Stagecoach Group's Story
Our strategy is focused on leveraging the power of new technology and encouraging more sustainable behaviour, which is vital if we are to realise our net zero ambitions. One double-decker bus can take 75 cars off the road, and if everyone switched just one journey a month from car to bus, we could deliver an annual reduction of 2m tonnes of CO2 in the UK.
For many years, we have been actively managing our business to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has included modernising our transport fleets, making our buildings more efficient, addressing waste and other aspects of our operations, as well as working on improvements within our supply chain.
But we recognise the need to go further and faster. Under our new strategy, we are committed to purchasing renewable energy across all our businesses, targeting a zero-emission UK bus fleet by 2035 and aiming to achieve our ultimate goal of becoming a fully net zero business by 2050.
As part of our strategy, we have joined the global Race to Zero campaign, which is seeking to rally leadership and support for net zero from businesses, cities, regions and investors. We have committed to setting Science Based Targets, aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5C. We will do this by transforming our own business and encouraging behaviour change among customers in how they travel.
By the end of 2022, we expect to have 200 e-buses in our fleet. We are proud to be working with Transport for West Midlands to make Coventry the country’s first all-electric Bus City. Every bus in Coventry is planned to be electric-powered by 2025, leading to improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Already our fleet of 32 electric double-decker buses in Manchester represents one of the single biggest investments in this technology in Europe. Introduced in March 2020, these e-buses are designed to reduce annual nitrous oxide by the equivalent of 4.4 tonnes of carbon a year.
We have also introduced Cambridge’s first electric buses in a joint initiative with the Greater Cambridge Partnership. These buses only use around 2 kWhr of electricity per mile, which is the same as running a conventional oven for an hour.
During 2021, we will be introducing a further 46 new fully electric buses in our key Scottish transport networks in Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Perth. Delivered through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme, this will help to improve air quality and advance Scotland’s ambition for a net zero economy.
We are also proud that a fleet of 10 Stagecoach electric buses transported world leaders – including Prime Minister Boris Johnson - at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021.
Useful Learnings from Stagecoach Group
There has never been a more important time to take action to address the climate emergency and play a part in helping the UK deliver on its net zero ambitions.
Our plans start with improving the sustainability of our own business. But we can also leverage the power of public transport focus on our plans to create a greener, smarter, safer, healthier and fairer country.
Making net zero a reality – and quickly – is about more than just switching technologies. We also need to change how we travel, moving people away from cars to walking, cycling and wheeling, and public transport.
This needs strong and brave leadership from national and regional governments to create incentives to reward the right choices. We also need to make sure the country’s transport infrastructure is prioritised for people, such as bus passengers, whose are contributing to a cleaner and healthier country.
Stagecoach Group's Metrics
Number of buses in the fleet.
