Stagecoach supports drive to regenerate Scotland's communities

6th September 2015

Transport operator Stagecoach Group is joining forces with Scotland's Towns Partnership to help support the regeneration of the country’s towns and communities.

The aim is to improve connectivity, community and prosperity for towns across Scotland and help facilitate their success by sharing ideas, delivering improved accessibility and raising the profile of Scottish towns.

Stagecoach Group is an international transport operator, carrying over 3 million passengers daily across Europe and North America on its bus, coach, train and tram services. The Group employs more than 2,000 people in Scotland and, as well as providing vital transport links, the company continues to support the local communities it serves in a number of other ways.

The agreement announced today (31 August 2015), will see Stagecoach supporting Scotland's Towns Week from the 16th to the 22nd November as well as delivering transport at the World Towns Summit in Edinburgh in 2016. Stagecoach has also pledged to provide funding for further research to be carried out around sustainable commuting and travel in Scotland’s towns and communities.

Research carried out by campaign group Greener Journeys found that buses generate £64billion of economic output in the UK every year. Figures show that 77% of jobseekers are reliant on the bus, while 29% of city centre spending comes from bus users.

Steven Stewart, Stagecoach Group Director of Communications said: "We provide lifeline services that link many of Scotland’s towns and smaller local communities, allowing people to access education, employment, healthcare and leisure facilities.

“As a proud Scottish company, with our global HQ in Perth, we are pleased to be supporting the important work of Scotland's Towns Partnership. Along with Scotland’s cities, our towns and other communities are important social and economic hubs and we believe a strong public transport network is at the heart of delivering economic growth in Scotland. We look forward to playing our part in helping the country’s towns fulfill their potential."

Phil Prentice, Chief Officer of Scotland's Towns Partnership said: “We are very excited by the announcement of this important partnership. The future of many of Scotland's towns depends on both physical and digital connectivity, we will work with Stagecoach to explore how sustainable green travel can help grow the economic opportunities for Scotland's Towns."

Scotland's Towns Partnership
http://www.scotlandstowns.org/