By Andrew Clarke

Published at 11:10, Thursday, 09 February 2012

STAGECOACH has been named as Britain’s best value bus operator, according to new independent research.

Transport specialists TAS found weekly bus travel with Stagecoach is on average 17.5 per cent cheaper than other operators. The difference could save passengers an average of nearly £150 a year.

Stagecoach’s average weekly ticket price of £13.27 – the lowest in the survey – was nearly £3 cheaper than the £16.09 average for other operators.

TAS also found Stagecoach was up to 20 per cent cheaper than other operators for weekly travel.

Meanwhile, Stagecoach bus drivers in Cumbria are leading the way when it comes to efficient driving, thanks to a high-tech system introduced by the company last year.

In March, Stagecoach Group announced that it was installing the Green Road eco-driving system on its buses across the UK and that around 13,800 Stagecoach drivers were to begin using the new technology to help reduce fuel consumption, improve passenger comfort and cut the risk of accidents.

The Green Road system is designed to encourage drivers to stay within a “green driving zone”, with the best drivers getting the score closest to zero.

Events such as harsh braking or acceleration carry one point each. A driver needs to achieve an average of two points or less an hour over the course of every 10-hour block of driving to achieve the target. Drivers in West Cumbria consistently perform ahead of the target.

Stagecoach is targeting a four per cent reduction in fuel consumption using the system, which has been rolled out on its fleet of 6,500 buses outside London.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk