- Polish transport operator to purchase 50 luxury coaches for inter-city express operations
- Multi-million Euro order reflects success of PolskiBus.com and commitment to expansion
- Passengers will benefit from investment in high specification vehicles with free Wi-Fi access, air-conditioning and in-seat power charging points
Souter Investments today announced a multi-million Euro investment in 50 new coaches for its successful Polish business PolskiBus.com.
The investment will expand PolskiBus.com’s coach fleet to 68 vehicles, all of which meet the latest Euro 5 emissions standards and offer passengers free Wi-Fi access, luxury leather seats and air-conditioning.
Sir Brian Souter said: “We have been delighted with the success of PolskiBus.com since its launch four months ago. This major new investment reflects our commitment to expanding the PolskiBus.com business and driving up the quality of travel for our customers by investing in new, high-specification vehicles.”
PolskiBus.com operates fast, cheap and comfortable inter-city express coach services across Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. Fares start at just 1 zloty plus a 1 zloty booking fee with no hidden luggage charges and free Wi-Fi access. Tickets can be booked online at www.polskibus.com.
Roger Bowker, Chief Executive Officer of Souter Holdings Poland, said: “PolskiBus.com has carried over 175,000 passengers in its first three months of trading and we know that our customers love our low fares, comfortable coaches, free Wi-Fi access and friendly drivers. This order is the first phase of a major new investment programme planned by Souter Holdings Poland as we look to develop the PolskiBus.com business.”
The 50 bus order will consist of 30 single deck Altano and 20 double deck Astromega coaches, manufactured by Van Hool in Belgium. Each vehicle will be equipped with free Wi-Fi access and in-seat charging points for laptops and mobile phones. In addition, the coaches will offer reclining leather seats, air-conditioning, toilet facilities and disabled access.
Filip Van Hool, Executive Director of Van Hool, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Souter Holdings Poland and PolskiBus.com. Our Van Hool TD921 Altano and TD927 Astromega coaches are ideal for high quality, extremely comfortable inter-city bus travel with their high capacity seating layouts, luxurious red leather seats, 240V power socket, Wi-Fi connectivity and disabled access. We are always proud that we have the flexibility to develop and adapt vehicles in close collaboration with our customers.”
The new vehicles are expected to go into service between December 2011 and April 2012.
Piotr Bezulski, Managing Director of Souter Holdings Poland, added: “As well as offering the best value inter-city fares in Poland, we want to play our part in reducing the environmental impact of travel while making it easy for people to travel quickly and cheaply from city centre to city centre. We believe there is a big opportunity to attract car users to the benefits of fast, cheap and comfortable inter-city coach travel whilst at the same time cutting their carbon footprint.”
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Further Information
For further information on Souter Investments please call Gordon Beattie on 01324 602 587
Van Hool pr@vanhool.be +32 3 420 22 11
PolskiBus.com website www.polskibus.com
Souter Investments website www.souterinvestments.com
Notes for Editors
PolskiBus.com
PolskiBus.com is a Polish inter-city express coach service offering customers the chance to enjoy fast and comfortable inter-city travel and very low prices.
Fast, state of the art, air-conditioned coaches offer passengers express inter-city travel across Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, with fares starting from just 1 zloty plus a 1 zloty booking fee. Included in the fare is free Wi-Fi access, luxury leather seats and a generous luggage allowance with no hidden charges.
Eight PolskiBus.com routes service 16 cities in Poland including Gdansk, Ostroda, Torun, Bydgoszcz, Pila, Szczecin, Lodz, Poznan, Wroclaw, Czestochowa, Katowice, Kielce, Krakow, Lublin and Bialystok. In addition, PolskiBus.com serves four European capitals: Berlin, Bratislava, Prague and Vienna.
Van Hool
Van Hool is an independent Belgian manufacturer of buses, coaches and industrial vehicles. For many years, Van Hool has been a trendsetter with its development of environmentally friendly low-floor buses, tailor made motor coaches of all kinds, as well as high-efficiency trailers and tank containers.
Souter Investments
Souter Investments is the private investment office of Sir Brian Souter, the joint founder and chief executive of transport giant Stagecoach. Its portfolio extends across 120 investments with a value in excess of £400 million.