Stagecoach launches new buses in Plymouth

Stagecoach South West has confirmed that it is launching its new fleet of Plymouth buses with a roadshow event.

The event will take place in Plymouth City Centre on Friday 29th January at the city’s Civic Centre Piazza, Royal Parade.

The operator has invested £5 million in twenty-six buses for the network. Some of them are entering service immediately with the rest to follow over the coming weeks. The majority of buses also feature free Wi-Fi, allowing customers to connect, share and play on the move.

Ten buses will operate on the Park & Ride routes, completing replacing the current fleet. All Park & Ride buses will be in a smart, new livery celebrating Plymouth’s status as ‘Ocean City’ and come complete with luxury leather seating inside. The remaining 16 will run on the 1/X1 service, connecting Plymouth with Tavistock and on service 3, connecting Plymouth with Dartmouth.

Stagecoach South West Managing Director, Bob Dennison, commented “I’m really looking forward to being able to show off our new buses which, I hope, demonstrate to locals the serious commitment we have made to provide quality, affordable transport for the Plymouth and South Hams areas.”

Councillor Brian Vincent, Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said: “The launch of this new fleet is good news for Plymouth and for bus passengers. It’s great to see investment in new, modern vehicles for these services, which will help encourage more people to use public transport in and around the city.” 

To further enhance Stagecoach’s Park & Ride services a new timetable will come into operation from 1st February which will improve the overall reliability of the services. Copies will be available to pick up on the day.

The £5million investment comes just three months after Stagecoach South West announced its acquisition of certain assets of First Devon & Cornwall’s Plymouth operation. The acquisition has provided passengers with a number of benefits including more reliable timetables, earlier morning and later evening journeys and the introduction of new cross-city links.