14/01/2010

• Stagecoach South Wales wins transport contract for prestigious golf event
• 30,000 golf fans expected to use bus park and ride services each day

Transport operator Stagecoach Group has announced that its South Wales bus company has won the contract to operate park and ride bus services for one the world's greatest golfing tournaments.

The agreement will see Stagecoach providing up to 150 buses a day for the 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor, Newport, South Wales.

GTS Events, the company appointed by Ryder Cup Europe LLP to implement the Ryder Cup transport policy, has selected Stagecoach in South Wales to operate park and ride bus services between 28 September and 3 October, incorporating the three day practice period, the opening ceremony on 30 September and the tournament itself which takes place between 1 and 3 October. It is estimated that approximately 25,000 to 30,000 people will be carried each day on the Stagecoach services.

Stagecoach in South Wales will provide a fleet of 150 double decker buses to and from the East and West Ryder Cup park and ride sites, located just off the M4 motorway at Llanwern and Tredegar Park respectively, during the week of the event. In addition bus services will transport marshals and stewards from the Usk Showground site.

John Gould, Managing Director of Stagecoach in South Wales said: "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to operate the bus services for the park and ride sites for the 2010 Ryder Cup, which is such a prestigious sporting event and being held in Wales for the first time.

"We will be calling on the significant resources of the 19 regional companies within our UK Bus division, which in total operate a fleet of around 7,000 buses and coaches and employ around 18,000 people throughout the UK, to help ensure the success of the operation."

Stagecoach has wide-ranging experience of providing transport services for major sporting events including the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, The Open Championships at Hoylake (2006) and Southport (2008), the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the annual Cheltenham Festival and sporting events held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.

Stagecoach in South Wales
Stagecoach in South Wales runs more than 340 buses, operating on routes throughout southeast Wales in the unitary authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr, Newport, Monmouthshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Torfaen as well as services into Herefordshire and Bristol in England, carrying over 25 million passengers a year. The company employs more than 800 people across eight depots.

For further information contact:
Lindsay Reid, Corporate Communications Manager, Stagecoach Group
T: 01738 442111 (office) or 07500 446896 (mobile)
E:lindsay.reid@stagecoachgroup.com