But in the run up to Christmas, the staff at Stagecoach South Scotland’s Cumbernauld depot happily go the ‘extra mile’ to help local communities by supporting this newspaper’s Bank On Us campaign.
This annual initiative led by the Glasgow Times, Barrhead News and Clydebank Post, distributes more than 20,000 donation bags to support families and individuals experiencing hardship in the run-up to Christmas.
Marking its third year of partnership with Bank On Us, Stagecoach is playing a leading role in the campaign, delivering bags of food, toys, and toiletries collected from donation drives across schools, clubs, and organisations throughout the community to support families and individuals in need at Christmas.
For a bus group that has been serving people for four decades, it makes a perfect partnership. “Our services connect communities every day and Bank on Us builds on this by giving additional support to families in need,” says Fraser Smith, Stagecoach South Scotland’s commercial director.
“As a company, Stagecoach has always been involved in charity initiatives, and we have seen from past associations just how much joy it can bring to children at Christmas time – and how it can make life so much for easier for people to get to events they maybe wouldn’t have managed otherwise. At this time of year, it’s very easy to forget not everyone is as fortunate as we are.
“Our partnership with Bank On Us over several years enables staff to see how it helps other people and families that otherwise wouldn’t have the essentials. It also spreads some Christmas joy,” he says. “Moreover, our staff love to get involved. We find they engage much more when it’s a local charity as opposed to a faceless organisation.”
In fact, Fraser reveals it is the staff that motivates the company. “They ask us to get involved every year,” he says. “This is their favourite time of year – and their favourite charity, because they understand and have seen for themselves what a huge difference it makes.”
With around 2,000 people operating from 12 depots in South Scotland from Ayr up to Arbroath, our kind-hearted staff are clearly looking ahead to how they can give back to the communities they work in every day (Image: Newsquest)
Stagecoach supports several charities throughout the year, including national charities such as Age UK. “Buses are such a vital connector for people generally but especially for taking elderly people out of social isolation,” he continues.
“We also get involved in the annual Kilt Walk, which extends across Scotland.” For this event, Stagecoach allows staff to choose their own charity to walk for, which gives people a personal connection. For us, charity initiatives are all about having our staff connected to what they want to do.
“Being actively involved can really hit home,” says Fraser. “For me, a meaningful moment came during bag packing for a charity where we were putting together items for families, namely food, toys, toiletries, and clothing.
“What got me was the toiletries – and pyjamas, essential items we all take for granted. Putting these into a bag and knowing they may be the only things many people would receive that year, knocked me sideways.”
Stagecoach maintains momentum throughout the Bank On Us campaign by posting regular updates and encouraging staff to donate, however, for other charitable initiatives the company will purchase places or pay entry fees to enable people to take part. “This ensures staff do not have a personal outlay and everything they raise can go to the charity,” explains Fraser. “We also undertake match funding, so if a member of staff wishes to take part in something not related to our company or charitable strategy, we will match whatever they raise for the charity.”
With poverty, particularly child poverty on the increase, how does Stagecoach see its role supporting communities in difficult times?
“All of us within the industry understand that what we do every day makes a difference to peoples’ lives,” says Fraser. “It connects them to family, employment, healthcare, and gets people out of the house. During Bank On Us that steps up as we can also be actively contributing to the people who use our busses all year round.
“We will continue to help and encourage our employees to engage in giving back to the communities they serve – and hope more families this year will receive a donation from Bank On Us that will help them have a better Christmas than they would have had otherwise.”
Looking ahead to charitable projects and events for the coming year, Fraser concludes: “We are just starting to plan for 2026 but will be doing several events again – and within Stagecoach South Scotland, already I am visiting depots and seeing food bank bins set up and already full in drivers’ mess rooms.
“With around 2,000 people operating from 12 depots in South Scotland from Ayr up to Arbroath, our kind-hearted staff are clearly looking ahead to how they can give back to the communities they work in every day.”
A timely reminder that giving is not just for Christmas.
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/
BANK ON US
