As an army of racegoers floods into Cheltenham for the world-famous National Hunt Festival, so does a battalion of buses and staff run by Stagecoach West .

Racegoers and the event itself are hugely dependent on the bus company, which itself started out 25 years ago this year - the year The Fellow won the Gold Cup.

Stagecoach West has rounded-up 57 extra buses from Scotland through to Devon to ensure the event's average 65,000 daily customers arrive at Prestbury Park.

At a conservative estimate the firm states this takes more than 20,000 cars off the Cheltenham roads through the four days of racing.

"The Festival is such a major event on the calendar for Gloucestershire and those who love racing. As a company rooted here in the county The Festival is without doubt, the busiest event of the year for Stagecoach special race services," said Rupert Cox, managing director of Stagecoach West.

"This year is also a landmark for us - it marks Stagecoach West's 25th year in business. To celebrate the occasion our stable of race week buses will include two branded with special 25-year-liveries and, rather fittingly, our Gold buses too."

He added: "We transport an estimated 90,000 passengers to the racecourse during the four-day racing spectacle and have more than 110 staff working nearly 5,000 hours to ensure no one misses a moment.

"It is full-on, really exciting and great to be a part of. I will be selling special race travel tickets alongside the street teams, taking the wheel of the bus on the shuttle routes and supporting our staff who do an exceptional job ensuring those who need to get to and from the racecourse and celebrate in town pre-and post-race can do so efficiently, safely and conveniently."

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Stagecoach West will also run an on-demand service throughout the four-day days, taking race goers at Cheltenham train station to the racecourse from 9am onwards.

As service also runs from outside WHSmiths on the High Street from 10am, with the last buses to the course leaving at 1pm, just ahead of each day's racing.

Buses will then run frequently from the racecourse to the town centre and train station from 3.30pm until 8pm for each of the four days.

A return ticket is just £5.50 and can be brought outside the bus from the street team, prior to boarding via cash or contactless payment.

In total 83 Stagecoach West double-decker buses will be in service and some 550 people board a bus every four minutes from the racecourse each afternoon.