SOUTH WEST. annual report. May 2012 to April

Transcription

1 annual report May 2012 to April 2013 SOUTH WEST

2 Operational performance statistics About us Stagecoach South West provides local bus services across Exeter, East Devon, Torbay, South Devon, North Devon, Somerset and into Cornwall and Dorset. Our aim is to provide safe, reliable, punctual, clean and comfortable services with a good value for money range of tickets and fares. This annual report covers the year from May 2012 to April Our passengers We carried a total of 27.5 million passengers over the year, an increase of 11,000 over the previous year. We received a total of 2,600 passenger complaints about our services. That equates to one complaint per 10,575 passengers. We comply with our industry code of practice, and every complaint is investigated and action taken to avoid repetition of the problem. Our services We operated a total of 14.1 million miles over the year, an increase of 2.78% over the previous year, most of which is due to the expansion of our North Devon network. Our key measure of performance is the reliability and punctuality of our services. In the past year we operated 99.7% of our scheduled services, with 0.17% failure due to internal reasons, 0.13% due to external reasons such as congestion or diversions and 0.04% due to adverse weather conditions. We monitor our services for punctuality and 94.8% of our services operated within 5 minutes of their scheduled time, traffic congestion again being the main reason for delay. We continue to seek improvements both through rescheduling services and in discussions with our local highway authorities. We have continued to invest in our fleet with the purchase of new Scania E400 double decker buses for our 52 route connecting Exeter and Sidmouth (9 vehicles) and our North Devon network (22 new vehicles) at a total cost of 5.5 million. 99.7% of all scheduled services operated.

3 Our staff We are a major South West employer with 746 drivers, 94 engineers and cleaners, and 81 supervisors, managers and administration staff, all of whom are based locally. We have continued to invest in training all our staff. All of our drivers have completed the first four stages of their Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Our engineers are all skilled workers and we employ 8 apprentices to provide skills for the future. Our supervisors and managers have all completed relevant training courses for their various professions. Our fares We increased fares once during the year by an average of 4.4%. This was to cover our increased costs of pay, fuel and insurance, and to provide for further investment in new vehicles, plant and equipment. Like all businesses, we continue to be affected by the prevailing economic conditions, including substantially higher prices for fuel and utilities. However, we have worked hard to keep fare increases to a minimum and believe our buses still offer a greener, smarter and more affordable alternative to the car. For example, our 52 week Megarider Gold ticket provides unlimited travel on all of our bus services for just 2.58 per day*. *Based on cost of 52 week Megarider Gold at Our fleet We operate a fleet of 327 buses and coaches, of which we replaced 29 over the past year with a total investment of 5.5 million. All of our fleet (excluding school buses) is low floor or wheelchair ramp equipped to provide easy access for the elderly, disabled and buggies. All our vehicles are inspected by our engineers at least every 3 weeks, and maintained to much higher standards than the legal minimum to ensure safety and comfort. Every vehicle is cleaned daily and the average age of our vehicles is 7.4 years old.

4 Our environment We used 1.87 million gallons of diesel last year, at an average of 7.6 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. At the end of 2012 we adopted the Green Road eco driver system on all of our vehicles to provide drivers with real-time feedback on their driving style, reduce accidents and improve fuel consumption. An annual bonus scheme rewards drivers for consistent green driving and, if required, additional training and support is provided. All our fleet runs on low sulphur diesel, with a high-tech additive Envirox, to reduce pollution and improve fuel consumption. Vehicle engines must meet increasingly higher Euro standards of exhaust emissions. 87 % of our fleet meets at least the Euro 3 standard. 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. Our achievements Despite the on-going economic conditions, we are proud that not only have we maintained network stability but have actually increased the size of our network, invested in new vehicles and launched new brands and products onto the market. Following the withdrawal of First Devon & Cornwall from North Devon in September 2012, we extensively reworked our North Devon network, growing the fleet by a third virtually overnight. We now have a stable, sustainable network which is attracting increasing patronage with low fares and modern vehicles. Consequently, we have been able to invest 4 million in 22 new buses for our North Devon Wave route. At the start of 2013 we launched 9 new vehicles on our 52 route operating between Exeter and Sidmouth. Eye catching images of Sidmouth were applied to the exterior advertising spaces, highlighting the attractiveness of the area and the service frequency. Nineteen of our new buses in Torbay have been branded Hop12, positioning the route as A great way to get around the Bay for both locals and tourists alike. Through our partnership with the English Riviera Tourism Company, their official tourist map now features our bus route with over 100,000 copies in circulation. The map, along with discount offers, is also incorporated into our timetable to create A day out in your pocket. The success of this model is being replicated with other key routes. We continue to be recognised at the UK Bus Awards, the transport industry s premier awards event, and in 2012 were shortlisted in both the Environment and Top Shire categories.

5 Key Facts 2012/ million passengers were carried on Stagecoach South West services 14.1 million miles were operated within the South West across Devon, Somerset and into Cornwall and Dorset 99.7 % service reliability and 94.8 % service punctuality 288 (PVR) vehicles operating on over 134 routes across Devon and Somerset, extending into Cornwall 921 staff at 4 depots and 6 outstations 5.5 million investment in 9 buses for 52 service and 22 buses for North Devon Shortlisted for Top Shire and Environment at the 2012 UK Bus Awards

6 Exeter Torbay Barnstaple disability helpline travel shops Exeter bus station Paignton bus station customer services Stagecoach South West Belgrave Road Exeter EX1 2LB stagecoachbus.com/southwest devon.gov.uk/devonbus ticket agents For a full list of our ticket agents please visit: stagecoachbus.com/southwest what to do if things go wrong We do our best to meet your expectations, but occasionally things go wrong. If you feel we have failed you in some way please tell us about it by contacting customer services at the address above. If you re unhappy with our response, this is the independent body that will review complaints: The Bus Appeals Body PO Box 119 Shepperton TW17 8UX train information bus times All information correct at the time of going to press (July 2013)