Stagecoach celebrates one millionth passenger

Stagecoach South West have reached an incredible milestone this week: carrying its one-millionth passenger on Gold, since the service launched a little over a year ago.

To celebrate, one lucky passenger, Kirsty Fawthorpe, was selected at random to receive an annual Megarider Gold ticket worth £940.

Kirsty, who uses the service on a daily basis, said “"I use Gold to commute to work every day to Totness and think it's a fantastic service - really comfy seats and, of course, the free wi-fi is great. When I heard I'd been selected as winner of this competition I was absolutely over the moon - it was a lovely surprise!"”

Stagecoach has been surprising their passengers throughout the week with treats such as millionaire’s shortbread and chocolate gold coins.

Stagecoach Gold connects the English Riviera with Totnes and Plymouth and, such is the success of this premium bus route, Stagecoach doubled the frequency of buses between Torquay and Plymouth in May of this year. Buses now run between the two locations up to every 30 minutes, Mondays to Saturdays and up to every hour on Sundays.

Commuters travelling to Plymouth benefit from arrivals in the city centre from as early as 6.30am in the morning and a last departure at 10:30pm, coinciding with theatre finishing times and providing late evening connections to the popular town of Ivybridge.

Michael Watson, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: “Since its introduction in September 2013, Stagecoach Gold has proved to be a resounding success and I am grateful to our one million passengers for their loyal support during the past year. It was our pleasure to say thank you by presenting an annual Megarider Gold ticket to Kirsty.”

“The leather seats, free wi-fi and extra leg room all add some every day luxury to bus travel – and all for the price of a regular bus ticket. I’m also delighted that our first ever Gold customer survey shows that 100% of those surveyed would travel by Gold again – and recommend it to a friend!*”

As well as linking Torquay with Totnes and Plymouth, Stagecoach also provides regular connections between Totnes and Dartmouth. An anytime day return between Torquay and Plymouth is only £7.20 – the same as an off peak only train ticket. A day of unlimited travel across the whole route – and on all other Stagecoach buses - is just £7.50.  For regular commuters along the route, a 1 week Megarider Gold provides 7 days of unlimited travel for £26.

Customers on board Stagecoach Gold enjoy a ‘5 star’ bus experience with a dedicated team of smartly uniformed drivers, free Wi-Fi and comfortable seats with lots of extra leg room. Stagecoach Gold is also characterised by its ‘Customer Promise’ which enshrines the service standards customers can expect from the company, vehicles and drivers. Details of the Customer Promise, along with the Stagecoach Gold timetable and route map, can be found online at www.stagecoachbus.com/southwest.