Near-£3m investment will see 30 low-floor minibuses go into service in Ashford in a fortnight’s time
Stagecoach South East is to launch what it describes as “an innovative and high-frequency transport solution” in Ashford on 12 February when 30 high-specification 17-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City 45 minibuses enter service on a network where some frequencies will increase fourfold.
The low-floor Sprinters, which are factory conversions and have been supplied by EvoBus (UK), will operate up to every five minutes from 0600-2300hrs seven days a week, and they represent an investment of almost £3m.
In another significant development, contactless payment, Apple Pay and Android Pay will be accepted on board.
With the network branded as Little and Often, the minibuses represent “a new approach to modern bus travel,” says Stagecoach, and it believes that frequent links to Ashford rail station will prove particularly popular with Ashford residents who work in London.
“This is an exciting new travel option for customers and once again demonstrates our commitment to innovation and to trying different things to help deliver even better services for passengers,” says Stagecoach UK Bus MD Bob Montgomery.
“This new turn-up-and-go product will free up more time for customers and provide them with the reassurance that there will always be another bus along in a matter of minutes.”
Contactless payment acceptance on the Ashford minibuses complements Stagecoach’s existing work on this transaction method elsewhere in the country. It has already been launched in the north-east of England and Oxfordshire, and it will be available at all Stagecoach subsidiaries by 2018.
Stagecoach is also committed to working with the UK’s major bus operators on a scheme that could see contactless payment introduced on every bus outside London by 2022.
