BUS operator Stagecoach has appointed a new managing director for its bus operations in the south of England.

Edward Hodgson, currently managing director of megabus.com Europe, will also take on the position of managing director for Stagecoach South from October 1. The move follows the promotion of previous Stagecoach South managing director Mike Watson to the position of regional director south.

Mr Hodgson was previously commercial director at Stagecoach South before spending three years in the United States in the role of director of megabus.com. He returned to the UK in 2011 after being appointed managing director of Stagecoach West Scotland and in July 2014 also took on the role of managing director of Scottish Citylink.

In October 2014, he moved from West Scotland to take on responsibility for megabus.com Europe and, as managing director, led the rapid expansion of the megabus.com network within mainland Europe over the past two years.

Mr Hodgson will now carry out a dual role, as both managing director of Stagecoach South and managing director of megabus.com’s retail business in the UK, as well as overseeing the on-going operations in mainland Europe.

Stagecoach South delivers almost 40 million passenger journeys a year on a fleet of more than 480 vehicles. The company employs around 1,200 staff across eight depots and operates 21 million miles every year.