Millions of Stagecoach bus passengers are set to benefit from easier journeys as the company launches a transformational new responsive website that will let customers check live running times for their services and buy travel straight from their smartphone.

As part of a new online platform, Britain’s biggest bus operator has launched the UK’s first nationwide online bus planning service to help its 2million daily customers access journey and ticketing information more easily for Stagecoach services across the country.

The new website is designed to make it as simple as possible for passengers to plan and book their Stagecoach bus travel across the UK. The site is also accessible from mobile devices, allowing customers to call up journey information and buy tickets while on the move.

The website is part of a three-year, £11million digital investment strategy which includes investment by Stagecoach in redeveloping its UK Bus online platform, delivering real-time information and improving payment options.

In 2016, the transport group will also introduce a mobile app for customers as part of its strategy.

Developed by design agency Rufus Leonard, the new Stagecoach UK Bus website has the technology to allow customers to track and plan their bus journeys across the UK using real time information.

Located at the web address stagecoachbus.com, the site is fully mobile and has already undergone rigorous testing by customers.

The stagecoachbus.com site is fully accessible and meets WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), complying with WCAG (A) as a minimum and WCAG (AA) wherever possible. It’s possible to change text size and colour, as well as background colours, by altering the preferences or options in the users browser ensuring accessibility for users with poor sight and those who are colour blind.

Key features of the new website include:

• A clearer, more user-friendly journey planner allowing customers to plan journeys across a number of Stagecoach bus companies
• An online fare calculator
• Mobile friendly so customers can view the site on smart phones and tablets
• Simple online booking system
• Tool to allow customers to search and find their nearest bus stop, placing options on an interactive mapEvents
• Tool to download personalised timetables

Stagecoach UK bus managing director Robert Montgomery said:

“Our customers want seamless journeys –from planning their trip and buying tickets, to getting real-time travel information and catching the bus. That’s what we are aiming to deliver and we believe this new website will help make life easier for all of our passengers, no matter how often or how little they use the bus.

“We’ll also continue to embrace further developments in technology to ensure we can deliver even better bus services for our customers in the future.”

Lindsay Wall, managing director at Rufus Leonard, said:

“This service really is a gamechanger. Customers across the UK will be able to plan their journeys and buy their tickets on any device. Gradually, they will also be able to physically track their bus, so no more waiting in the rain. The service also bears the hallmark of the Stagecoach brand – one of the Top 10 most admired businesses in the UK and favoured by consumers for their fantastic services.”

Mark Hicks, user experience director at cxpartners said:

“cxpartners is really proud to have worked closely with Stagecoach UK Bus on the design of this new website which is grounded on insight gained from passengers and Stagecoach staff throughout the UK.”

Vix Technology UK&I managing director, Bryan Simms, said:

“It’s great to have helped Stagecoach bring this evolution in bus travel to their passengers. Utilising Vix smart ticketing and real time passenger information systems, Stagecoach Bus is able to deliver live travel information to both the new website and the forthcoming mobile app.”

Tim Porter, Trapeze Group UK managing director, said:

“I am proud that Trapeze has been able to help Stagecoach Bus deliver this exciting new service. By using Trapeze systems to blend timetable information and bus stop information with real time travel alerts, the Stagecoach Bus website heralds a new dawn in availability of personalised travel information – one that will result in easier bus journeys for passengers up and down the country.”

Customers who want to offer their feedback can complete a feedback form on the site available on the homepage.

As well as investing in a new online platform, Stagecoach offers smart ticketing at all of its businesses across the UK and is working with other operators, and local transport authorities, on the delivery of multi-operator smart ticketing in all of England’s city regions by the end of this year.
Stagecoach has three times been independently found to offer the best value bus fares in Britain.

For more information on Stagecoach services visit https://www.stagecoachbus.com/