Stagecoach Group has appointed Elisabeth Tasker as the new managing director of its bus operations in Manchester and Wigan. Currently managing director of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire, she will take up her new post on 1 November. Elisabeth Tasker succeeds current Manchester and Wigan Managing Director Chris Bowles, who is stepping down from the role after a bus industry career spanning 42 years. He will remain with Stagecoach for up to 12 months, reporting directly to Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery, to help develop the future strategy for the company's bus network in Greater Manchester, before retiring in 2017. Elisabeth Tasker has 30 years' experience in the transport industry.