vehicles. 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.

• Cheltenham service B increased by 5%
• Gloucester services 2/2A, 33, 71, 97/98, 132 increased by 3%
• Stroud Service 63 increased by 3%
• Swindon Service 55 increased by 7% and service S6 increased by 7%