Post by Zachary McAskill

All season there’s been talk of the big title race. Would someone bottle it? Would the old master be beaten by his former apprentice? Well, the 2025/26 company league table is now final… and I’m delighted to say Stagecoach East Midlands are champions! After a year-long battle against all areas of Stagecoach, we edged out Yorkshire and my former boss and mentor Matthew Kitchin to take the title. Following a year of hard work, a week of planning, and a night of the Fizzero chilling on ice, this week we had our title celebration. Across the business, each depot marked the achievement in their own way with buffets, games, and even open top bus celebrations. Exactly how any proper title should be celebrated. And if finishing top as an operating company wasn’t enough, one standout deserves a special mention. Grimsby finished number 1 out of all 115 depots across Stagecoach. An outstanding achievement and fully deserved for Christopher Kelk, David West and their team. At the start of the financial year, we took a hard look at where we were and where we needed to go. We built a clear plan, but more importantly made sure that plan belonged to everyone, not just the management team. By opening up KPIs and getting real buy-in across all levels, we shifted from management-led improvement to a genuinely team-driven performance culture. The results of that approach have seen us deliver year on year: ⬇️Lost mileage reduced by 29% (internal causes down by 60%) ⬆️Punctuality improved by 4% ⬇️Avoidable accidents reduced by 8% ⬇️Staff injuries reduced by 25% ⬇️Staff turnover reduced by 25% ⬇️Staff sickness reduced by 11% Behind every one of these numbers is a huge amount of effort, commitment and teamwork. This has all been achieved while growing the business and introducing new services. What I’m most proud of is that these improvements haven’t just moved metrics, they’ve improved the experience for our customers and made a real difference to our people. Throughout the year we’ve worked closely as one team, regularly sharing ideas and best practice across depots. It’s that collaboration and collective drive to keep getting better that’s ultimately delivered this result. I’m incredibly proud of my team and everyone involved. Now the celebrations are over and the (non-alcoholic) fizz has run out, the focus shifts straight back to improving again #TeamEastMids