Stagecoach passenger volume growth on bus and rail

Stagecoach has announced that passenger volumes on the company’s buses in Great Britain grew by 3.6 per cent in the year to 30 April 2008 – the company estimates that full fare passenger volume growth was 2.9 per cent, with the remaining increase coming from rises in the numbers of concessionary pass holders. Revenue from the Stagecoach bus operations in Great Britain increased by 7.7 per cent to £743 million, generating an operating profit of £109 million – the operating margin increased from 12.2 per cent in 2006/7 to 14.8 per cent in 2007/8.

Stagecoach also reported that in the year to 30 April 2008, passenger volumes on the South West Trains franchise grew by 5.7 per cent, with revenue increasing by over 14 per cent.

Poor punctuality from First bus companies

FirstGroup has published punctuality and reliability statistics for the local bus subsidiaries for the three months ended 31 March 2008.

Only 84.8 per cent of First Bristol buses were found to be operating within the Traffic Commissioner’s ‘window of tolerance’ i.e. less than one minute early or five minutes late. The punctuality for the other three FirstGroup local bus companies in the South West of England was as follows:-

• First Devon and Cornwall: 93.1%
• First Hampshire and Dorset: 86.1%
• First Somerset and Avon: 92.4%

The Traffic Commissioner expects ninety-five per cent of an operator’s buses to be within the ‘window of tolerance’ – all four First bus companies in the South West failed to meet this particular target.

FirstGroup also measures the actual mileage operated every day against the total scheduled timetabled mileage – the local companies are targeted to operate a minimum of ninety-nine per cent of the scheduled timetabled mileage Only one local company failed to meet the reliability target for the first quarter of 2008:-

• First Bristol 97.6%
• First Devon and Cornwall: 99.4%
• First Hampshire and Dorset: 99.2%
• First Somerset and Avon: 99.4%

Live web chat

Stewart Palmer, the Managing Director of South West Trains, is holding a live web chat with customers on Wednesday 20 August – further details are available on the company’s website ‘www.southwesttrains.co.uk’

People

Mark Howarth, the managing director of Western Greyhound, has been reappointed as Chair of the South West region of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), following the transfer of Chris Hilditch from Stagecoach Devon – Mark Howarth completed a four year term as Chair of South West CPT last year, before the subsequent appointment of Chris Hilditch to the role. It is intended that Mark Howarth will now serve as Chair of South West CPT until April 2009.

And finally,

Three police forces are to be investigated after armed police ordered a passenger to lie face-down on the platform at Bournemouth railway station in a case of mistaken identity.

Two officers from Dorset Police arrested the twenty-one year old man travelling on a South West Trains service, which was stationary in a platform at Bournemouth station.

The man had been identified by British Transport Police officers after Hampshire Police alerted them to an earlier incident in Basingstoke.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) stated that the conduct of all three police forces involved in the incident would be investigated.