Stagecoach in South Wales has thanked its customers across the country for helping to raise more than £14,000 for NHS Charities Together, Covid-19 Appeal.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Stagecoach introduced a temporary exact fare policy on many of its bus services to reduce the handling of cash. Customers were advised that any excess payment received as a result of not giving change would be donated to NHS Charities Together, Covid-19 Appeal, which supports the valuable work of NHS employees.
The temporary policy was one of many measures taken by Stagecoach to keep customers and staff safe and ensure that people could continue to travel with confidence. All services in England, Scotland and Wales have been accredited with Visit Britain’s “We’re Good to Go” official mark, recognising the work carried out to meet government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and the processes in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.
The donation of £14,231 has been donated to the Welsh partner, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity which helps support the NHS staff, volunteers and patients in their hospitals and communities in ways above and beyond what NHS funding can ordinarily provide. This money will be used to help kit out Wobble Rooms, which are dedicated areas of hospitals where staff can go for relaxation during busy shifts, fund games and activities to support young patients in mental health wards and in the community, and provide electronic tablets for patients to video call their loved ones.
Ellie Orton, Chief Executive of NHS Charities, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from businesses across the country. A big thank you to Stagecoach and its passengers for raising such an incredible amount.
Georgina Burke, Senior Fundraiser at Cardiff & Vale Health Charity said: “Covid-19 is still such a big part of everyone’s life impacting on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. All donations will help NHS charities across the UK to support hospitals, ambulance services, community healthcare and social care in people’s recovery from the short and long term effects of the virus.”
Nigel Winter, Managing Director for Stagecoach in South Wales, said: “We would like to thank our customers for their help in raising such a fantastic amount for this worthy charity.
“We’re very proud of the incredible job that all key workers, including our own employees, are continuing to do and are pleased that this money will be going to support those who have supported many others during these difficult times.
“In the past few months, we’ve all had to make changes to the way we live and travel to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Many people have found it easy and convenient to pay for their journey using contactless or by mobile and we would encourage our customers to continue to do so where possible.”
Stagecoach customers are still asked to use contactless, mobile, pre-payment methods or have exact change for their fare.