STAGECOACH ANNOUNCES 2020 FLEET ELITE RESULTS

  • 4,700 Stagecoach employees achieve GreenRoad Fleet Elite status
  • 35% increase in number of Stagecoach drivers reaching the Master Fleet Elite standard
  • Advanced safety & telematics system continuously checks driving maneuvers & helps improve fuel efficiency

Stagecoach’s bus drivers are leading the way in a prestigious global performance measurement program for the fourth consecutive year.

A total of 4,698 Stagecoach drivers have been awarded Fleet Elite status and a special badge, under a comprehensive driving safety measurement program managed by GreenRoad, whose safety & telematics system serves professional drivers in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, America, Australia and New Zealand.

Over 2,580 of Stagecoach’s Fleet Elite awardees have achieved the Gold badge for consistently maintaining their Fleet Elite safe and fuel-efficient driving for three consecutive years.

Nearly 2,000 have achieved the Master Fleet Elite status for maintaining the rating for four or more consecutive years. This is an increase of 35% compared with last year, reflecting the success of Stagecoach’s uncompromising approach to safety and ongoing investment in driver training.

GreenRoad’s safety system has been installed on all Stagecoach vehicles and has proven to be extremely effective in helping drivers improve their skills. Using a simple traffic-light-like LED system on the dashboard, GreenRoad gives drivers instant feedback about their driving maneuvers, encouraging smoother, safer, and more fuel-efficient driving.

Stagecoach drivers represent almost half of the 9,892 drivers globally who met the Fleet Elite standard in 2017. More Stagecoach employees gained Fleet Elite status than any other bus operator – or any other company – in the worldwide scheme.

To gain Fleet Elite status, drivers must achieve an average of five or fewer events, such as harsh braking or acceleration, per 10 hours of driving over the entire calendar year. In fact, 111 Stagecoach drivers scored zero – a perfect score – during the period.

GreenRoad’s research shows that driving decisions are responsible for up to 33% of fuel spend, and that even experienced drivers can improve their fuel efficiency with the right guidance. To date, the use of GreenRoad’s system, together with the success of Stagecoach’s comprehensive driver training program, has helped Stagecoach achieve a 3% improvement in its fuel efficiency across its operations.

Mark Threapleton, Stagecoach UK, Bus Managing Director for England & Wales, said: “Our drivers continue to deliver impressive results under the Fleet Elite scheme. This year’s achievements once again reflect the thorough training our drivers receive and the professional driving behaviors our people display every single day while out on the road.

“Smoother, fuel-efficient driving is safer and provides more comfortable journeys for our customers, as well as helping to cut our carbon footprint.”

Stagecoach has also supported its multi-million-pound investment in the GreenRoad technology with a dedicated annual driver bonus pot. Employees can earn ‘green points’ for greener driving, which is converted into a cash bonus. In 2017, approximately £1.1 million in bonus payments were made to Stagecoach drivers.

David Ripstein, GreenRoad, CEO, said: “We congratulate Stagecoach on its impressive safety record and are proud of the part that our system has played in helping them achieve such a high standard. Stagecoach, together with a growing number of Fleet, Safety and Risk Managers around the world, increasingly recognize the power of immediate driving feedback”.

“The Fleet Elite incentive program makes a huge positive impact on driver safety, performance and overall organizational culture, and we are pleased to endorse it. The professional and peer recognition, together with monetary rewards, that drivers gain when they achieve Fleet Elite status year after year, has proven to be an effective incentive that leads to smoother driving, lower fuel consumption and fewer accidents. We are all the beneficiaries.”

In 2017 more than 11% of GreenRoad’s professional driver base achieved Fleet Elite status, representing a 15% increase over 2015. Each year, the percentage of GreenRoad drivers who achieve Fleet Elite status worldwide is increasing – a testament to the in-cab feedback that embeds good driving habits and encourages drivers to continually improve. This not only improves road safety, leading to lower insurance premiums and reduced accident-related costs, but also improves fuel economy.

Stagecoach has invested more than £1 billion over the past 11 years in the acquisition of new vehicles for local communities across the UK, including hybrid, electric, hydrogen and gas buses.

Further information about Stagecoach UK Bus can be found at www.stagecoachbus.com

Stagecoach Group

  • Stagecoach Group is an international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, the United States and Canada. The Group employs around 40,000 people, and operates around 13,000 buses, coaches, trains and trams.
  • Stagecoach is one of the UK’s biggest bus and coach operators with around 8,500 buses and coaches on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Low-cost coach service, megabus.com, operates a network of inter-city services across the UK.
  • Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast rail franchise. It also has a 90% shareholding in Virgin Trains East Coast, which operates the East Coast rail franchise.
  • Stagecoach operates the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield.
  • In North America, Stagecoach operates around 2,300 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. megabus.com links around 130 key locations in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter, transit, contracted, charter, airport shuttle and sightseeing services.

 For media enquiries, please contact:  Stagecoach Group Communications on 01738 442111 or email: media@stagecoachgroup.com

About GreenRoad

GreenRoad, a global leader in driver behavior technology, provides highly effective fleet driver safety and compliance solutions. Currently used by more than 100,000 drivers, the GreenRoad solution employs advanced real-time, in-vehicle feedback and change management methodologies to promote meaningful, lasting change in driver behavior. In addition, GreenRoad’s data-based predictive analytics give fleet managers the information they need to optimize overall fleet management.

As proven by deployments with hundreds of customers in the bus & fleet, utilities, logistics, oil & gas, construction and other industries, the GreenRoad solution improves safety, minimizes operational costs, reduces risk and enhances compliance.

For further information contact Richard Hemming: Richard.Hemming@greenroad.com

Similar