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Stagecoach is Dotty about Stockton with Launch of New Bus Fleet

Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 09.15.05Stagecoach North East has unveiled the first of 17 brand new buses to join its fleet in Stockton, connecting thousands of passengers to key places across the town.

At a public event to celebrate the announcement, the local bus operator was joined by Stockton South MP and Northern Powerhouse Minister, James Wharton to launch the newly branded single decker ADL E300 buses as part of a £2.3 million investment. With state-of-the-art fuel efficient engines, improved seating for customer comfort and free wifi, seven new buses are now in service and the remaining ten buses will be out on the roads over the next few weeks.

Visiting the new buses at the launch, James Wharton MP said: “I’m delighted to be here today to support the launch of these fantastic new buses. Their technology is a real incentive to those who need wifi on the go. Anything that encourages increased use of public transport is to be supported. I look forward to seeing the new fleet in and around Stockton.”

The company has introduced the newly branded buses for its customers on services 52, 58, 59 and 61, which link the town centre to locations along the route, including Fairfield, Hardwick, Norton and Billingham. The buses feature a ‘connecting the DOTS’ theme designed to highlight the connections available along the routes, and the flexibility on offer for passengers when travelling around Stockton.

The new fleet will enable residents to visit a wide variety of places such as schools supermarkets and shops, and ‘join the dots’ every 12-15 minutes. All buses will feature wifi, allowing customers the opportunity to keep up their own connections during travel.

To celebrate the announcement, the company is encouraging the youngsters of Teesside to get ‘dotty about Stockton’ and has launched a ‘join the dots’ competition* for a chance to win a selection of spotted goodies as part of a prize draw. For more information, please visit https://www.stagecoachbus.com/JointhedotsStockton.

Alex Cunningham MP for Stockton North, said: “I know people across the Stockton Borough will be pleased to have 21st century buses on local routes and I’m delighted to see Stagecoach invest in both the new buses and our community.  I look forward to working with the company to further develop services in the area and respond to local demand.”

Phil Medlicott, managing director of Stagecoach North East, said: “We are delighted to launch the first of these new vehicles for the wider Stockton area, with the rest of the new buses coming on board shortly. This is great news for our customers and a fantastic addition to the local Stagecoach bus fleet.

“Buses are critical to the local economy and so we have invested to improve the experience for customers, making it as easy as possible to travel within their community, and connecting people to their local amenities. With the addition of free wifi, being able to work remotely, contact friends via social networks or even check the latest journey information online will help make bus travel more productive.”

*Competition closes on 9th October 2015.

For further information about Stagecoach North East please visit www.stagecoachbus.com/northeast

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