Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire has launched a flagship fleet of nine new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-deckers onto its high-profile route 555 in the Lake District.
The buses are based at Kendal depot and represent an investment of £3 million. They displace vehicles of the same type dating from 2016, with the operator having improved the interior specification of the newcomers, Managing Director Rob Jones (pictured below, right) explains.
Lazzerini high-backed seats are fitted along with tables with wireless charging pads. Bins are also present along with USB points and next stop information provision. Upper deck leg room is better than the standard Stagecoach specification to take account of longer-distance flows on the 555, which runs for around 45 miles between Lancaster and Kendal.
Mr Jones adds that the new buses’ internal specification has its roots in work done under his earlier tenure as head of Stagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire on a batch of Scania-based Enviro400s, albeit with some updates. Those buses were put to work on route X2 between Preston and Liverpool in 2017.
While route 555 draws a good portion of its custom from tourists, Mr Jones notes that it has a solid year-round patronage base. In recognition of the service’s relevance to local communities, a launch of the new buses on 21 April was attended by MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron.
Mr Farron has been outspoken about transport-related matters in his constituency and he has welcomed the new 555 fleet. “We need public transport to be affordable and there to be more of it, but if we have better quality vehicles like these, that will encourage more people to use it and hopefully play a part in reducing congestion in the Lakes,” he says.
In a further political relevance to the new fleet, Mr Jones has laid out a wish for Stagecoach to develop strong relationships with the two new unitary authorities in the Lake District. Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council were formed on 1 April to succeed the previous Cumbria County Council. Several representatives were present at the launch.
“As well as the steps we are taking to decarbonise our own business, it is equally important for national and local government and transport operators to work together to maximise the benefits of the bus to meet the country’s aspirations of a net zero future,” he adds.
While Stagecoach is keeping the specific level of patronage recovery on route 555 close to its chest, Mr Jones notes that summer 2022 saw a need for duplicates during high season, when additional timetabled journeys also run. The section between Windermere and Grasmere is shared with open-top service 599, and Stagecoach has at times encouraged local travellers to use the latter to create space for longer-distance journeys on the 555.
Cascading of vehicles will see the new Enviro400s ultimately displace much older buses out of the Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire fleet. Mr Jones says that such a move represents progress on the group’s sustainability strategy, which includes a target of an entirely zero-emission bus fleet by 2035.
