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£6million bus fleet takes to the streets: 17 December 2009; Stagecoach Merseyside is investing £6million in a fleet of new buses – and they are being made even safer thanks to new CCTV cameras funded by Merseytravel.

A total of 46 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 buses, built on MAN chassis, will operate along the 20, 21 and 14 routes, serving Liverpool to Kirkby.

The Stagecoach buses are bigger, cleaner, fully accessible, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly, to “Euro 5” low-emission standards

But they are also much safer thanks to three CCTV cameras, in-built on each bus and linked to a TV monitor onboard.

Councillor Mark Dowd, Chair of Merseytravel, said: “The aim is to make the buses in our region even safer and if we can give people added reassurance through new CCTV cameras onboard buses then that can only be good.

“Safety and the feeling of safety are important if we are to encourage more and more people to see buses as a better option to the car. This CCTV will provide footage to evidential standards and can and will be used to prosecute that small minority of people who can sometimes spoil people’s journeys.”

The new fleet has been funded by Stagecoach.

Stephen Riggans, Managing Director of Stagecoach Merseyside, said: “This is further £6 million investment in 46 new bigger and better buses for the region underlines Stagcoach’s commitment to providing the best quality public transport in Liverpool.

“They are much greener, cleaner and perfectly suited to city transport, as they are low floor and accessible.

“The added reassurance of the high quality CCTV on every one of these new buses is an extra safety measure that we hope our passengers will appreciate.”

Pictured: Representatives from Merseytravel and Stagecoach Merseyside join outside Hatton Garden to launch the new bus fleet; Back to Media Centre