Better bus access
A fleet of five new state of the art buses are now in action on a route in Leamington and Warwick, ensuring that all bus users have the best possible access.
The introduction of the new futuristic fleet on Service 68 means that the overwhelming majority of bus routes in the Leamington and Warwick area are now served by easy access low-floor buses.
The fleet of five new buses went into operation on Tuesday, April 14, and dignitaries today celebrated their arrival at an event in Leamington.
Service 68 is the Cubbington-Leamington-Warwick-Warwick Parkway-Hatton Park route and is being operated by Stagecoach on behalf of Warwickshire County Council which owns the buses.
The new service is a Quality Bus Initiative, which is a form of partnership between Warwickshire County Council and bus operators intended to upgrade the quality and image of bus travel.
Already the benefits of the QBI schemes are reaping rewards around the County, for example the Service X20 (Stratford-Henley-Birmingham) QBI has seen patronage increase by over 105%, whilst the Service 63/64 (Leamington-Southam-Rugby) has seen patronage increase by over 140%.
Graeme Fitton, Warwickshire County Council’s Head of Transport and Highways, said: “the enhancement provided for the Service 68 further expands low-floor bus provision in Leamington and Warwick. I’m delighted to see the new buses in operation providing a valuable step-change to benefit both existing and future passengers.”
Steve Burd, Managing Director of Stagecoach in Warwickshire, said: “It is great to see the County Council investing in bus provision with the aim to significantly improve the quality of the route and the bus travelling experience.”
The delivery of the QBI scheme further enhances public transport as the attractive and environmental friendly travel option for existing and potential passengers.