Stagecoach offers free bus rides in Kent and East Sussex
Stagecoach said the number of passengers on bus services in Britain remained lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.But it added that its punctuality was at a two-year high, cancelled bus journeys was as its lowest level in 18 months and passenger satisfaction ratings were at 80% or more for cleanliness, friendliness and reliability."Our local teams have worked incredibly hard and we're now performing better across a range of measures," the company spokesperson added.
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BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
Stagecoach North East bus strikes to resume as staff reject offer
A bus service will be disrupted as workers resumed plans to the Union members at Stagecoach North East in Newcastle, Sunderland and South Shields are set to take industrial action on Monday 18 and Thursday 21 August after pay negotiations North East managing director Steve Walker said he was disappointed its drivers and engineers had rejected a 5% pay rise over the has been approached for comment. Union members had previously voted to strike on 11 and 12 August, after workers rejected an initial offer of a 3.3% pay it was suspended after the company tabled an improved offer. However, the latest offer has been rejected, meaning the remaining strikes will resume. Stagecoach said it would work to minimise the impact of the industrial action on its Walker said the company's Newcastle drivers were "already the highest paid in the region" and further pay increases would see "additional costs passed on to customers"."Stagecoach buses are one of the most cost-effective, accessible and convenient ways to travel around the city, so this is something that we are absolutely keen to keep to a minimum," he said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Herald Scotland
40 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Main employer on Hebridean island to leave after 50 years
Since 1974 it has been based on Coll in the Inner Hebrides, first at its founder's ancestral home of Breachacha Castle and latterly at the Hebridean Centre at Ballyhaugh. The charity offers young people the chance to volunteer for eight or 12 months internationally, with alumni including actress Tilda Swinton. Read More: As of 2025 Coll had a population of just 176, and a BBC Scotland documentary in 2016 named Project Trust as the largest employer on the island. Chief executive Ingrid Emerson told the programme: "I think the impact (of Project Trust) on Coll is huge. "It's a relatively small Hebridean island, it's pretty remote it's quite isolated yet suddenly you come across this very vibrant, active, reasonably young group of people who by and large the majority have moved here for the actual work. 'There is a real sense of busyness about Coll and while Project Trust is absolutely not totally responsible for that it certainly plays a big part in it.' However, earlier this year the charity announced that it plans to sell all of its properties on the island, with Ballyhaugh and cottages currently on sale for offers over £1.5million. The estate went on sale earlier this summer (Image: Bidwells) The charity said that running costs and a lack of use meant it could not financially justify a presence on Coll. Steve Price-Thomas OBE, chair of Project Trust, said: "The Board of Trustees at Project Trust has recently announced a change to its operating model and its intention to sell its properties on Coll. "The Covid pandemic necessitated a significant change to Project's operating model with volunteer selection courses being held online. While this was initially anticipated to be a temporary measure it is now clear that this model far better matches the expectations of young people in the 2020s and has been very successful. "As a result, the residential facilities at Ballyhaugh (the Hebridean Centre) are used for only three weeks of the year. Running costs for the Hebridean Centre are significant, and as a charity, the board cannot justify retaining property that is costly to maintain and greatly underused. "Meanwhile, although Volunteer numbers have been slowly rising since Covid, the current situation is not sustainable and there is a need to release funds and replenish reserves in order to secure Project Trust for the long term. As a result, after long and very careful consideration, the Board has concluded that we must sell our remaining properties on Coll. "They will be put on the market in the spring of 2025. "The Board's aim is to safeguard employment and ensure the charity is ready to face any future challenges. Over 75% of staff already work remotely and the intention is to move to a 100% virtual staffing model, including those living and working on Coll. "Project Trust is proud of its Scottish heritage and is committed to retaining Volunteer activities in Scotland and, as was the case in Project Trust's early days, the charity will rent a residential centre in Scotland for training and debriefing. "Since the pandemic, Project Trust's presence and financial impact on the Isle of Coll have been much reduced. The sale of underused property has the potential to have a positive impact on the people and economy of the Isle of Coll and we hope that this is the case. "The Isle of Coll will always be central to Project Trust's history. Generations of Volunteers and staff are deeply grateful to the Coll community for being an integral part of their Project Trust experience."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Albo's radical plan for cash as fewer Aussies pay with banknotes
Anthony Albanese's government is considering a takeover of Australia's cash distribution channels based on a Covid-era assumption that cash is dying. The Council of Financial Regulators - which includes the Reserve Bank, Treasury and the Australian Prudential Regulator Authority - has recommended a Minister for Cash be appointed. Its consultation paper also implied the government would have to intervene in the cash distribution business, based on the fear Armaguard would financially struggle, even with a near monopoly, as fewer Aussie consumers used cash. 'The decline in the use of cash for payments in Australia has challenged the economics of the cash distribution sector, upon which access to cash relies,' it said. 'Challenges in the cash distribution sector include the long-term decline in the use of cash for payments, and a high degree of concentration and limited competition in parts of the market.' The minister would have the power to 'designate specific registered entities' to deliver cash. 'To be designated, a registered entity would provide critical cash services to a significant part of the market,' the paper said. 'To ensure crisis readiness, a regulator may need ongoing powers enabling it to assess a designated entity's crisis preparedness and to improve that entity's resolvability in a crisis' Anthony Albanese's government is considering a takeover of Australia's cash distribution channels based on a Covid-era assumption that cash is dying (pictured are Commonwealth Bank customers in Melbourne) But Cash Welcome founder Jason Bryce said the proposal for the government to take over cash distribution was a bridge too far. 'This is massive overkill - what I'm saying in my submission is cost-free for the government, the best solution is pass a law that says cash is legal tender in Australia and all retailers must accept cash,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Pass a law that says banks must provide an ATM or a bank branch in every town or community. 'If you do those two things, there will be no cash crisis, the market signals will be clear, banks will stop talking, talking, talking about going cashless.' He argued the government proposal was based on flawed and outdated Reserve Bank data from 2022 that found only 16 per cent of in-person transactions were still done in cash, based on the pandemic idea that banknotes are 'dirty'. 'That number - 16 per cent of in-person transactions - dates from that period and is no longer relevant and should not be used by policymakers,' he said. The RBA's Consumer Payments Survey is only released every three years, which means data showing fewer Australians are paying with cash could be failing to reflect changing behaviour in the years after Covid. 'What's going to happen if it jumps up from 16 per cent?' The Council of Financial Regulators - which includes the Reserve Bank, Treasury and the Australian Prudential Regulator Authority - has recommended a Minister for Cash be appointed Mr Bryce said the banks were to blame for scrapping $2 fees in 2017 for customers using rival ATMs and forfeiting $500million in revenue that could be used to pay the likes of Armaguard. 'Banks need to pay for cash distribution - they gave up $500million annually, revenue, and now they're complaining like stuck pigs about having to pay Armaguard $25million every six months,' he said. Australia's Big Four banks, supermarket giant Woolworths and retail group Wesfarmers - the owner of hardware chain Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks - last month announced they would provide a $25.5million lifeline to Armaguard from July to December. 'Major banks and major retailers have reached an agreement with Armaguard to extend their financial contribution for a further six months,' the Australian Banking Association said. In the seven years after the $2 rival ATM fee was scrapped, the number of ATMs has more than halved, plunging from 13,814 in June 2017 to just 5,476 in June last year, APRA data showed. The number of branch branches fell from 5,694 to 3,360 and the Commonwealth Bank last year scrapped plans to charge customers $3 to withdraw cash from a bank branch. Linfox Armaguard and Spanish group Prosegur were given permission from the competition regulator to merge in 2023. The consultation paper suggested new laws to ensure the future of cash. 'Given the government's commitment to maintaining access to cash and the subsequent announcement of its intention to implement a cash acceptance mandate, it is necessary to consider whether existing regulatory regimes can support the cash distribution sector continuing to perform its critical role in facilitating long-term, sustainable and adequate access to cash across Australia,' it said. Submissions close this Friday the Regulating Cash consultation paper.
