Stagecoach in South Wales thanks customers for donation to the NHS

 Stagecoach customers thanked for supporting major donation to Cardiff & Vale Health Charity as part of the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Appeal

• Over £14k raised so far by Stagecoach customers for the valuable local NHS charity
• Customers thanked for their support in the exact fare scheme
• People still encouraged to use contactless payment wherever possible and to have the exact fare for their journeys

Stagecoach in South Wales has thanked its customers across the country for helping to raise more than £14,000 for the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Appeal.

Stagecoach in South Wales introduced a temporary exact fare policy on its bus services in May 2020 in response to feedback from the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers have been advised that any excess payment received as a result of not giving change will be donated to the NHS Charities Together Appeal, which supports NHS staff, volunteers and patients impacted by Covid-19 across the country.

The temporary policy is one of many measures taken by Stagecoach to ensure that people can continue to travel with confidence. All services in Wales have been accredited with Visit Britain’s “We’re Good to Go” official mark, recognising the work carried out to meet government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and the processes in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

The amount of £14,231 has been donated to the Welsh partner of the COVID-19 appeal, ‘Cardiff & Vale Health Charity’ which helps support the NHS staff, volunteers and patients in their hospitals in ways above and beyond what NHS funding can ordinarily provide. It will be used to help kit out rest rooms, which are dedicated areas of hospitals where staff can go for relaxation during busy shifts, fund games and activities to support young patients in mental health wards and in the community, and provide electronic tablets for patients to video call their loved ones.

Georgina Burke, Senior Fundraiser at Cardiff & Vale Health Charity said: “Covid-19 is still such a big part of everyone’s life impacting on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. All donations will help NHS charities across the UK to support hospitals, ambulance services, community healthcare and social care in people’s recovery from the short and long term effects of the virus.”

Ellie Orton, Chief Executive of NHS Charities, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from businesses across the country.  A big thank you to Stagecoach and its passengers for raising such an incredible amount.”

Nigel Winter, Managing Director for Stagecoach in South Wales, said: “We would like to thank our customers for their help in raising such a fantastic amount for this worthy charity. We’re very proud of the incredible job that all key workers, including our own employees, are continuing to do and are pleased that this money will be going to support those who have supported many others during these difficult times.

“In the past few months, we’ve all had to make changes to the way we live and travel to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Many people have found it easy and convenient to pay for their journey using contactless or by mobile and we would encourage our customers to continue to do so where possible.”

Stagecoach customers are still asked to use contactless, mobile, pre-payment methods or have exact change for their fare. The excess payment from the exact fare policy will continue to be donated to the NHS appeal.

ENDS