SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL REPORT 2006

Transcription

1 SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL REPORT 2006

2 CONTENTS 2 The Marketplace 5 The Environment 6 The Workplace 8 The Community IBC Auditing & verifying this report OUR RESPONSIBILITY A message from the Managing Director Welcome to our second Corporate Responsibility report. Last year was our first full year of operation under our new Southern livery. This change in branding was designed to reflect a new type of train operating company one that focuses solely on delivering for our customers through our commitment to think like a passenger. Southern passengers are now experiencing clean, air-conditioned, accessible and CCTV-protected trains, which replaced the old slam-door vehicles at the end of last year. To complement the new trains, we now also have refurbished stations and state-of-the-art, real-time information displays. All of these improvements are part of the 1.2 billion we ve spent to improve Southern s infrastructure over the past five years. This massive investment is only part of our plans to make a real difference for our passengers. We have also made a deliberate choice to increase our spending on the training and development of frontline staff and managers, to help them deliver the best service possible for Southern s passengers. This commitment is being reflected in our continuously improving levels of performance and customer satisfaction. We are also committed to being open and responsive with our stakeholders. We are proud of our Stakeholder Advisory Board, a forum where employees, passengers and their representatives come together to discuss issues facing our business. In fact much of the content of this report was based on the Board s suggestions regarding our most important responsibilities. We also work closely with our local Community Rail Partnerships and are involved with other initiatives benefiting our local communities. We are proud that Southern is one of few train operating companies currently producing a dedicated Corporate Responsibility report. We hope that in reading this report you recognise our company values, which are to be honest, friendly, flexible, professional and safe in all that we do. We know that we have more to do and we would really appreciate your views on how Southern can meet its responsibilities better still. Chris Burchell Managing Director

3 Southern Environmental & Social Report Who are WE Southern provides train services in South London and connects central London to the South Coast, through East and West Sussex, Surrey and parts of Kent and Hampshire. Last year, OUR FLEET OF ALMOST 300 TRAINS CARRIED OVER 124 MILLION PASSENGERS. The Southern Railway franchise is operated by Govia, a partnership between two of Europe s leading transport companies - The Go-Ahead Group (65% majority partner) and Keolis (which is part-owned by the French State Rail Operator SNCF). The franchise runs from August 2001 to December About The Go-Ahead Group plc We are part of The Go-Ahead Group plc. Go-Ahead is a major provider of transport services across the UK employing over 24,000 people and carrying around 800 million passengers. Its operations span bus, rail and aviation services (including parking). The Go-Ahead Group believes that local people make the best decisions on running local services. However, the Group also believes in the importance of a common framework for measuring each company s impact on local communities and the environment. This report describes our performance against the framework developed by the Go-Ahead Group. About this report This report describes our performance for the 12 months to 1 July It is divided into four main sections, which describe the impacts that we have on the world around us and how we approach managing these responsibly: SOUTHHAMPTON HORSHAM PORTSMOUTH WATFORD JUNCTION SUTTON LITTLEHAMPTON CLAPHAM JUNCTION REDHILL GATWICK AIRPORT THREE BRIDGES VICTORIA BRIGHTON EAST CROYDON LONDON BRIDGE EAST GRINSTEAD HAYWARDS HEATH UCKFIELD Our company structure ensures that local people have a say in their local services. LEWES TONBRIDGE EASTBOURNE HASTINGS TO ASHFORD Marketplace how we run our services Workplace issues that affect the people who work for us Environment how we manage and reduce our impact on the environment Community making the communities where we operate better places to live and work. As part of our annual business planning, we have set targets and goals to improve our social and environmental performance for 2006/7. To keep this report short, we have placed a lot more information on the web

4 2 Southern Environmental & Social Report 2006 Our responsibilities in the MARKETPLACE Rail transport provides an easy means of travel for communities and is VITALLY IMPORTANT to the health of the economy and the environment. Our most important responsibility is to ATTRACT INCREASING NUMBERS OF PASSENGERS TO USE RAIL and other public transport in preference to the private car. Southern s services play a vital role connecting the communities in our region. Our routes link Brighton, Gatwick and the South Coast with London and also serve the Arun Valley, Mole Valley and Wealden lines. This year we introduced a new service linking Brighton and Ashford to provide more convenient connections to Eurostar trains. In all, Southern has over 3,500 staff, manages 160 stations and operates and maintains a fleet of almost 300 trains. Southern operates a Stakeholder Advisory Board, which brings together our employees, individual passengers, large employers and representative bodies to discuss how our services can be improved. The Board has helped us to identify how we can persuade more people to use our services, through focusing on the following areas: Our responsibility: providing reliable, convenient and punctual services Southern continues to enjoy a renaissance in customer satisfaction following our takeover of and investment in the franchise. Our 1 billion investment programme has brought new and upgraded trains, enhanced maintenance depots and new ticketing equipment. Reliability, convenience and punctuality Accessibility for all Safety and security Affordability We are therefore reporting on our efforts to improve our performance in each of these areas. New ticketing equipment is helping to improve our customer satisfaction rating.

5 Southern The Marketplace 3 Our think like a passenger campaign is improving our level of service. This year, we completed the replacement of the old slam-door trains with new Electrostar and Turbostar vehicles. We have used new equipment providing realtime information on the number of passengers being carried to inform our introduction of longer peak-time trains. In partnership with T-Mobile we have also provided a WiFi broadband connection for passengers on the Brighton Main Line. One of our new Electrostar trains broke an 11-year speed record by completing the journey from Brighton to London in 36 minutes seconds. Our investment programme is only part of the way Southern has changed. Our think like a passenger campaign is improving our level of service. In the last National Passenger Survey (NPS) our overall passenger satisfaction score rose from 71% to 80% and we recorded a significant improvement in 23 of the 31 service areas covered in the survey. To help us to think like our passengers we invite feedback from our staff, conduct customer satisfaction surveys and hold Meet the Manager sessions at London Bridge and Victoria stations. We have focused on improving train punctuality as measured by the Public Performance Measures (PPM), the industry standard for train reliability. Our average PPM score has risen to around 90%, a significant improvement on only two years ago. Our responsibility: ensuring accessibility for all, particularly disabled people Climbing on and off old slam-door trains was difficult or impossible for some passengers. Our investment in new trains has put ease of access at the top of the agenda. Following consultation with disabled passengers and representative groups, we introduced wider aisles, dedicated wheelchair spaces, stepboards closer to platforms, colour contrasting design for the visually impaired and priority seating. At stations, we are investing in accessible ticket offices and machines, help points with induction loops for the hearing-impaired, new signage and a white lighting scheme at inner London stations. Some of our stations were built before 1940 and have either limited step-free access or none at all. Our website provides details of the stations that are accessible to wheelchair users. Portable ramps are available at others, with assistance provided by members of our staff. We are prioritising investment in step-free access this year. We regularly participate in local disability forums to explain our approach and hear about issues first hand. As a result, we have made changes such as improving access on the east side of the East Croydon booking hall. We also supported the production of a film to promote an accessible train-to-taxi service at Brighton. Our responsibility: affordability to ensure as many as possible can use our services Southern operates a commuter service, so it is in our interests for people to build their skills in preparation for work. We partner with our local authorities to offer a discounted student fare for 16-to-18 year-olds at a third of the cost of a standard Southern season ticket. Our overall passenger SATISFACTION score rose from 71% to 80% and we recorded a SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT in 23 of the 31 service areas covered in the survey

6 4 Southern Environmental & Social Report 2006 Our responsibility: ensuring the safety and security of passengers, employees and the general public Safety is our primary concern. We are proud of our achievements in improving safety and in tackling crime on our network. Our unique safety and security taskforce provides a reassuring visible presence on our trains and at certain stations. The team includes Southern s revenue protection officers, the British Transport Police and contract security officers from Meteor, Go-Ahead s specialist security services company. Based in Crawley, West Sussex, the taskforce tackles anti-social behaviour pro-actively, deterring potential troublemakers and making passengers feel safer. This groundbreaking initiative won the Network Rail Crime Prevention Award this year. Southern is also a strong advocate of CCTV and its role deterring and detecting crime. Over 80% of our coaches now carry CCTV, along with many of our stations. We use the images this provides to help the police bring criminals to court. We are also responsible for safety on 160 stations and are investing in improving the travelling environment. We are particularly proud of our achievement at East Croydon, where we inherited a failing, dirty station with demoralised staff. East Croydon was named Rail Station of the Year at this year s prestigious London Transport Awards, with judges commending the improved station signage, CCTV security, ticketing facilities, toilets and exemplary customer service. Passenger journeys 123.7m Vehicle kms travelled 28.44m Size of rail fleet Public performance measure (%) Signals passed at danger Total number of delays Delays due to Southern 2.63% Delays due to other causes 2.66% On time journeys 94.71% Our safety and security task force initiative won the Network Rail Crime Prevention Award this year.

7 Southern The Environment 5 Our responsibilities to the ENVIRONMENT Governments, companies and many individuals are increasingly concerned about the impact of emissions on climate, and ALL COMPANIES HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY to manage their environmental impacts. However, demonstrating environmental improvement is difficult for the UK s train operating companies. As an integral part of the railway network, we are dependent on the infrastructure around us to deliver our services. In many situations, it is not possible for Network Rail to isolate our environmental impact. Nevertheless, we take environmental responsibility very seriously. We have developed an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on the principles of the ISO14001 environmental standard and audit our performance against this. Our responsibility: reducing emissions We operate a fleet of nearly 300 electric and diesel trains. Our most significant impact is the electricity we use to power these. We declare our electricity usage based on the figures provided by Network Rail. However, this figure is at best only a broad indicator of actual performance. Over the last few years, we have invested over 1 billion in acquiring more energy-efficient trains and upgrading existing vehicles. However, we see our primary environmental responsibility as attracting more people away from private cars and onto trains. After consulting with our stakeholders, we have introduced air-conditioning and real-time passenger information on trains and at stations in order to achieve this. These developments involve greater use of energy. However, we are now focusing on practical and active initiatives to reduce our energy consumption without compromising the enhancement to stations and trains that have recently been put in place. Our responsibility: integrated transport Rail is an integral part of the public transport network. The attraction of public transport over private car is often dependent on how well the different elements of this network are integrated. We have worked closely with Brighton & Hove Bus Company and Metrobus to improve connections between their buses and our rail services. We also offer combined bus and train tickets with both companies. Cycle storage is provided at 97 of our stations with the majority protected by CCTV cameras. Our responsibility: measuring our performance For the second year, the Go-Ahead Group came top of the public transport companies that participated in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. The Group scored 89%, a further significant improvement. In the dedicated environment index, we did even better, improving to a score of 91.5%, which included maximum marks for our emissions management performance. Electricity usage for traction power (Kwh) 356m 329m 304m 294m Air pollution: CO 2 (kg) per passenger journey

8 6 Southern Environmental & Social Report 2006 Our responsibilities in the WORKPLACE We depend on our 3,500 employees to deliver our commitment to THINK LIKE A PASSENGER. Our employees drive our trains, check tickets and operate our stations. Their availability, attitude and helpfulness have a direct impact on our passengers experience. Staff turnover and absence from work are critical issues for us, since our ability to meet passenger expectations is dependent on having enough people on duty. Overstretched employees are bad for morale and bad for customer service. We are therefore committed to being a good employer. This means providing a safe working environment and a range of benefits that help us to recruit, retain and motivate our employees. The national passenger survey results have helped develop future plans.

9 Southern The Workplace 7 Number of employees Employee turnover rate (%) 3,572 3,563 3,460 3, Our in-house training and development team provide technical and customer service training. Our responsibility: employee engagement Southern is introducing individual scorecards, which measure employees performance on a range of indicators including operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. As part of this work, we carried out an employee attitude survey in partnership with Gallup. Managers are using this survey s findings to develop future plans with their teams. Diversity by gender (Male) Diversity by gender (Female) 3,091 3,113 3,001 2, Our responsibility: training and development Good customer service depends on skills, experience and enthusiasm. Training can contribute to each of these. We roughly doubled the amount that we spent on training new and existing staff last year, investing a total of 2.1 million. Southern has an in-house training and development team providing technical and customer service training. We have developed our own NVQ-based customer service programmes, entitled Being Southern and Leading Southern, for all frontline staff. Personal development is encouraged through our successful Passport to Learning (P2L) initiative. Set up in partnership with our rail unions and local education colleges, P2L covers subjects from English and maths to gardening, and since its launch in 2004 over 1,100 people have studied with the scheme. The IT learning centre at Southern head office is also a great success. Our responsibility: retention of staff We are particularly proud of our success at keeping good people. Our staff turnover rate fell by half this year. Our employees enjoy being central to Southern s achievements and recognise that they are a vital part of the improvements we are making. Diversity by age 16-19: 0.8% 20-29: 11.9% 30-39: 28.1% 40-49: 32.6% Diversity by ethnic group Asian, black or other origin 19% White 81% Physical assaults on staff 50-59: 21.1% 60-64: 5.1% 65+: 0.4%

10 8 Southern Environmental & Social Report 2006 Our responsibilities to the COMMUNITY We provide essential services for the people living and working in our communities, as well as those visiting our region. Running our services is the most significant way that WE CONTRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY WELLBEING. We also employ over 3,500 people and have responsibilities both to them and to their families. Vibrant and successful communities are in everybody s interest. We contribute through cash and in-kind donations and by ENCOURAGING EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT. In addition, the Go-Ahead Group provides cash donations on behalf of all its operating companies. Our responsibility: safety in schools Trespassing and vandalism on the railway are real crimes. Network Rail estimates that around 11 million acts of trespass are committed by under-16s every year. Sometimes, trespass can result in people being killed or horribly injured. As part of a Network Rail initiative, we have sponsored activities such as a climbing wall that are designed to provide alternatives to trespassing. Our responsibility: employee involvement Our employees get involved in a range of community causes, visiting local schools and inviting students to learn more about our operations. Six Peckham Academy students spent 10 days at Streatham Hill station this year, learning how a train operating business functions. Our responsibility: community involvement We work closely with all of our local Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs). This collaboration aims to develop local rail services that meet the needs of our passengers. The CRPs also help to promote travel by train to various tourist locations across the network. Southern currently provides office space for CRP Development officers at Eridge and Rye stations. Community spend 53,400: 11.6% of total Group spend ( 460,944) At a local operating company level community investment is driven through support in kind activities, while the Group Head Office handles direct financial donations. The figures above include an element of both these community investment streams. Our strong links with local communities is an important measure of our success.

11 SUMMARY INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND AUDIT STATEMENT The SMART Company was commissioned by the Go-Ahead Group plc to undertake an independent review of their Environmental and Social Report for the period July 2005 to June A Senior Consultant, who did not participate in the data gathering and report writing process, conducted the verification. The verification was undertaken using the principles of the assurance standard AA1000: materiality completeness and responsiveness.this is the fifth consecutive year that SMART has provided assurance for Go-Ahead and we have undertaken a rolling programme of audits, ensuring all operating companies have been audited at least once during this period. In 2006 a sample of three operating companies were visited as part of the verification process, as well as a visit to the Group Head Office. Sample checks of the data sources were undertaken and interviews were conducted with members of the management team who had been responsible for data collection. We are therefore satisfied that this report is a reliable and accurate reflection of the performance of the company. A full verification report, containing a more detailed analysis together with recommendations for developing the processes for measuring, managing and reporting Go-Ahead plc s environmental and social impacts, can be found at Zoë Hatherly Senior Consultant,The SMART Company, August 2006 Go-Ahead Southern is part of The Go-Ahead Group plc. Members of the group operate bus services (in the South of England, London,West Midlands and the North East of England), aviation ground handling and parking, as well as commuter rail networks. Other companies within the group are: aviance-uk Brighton & Hove Bus Company Go North East Go West Midlands London Central & London General Meteor Metrobus Oxford Bus Company Solent Blue Line Southeastern Southern Vectis Wilts & Dorset There is no report for Southeastern as the rail franchise was not awarded to us until April 2006.

12 More information on how Southern manages its responsibilities can be found at If you have any comments, views or ideas on how we might improve, or have any thoughts on other issues that we should address in this report, please use the enclosed form or write to: Chris Burchell Managing Director Southern Go Ahead House, Addiscombe Road Croydon Surrey CR9 5GA Telephone: This report was put together by The Go-Ahead Group with help from The SMART Company, and designed and produced by Rare Corporate Design, London. Printed by Beacon Press using their environmental print technology which minimises any negative environmental impacts resulting from the printing of this document. includes the use of vegetable based inks, recycling of 87% of dry waste and 95% of cleaning solvents for future use. Beacon Press holds the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development together with ISO14001 and EMAS accreditations. Beacon is a CarbonNeutral company and uses 100% renewable energy, saving tonnes of CO 2 on the production of Go-Ahead s 2006 corporate responsibility reports. Printed on Revive Silk which is made from 75% post consumer waste. In order to minimise the environmental impacts of our reports, Go-Ahead is working with The CarbonNeutral Company to assess and 'offset' the greenhouse gas emissions created by the production and distribution of our annual and corporate responsibility reports tonnes of CO 2 will be balanced through native forestry in Northumberland and Snowdonia, making both these reports CarbonNeutral.