Perth-based public transport giant Stagecoach has teed up a major contract to provide buses for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
The company will provide a fleet of 150 double decker vehicles for the golf match beween the USA and Europe in September. Commercial details fo the deal were not disclosed.
The majority of the operation will be managed by Kirkcaldy-based Stagecoach East Scotland with vehicles being provided from across Stagecoach’s regional UK bus fleet.
“It is a huge operation to transport in the region of 45,000 people to and from the golf course every day during the week of The 2014 Ryder Cup,” Richard Hills, Europe’s Ryder Cup Director said.
“We are delighted that Stagecoach, a company with its roots firmly in Scotland, will facilitate these transfers and ensure the smooth arrival and departure of the spectators at Gleneagles.”
The firm also supplied bus servicess to the last Ryder Cup on UK soil at Celtic Manor in Wales in 2010.
Stagecoach UK Bus managing directpt Robert Montgomery, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “It’s a great honour to have been awarded the contract to operate the bus services for the Park & Ride sites for The 2014 Ryder Cup. We’re delighted to be involved in such a prestigious, global sporting event which has not been held in Scotland since 1973.
“Stagecoach has wide-ranging experience of providing transport services for major sporting events including the 2012 London Olympics, the 2010 Ryder cup in Wales, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone over a number of years and many more.
“We will be calling on the significant resources of our regional companies within our UK Bus division to help ensure the success of the operation and we look forward to enhancing the experience for the spectators who play such an important role in the event.”