Souter to step down as Stagecoach chief

fgwrich · 23 Aug 2012

Not sure if it's been mentioned on here already, but ive noticed this today:

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2012/08/23-souter-to-step-down-as.html

RailUK Forums

Nym · 23 Aug 2012

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

That is all... (Not really.)

Now I have a lot less against the stagecoach group, since it was him personally who donated to the continuing discrimination against minority groups and held back this country's education in the 1940s regarding said matter.

MK Tom · 24 Aug 2012

Does this mean I can like Stagecoach again? I don't have to keep associating a quality bus operator with religious discrimination and homophobia? Oh... he's sticking around in another capacity...

I wonder if this will have any noticeable impact on the company or any of its operating practises?

starrymarkb · 24 Aug 2012

I think Souter does at least keep his personal views out of the company and he does have the right to hold his personal views even if they are the opposite to mine and I do not agree with him. Also he is free to spend his personal fortune (ie not Stagecoach's money) as he wishes

Certainly if Stagecoach as a company were anti gay would they work so much with Ray Stenning?

MK Tom · 24 Aug 2012

Yeah fair point.

Is this likely to impact the day-to-day running of the company in any noticeable way? Or its policy decisions?

trentside · 24 Aug 2012

Like others, I have little time for Souter's personal views - but have no issues with his company as a whole. They provide me with a (mostly) reasonable local bus service and operate our local TOC as well.

Given requirements to be an equal opportunities employer, I doubt Souter's views on homosexuality have affected company policy in any way. I'm sure if they had there'd have been legal challenges to that effect.

rail-britain · 24 Aug 2012

He's hardly stepping down, looks more like he is taking a time out after what has effectively been a period of three years consolidation

Ann and Brian used to swap roles regularly (MD, Chairman, and CEO), usually after a preriod of consolidation
The following year there would be several acquisitions and disposals

With some large rail franchises coming up, expect a change again in 2014

overthewater · 24 Aug 2012

And yet as it been said else where he's been a pioneer in bus travel .

pemma · 24 Aug 2012

overthewater said:
And yet as it been said else where he's been a pioneer in bus travel .

Yes he set up new bus companies under similar names to existing local operators e.g. if there was a bus company called Sefton Transport he would have set up Sefton Travel. Then Sefton Travel would have run the same routes as Sefton Transport using brand new buses and offering lower fares. Then when Sefton Transport struggled he'd either buy them up for a cut price or just let them go out of business. Then once Sefton Transport had gone, Sefton Travel also disappear to be replaced by Stagecoach Sefton who use older buses and don't offer the low fares.

mbonwick · 24 Aug 2012

To be fair, Sir Brian does have a heck of a good eye for a deal, and good vision too.

Not many companies would have been able to buy others/sell at such prices as Stagecoach got.
It was also Souter personally that came up with the idea for the Megabus sleeper coaches and the sleeper Astromegas among other things.

Xenophon PCDGS · 24 Aug 2012

Nym said:
Now I have a lot less against the stagecoach group, since it was him personally who donated to the continuing discrimination against minority groups and held back this country's education in the 1940s regarding said matter.

Forgive me if my grasp of Mathematics has somewhat diminished with age since I obtained my First in that subject at Manchester University in the dim and distant days of 1966, but since Sir Brian Souter was not born until 5th May 1954, it would take some strange distortion of time to allow him to hold back the country's education in the 1940's.

Am I missing something here?

pemma · 24 Aug 2012

mbonwick said:
It was also Souter personally that came up with the idea for the Megabus sleeper coaches and the sleeper Astromegas among other things.

Now Megabus was a good idea. It was like the bus equivalent of Rynair - not a service every one wants to use but for the people who do use it offers good fares and isn't a clone of a rival operation.

Souter to step down as Stagecoach chief

fgwrich

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