STAGECOACH has been labelled as one of the top 20 most admired companies in the UK.

The transport group, which operates bus services in Barnsley and the Dearne Valley, was rated 20th out of nearly 240 businesses across 24 sectors in the Britain’s Most Admired Companies (BMAC) Awards.

Stagecoach was ranked above well-known businesses including Marks and Spencer, Alliance Boots, BT, Coca-Cola and Rolls-Royce.

Paul Lynch, managing director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: "Our business makes a huge contribution to the economy and local communities.

"We have a strong track record of low fares, good operational performance, high customer satisfaction and reinvesting our profits in improving our bus services."