Express coach operator, Scottish Citylink today struck a deal worth £2m to introduce ten new state of the art vehicles to the flagship Edinburgh – Glasgow route.

The investment is in response to a 20% boost of passenger numbers on this service during 2002 and coincides with the launch of a six-figure TV advertising campaign.

Owned and operated by Parks of Hamilton, the coaches are a further incentive for commuters to choose coach travel over rail and car as Citylink’s managing director, Neil Wood explained:

“The introduction of these modern coaches will help retain existing customers and persuade more people to try coach travel. The new coaches replace vehicles that are just three years old and the average age of the fleet is less than four years old. This, combined with our competitive prices compared to rail travel, makes our offering even more attractive. A 10-journey ticket from Edinburgh – Glasgow with Citylink, for example, costs £23 compared with £64 with Scotrail.

“At the same time our ad campaign will build further on the success of the brand and encourage more commuters to try our services.”

Last year was the first time Citylink advertised on television for some ten years. With effective return on investment – a £200,000 revenue boost and 70,000 extra passenger journeys year on year in the campaign period from June to August 2002 - this year’s campaign is being extended. Recall of the advertising campaign in 2002 also proved to be exceptional with almost 30% of those interviewed remembering the ad without prompting.

Citylink’s new television advertising campaign will be running from March to April and June to August on Scottish Television, Grampian Television, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and for the first time the coach operator will be advertising in some 137 cinemas throughout Scotland.

Wood added: “We have also seen business growth from developing new associations like our involvement with T in the Park. Citylink has just been appointed for the second year running as the official shuttle bus provider.

“We are currently recruiting three new team members to help further develop the business including a marketing executive, business analyst and customer care manager. Employees are enjoying more developmental opportunities and we have just achieved our Investors in People Award.”

Citylink currently employs 100 staff and recorded turnover figures for £12.2 million for the past financial year.

Issued on behalf of Scottish Citylink by The BIG Partnership.

For more information, contact Kay Pullar on 0141 333 9585.