Environmental and Social Report 2008

Transcription

1 Environmental and Social Report 2008

2 Introduction Meteor is the second largest operator of off-street parking in the UK, managing over 65,000 parking spaces across over 20 sites. The largest part of our business is airport parking where our end-to-end services include managing short and long-stay car parks, providing security and transporting people to and from terminal buildings. We also manage car parks at railways stations, hospitals and shopping centres and are growing our business through successful specialist security services, providing advice to a number of transport businesses including other members of the Go-Ahead Group. Meteor operates under a number of brands including Pink Elephant and E-parking. 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 27,500 people, carrying approximately 920 million passengers and serving almost 50 million passengers at airports.the Group s operations span bus, rail and aviation services.the structure of its operations is defined by its belief that local people make the best decisions about running local services. EDINBURGH BLACKBURN DURHAM MANCHESTER BOSTON KING S LYNN NORWICH LOWESTOFT BIRMINGHAM IPSWICH BANBURY STANSTED CHELMSFORD HATFIELD LONDON & DARTFORD SWINDON CROYDON HEATHROW & PURLEY GATWICK SOUTHAMPTON MAIDSTONE ASHFORD We manage car parking facilities across the UK. Go-Ahead has also developed a common framework for managing its operating companies impact on their local communities and the environment.this report describes our performance against that framework. About this report This report describes the performance of Meteor for the 12 months to 28 June It is divided into four main sections: Marketplace,Workplace, Environment and Community, which describe our various impacts on the world around us and the approach we take to managing these impacts responsibly. As part of our annual business planning, we have set targets and goals to improve our social and environmental performance for 2008/9. To keep this report short, we will be placing a lot more information on the web.you can find this at Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 Marketplace How we run our services Workplace Issues affecting 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

3 Meteor is one of the UK s largest operators of parking, security and transportation services. Meteor is one of the UK s largest operators of parking, security and transportation services. Our clients include airport operators, train operating companies, retailers, hospital trusts, PFI partners, hotel groups, property companies and local authorities for whom we deliver contractual services. We recognise that the success of our business depends on excellent product delivery and maintaining the highest standards of customer service.that is why we place such a strong focus on innovation and technology, and training and developing our people. This year we have launched a number of initiatives helping us to employ and retain the best people. These include a loyalty incentive for staff requiring SIA licences and renewals where the company will pay the costs of the licence where the employee remains with the company.this assists with the staff retention in a relatively low paid sector. Safety on the public transport network continues to be a top priority for both Meteor and our clients, including other Go-Ahead companies such as Southern Railway and London Midland.We are proud to use our specialist skills and expertise to help create a safer, more secure transport system. Tackling climate change is a growing concern for all businesses.the Go-Ahead Group takes this issue very seriously and, like our sister companies within the Group, we are continuously looking to reduce our impact through energy-saving technology and initiatives.we hope you find this report interesting and informative. If you have any feedback on how we can improve further, or on stories you would like to see covered in next year s report, please let me know. Stephen Turner Managing Director Additionally, we are sponsoring a growing number of staff to gain a range of qualifications through college courses. We continue to invest heavily in customer service, and have made further improvements to our customer complaints resolution process and to all customer facing areas of the business including websites for booking and paying for our services. 1

4 Marketplace Meteor is a leader in off-street parking management and related transportation.we also support the parking and transport industries through the provision of specialist security services. Road traffic has grown by over 80% since 1980, driven by a rise in private car ownership.this growth in car usage has in turn increased the need and demand for parking. New destination centres such as out-of-town shopping centres have emerged and traditional destination centres such as hospitals or railway stations are experiencing extra demand for their often-limited parking capacity.airports have also seen an explosion in passenger numbers.this increased demand has fuelled the growth in outsourcing responsibility for car parks to providers that offer skilled and professional management. Our dedicated and successful security business provides manned and CCTV operations for transport providers including many businesses within the Go-Ahead Group, and represents an outstanding component of the services we offer. Our relationship with airport authorities, train operating companies, hospitals and shopping centre managers determines the way that we do business.we adopt a forward thinking and consultative management approach to ensure that we deliver against our contracts efficiently and effectively.the three key responsibilities for our business are: Customer service, Safety and security, Accessibility. We have structured this report around these three areas. Our responsibility: customer experience Our clients and customers expect us to keep improving our service, offering the best possible value and customer experience.we are always looking for ways to advance our performance against the goals and targets established by our clients. Understanding the perspective of those using our services is crucial to the way we do business.we aim to provide informed feedback to our clients on the issues that matter most to parking users. Our customer opinion meters, which provide an easy and non-intrusive way to register comments, have been hugely successful. Our UK call centre enables customers to correspond, purchase tickets or make general enquiries via telephone and . This year we helped our clients to improve their car park services through innovative new payment systems. Customers can now purchase daily and weekly e-tickets online or pay in advance by mobile phone.we are currently working on Automated Number Plate recognition systems that will improve car park safety and security, while improving the experience of car park users. The introduction of PDA s for employees in our Meet and Greet service will further improve the car check-in procedure. Our new Parkfolio technology provides real-time monitoring of all of our parking machines, enabling engineers to target incidents and failures quickly. Our responsibility: safety and security for parking users, passengers, employees and the general public Our security business is at the forefront of providing strategic advice and practical support for clients in their efforts to deter and detect crime.we install CCTV and provide ongoing monitoring, warehouse security, protection on trains and manned guarding at a range of buildings.we are proud of the expertise we have developed in our security business and proud of the safety record on our buses and in our car parks. We work closely with our clients, tailoring our security services to their individual needs. Following an increase in knife crime in South London, we provided additional conflict avoidance and communication skills training for our employees at Southern premises.this year we provided a service to Southeastern whereby we secured Brixton station every evening to limit opportunities for vandalism, crime and anti-social behaviour.this was instigated at the request of the local MP after his constituents expressed concerns about the station, and resulted in customers and staff feeling safer using the facilities late at night. 2

5 We are strong advocates of ParkMark, the car park security accreditation scheme and we have worked in partnership with train operating companies and the British Transport Police to achieve a number of ParkMark safer car park awards. Our drivers are trained to ensure that they provide the best possible service to passengers en route to the airport.we are very proud of our transport safety record and our achievement in keeping incidents to a minimum. Our responsibility: ensuring accessibility for all, particularly people with disabilities At locations where we control the development and design of parking, we can ensure that the entire travel experience is easy and accessible for all.we provide customers with clearly marked disabled parking bays, easy-to-use ticket machines and low-floor buses for travel from car parks to airport terminals. At other locations, we ensure that the contracting customer is informed of all relevant passenger concerns. At all of our locations we carry out regular, systematic car park patrols, to ensure that disabled parking bays are not occupied by able-bodied customers. One example of our commitment to supporting disabled access is a project run by Meteor at Pescod Square in Boston to provide support for the town s Shop Mobility project. Meteor donates five free parking spaces twice a week, allowing people to park in our disabled spaces and hire any equipment they need from Shop Mobility. 5m Passenger journeys (to the nearest 5m) 3.75m Total vehicle kms travelled 215 Total number of parking sites managed Size of bus fleet Average age of fleet (yrs) 5.4 Government Industry Target (max) Meteor /06 Car parks with ParkMark /05: 12 20: 15 VOSA PSV vehicle test pass rate 85.7% National average 86.7% 3

6 Workplace Meteor is committed to leading the way in meeting its responsibilities as an employer. Our goal is that each of our 1,000 employees should have a stimulating work environment where they can develop and learn new skills. Many of the people that work for us do so on shortterm contracts, part-time or on a seasonal basis.we treat all of our employees fairly and ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to develop their expertise. Our responsibility: skills development Meteor has a long-standing commitment to training and development, providing bespoke development programmes for our employees.we are proud to have achieved Investors in People accreditation in some key areas of our business, recognising the career support that we provide for our employees. This year we continued to focus on customer service skills providing our people with an understanding of different customer needs and how to manage them. Our security business provides specialist training, including a Skills for Security course and conflict management training, which allows our people to obtain accreditation and a security licence. We also support the personal development of our staff by encouraging employees to pursue the management training opportunities provided by the Go-Ahead Group. Our responsibility: employee communication and reducing staff turnover High rates of employee turnover are characteristic of the business sectors in which we operate.the demands of shift work make it difficult to retain good people and, since many of our positions are temporary, the overall rate of employee turnover is not a meaningful measure for us. Diversity by gender 05/06 Male Female

7 This year we launched a number of new initiatives helping us to employ and retain top people. Our employee mentoring programme has proved a great success and we are supporting staff in taking NationalVocational Qualifications (NVQs).We are already seeing the benefits of these initiatives in reduced levels of absenteeism and lower turnover amongst core staff. We have used the information from our comprehensive exit interview programme to improve our approach to people management, and have increased our emphasis on career development and customer service skills as a result.we actively recruit older workers and our policy of encouraging older employees to stay with us has helped to improve retention rates and morale. Our security business also rewards employees with a loyality bonus for long service. Number of employees 05/ ,128 1,110 Employee turnover rate (%) * Higher employer rate in 05/06 due to the inclusion of employees transferred under TUPE. 05/ * Diversity by age (%) 16-19: : : : : : : 6.2 Diversity by ethnic group (%) One of our drivers welcoming passengers on board. 34 Asian, black or other origin 66 White 5

8 Environment Environmental issues are of growing concern in the UK, particularly the impact of carbon emissions on the global climate. Consumers are increasingly aware that they must act to minimise negative impacts and promote sustainable behaviour, as are private and public companies. The environmental management of our car parks normally falls within a separate facility brief and outside of our contractual remit. Our main responsibilities therefore relate to the environmental impact of our bus fleet. The Go-Ahead Group is one of the leaders in its sector when it comes to managing the environmental impact of its operations.the Group expects all of its operating companies to invest in making their vehicles as environmentally responsible and efficient as possible. Along with other Go-Ahead companies, we are committed to reducing our fuel consumption by 5% and are on course to achieve the target this year. This has been made possible through reducing our dependence on road transport, with a greater emphasis placed on rail use. Meteor collaborates with BAA, a recognised leader in environmental responsibility, to make fleet investment decisions. Investing in emissions-reducing technology, efficient new vehicles, the selection of greener fuels and good maintenance all play a role in minimising our environmental impact. Our responsibility: reducing emissions We will continue to increase the proportion of our fleet fitted with emissions-reducing Continuously Regenerative Traps (CRTs). Many of our buses are also fitted with the latest Euro 4-standard engines, and regular investment in new buses allows us to take advantage of improving technology all the time. As fuel costs continue, promoting fuel-efficient driving has been a priority for Meteor.Training our drivers in efficient driving techniques generates significant reductions in fuel consumption and limits the carbon emissions our fleet produces. We use Ultra Low Sulphur (ULS) Diesel to fuel our fleet. ULS Diesel is a high specification diesel that is more environmentally friendly than the standard European grade. We invest in making our fleet as environmentally responsible and efficient as possible. Bus maintenance plays a vital role in minimising our environmental impact. 6

9 Our robust maintenance schedule includes a regular emissions test for all of our buses. Our systems are independently assessed by VOSA who also carry out annual and random emissions tests. We offer a 50% discount for low-co2 emission cars parking at the car parks that we operate for London Midland. All electric cars park for free at these car parks. Our responsibility: measuring our performance For the fourth year, the Go-Ahead Group came top of the public transport companies that participated in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. Go-Ahead scored 90.5% and was ranked in the Gold Band by BITC. In the environment index Go-Ahead received a score of 93% and achieved maximum marks for its performance on emissions management and climate change. Air pollution NOx (g) per passenger journey PM (g) per passenger journey CO 2 (kg) per passenger journey CO (g) per passenger journey HC (g) per passenger journey Bus engine environmental standards (%) VOSA emissions pass rate 100% This year we have revised the environmental KPIs reported to better reflect the changing profile of our bus fleet.the new Euro 4, Euro 5 and Euro 5 EEV standards deliver improved environmental performance through engine improvements and the use of alternative pre and post exhaust treatment technologies.to reflect this, we have replaced our previous KPI % of fleet with CRTs with Fleet with Euro 4 and 5 engines (%).We continue to report on Fleet with Euro 2 engines or above (%) as this demonstrates how our investment programme continues to modernise our bus fleet. Fleet with Euro 2 engines or above Fleet with Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines* * Euro 4 latest European diesel emissions standard. Euro 5 European diesel emissions standard to become mandatory in September

10 Community Meteor is a part of the fabric of the airports, hospitals, towns and shopping centres where we manage car parks. We also employ over a thousand people and have responsibilities to them and their families. Successful communities are in the interest of everybody.we contribute to local communities through the provision of cash and in-kind donations and by encouraging employee involvement. In addition, the Go-Ahead Group provides cash donations on behalf of all of its operating companies. Our responsibility: supporting local education Engaging with our local communities helps to integrate Meteor and our employees into the towns and cities where we operate. This year our local primary school produced artwork for the reception and meeting rooms at our head office in Bishop's Stortford. Children painted 10 canvases with pictures related to the company s main areas of business.we returned the favour through raising funds for significant playground renovations so that the students can have as much fun as possible at break times. During the forthcoming year we will continue to support worthwhile local community projects to contribute to the development of a vibrant society. Community spend % of total Group spend ( 391,269) Children s artwork displayed in our head office in Bishop s Stortford. At a local operating company level community investment is driven through support in kind activites, while the Group Head Office handles direct financial donations. The figures above include an element of both these community investment streams. 8

11 Summary Independent Assurance Statement Go-Ahead commissioned Corporate Citizenship to provide external assurance and commentary on the information contained within the Environmental and Social Reports for the period July 2007 to June In forming our opinion and making our comments, we have had regard to the principles underlying the international assurance standard AA1000 ( notably concerning materiality, completeness and responsiveness.we have also referred to the reporting guidance for content and the principles for defining quality contained in GRI s G3 sustainability reporting guidelines ( Go-Ahead Meteor is part ofthe Go-Ahead Group plc. Members of the Group run bus services (in the South of England, London and the North East of England), commuter train networks, aviation ground handling and parking services. Other companies within the Group are: Scope of work We have undertaken a series of activities to review Go-Ahead s reporting during the year in order to provide a basis on which to assess the Report s content.we have completed the following activities: Interviewed environmental and social data managers at Group level and within the selected sample of Group operating companies (namely Metrobus and Plane Handling) to understand the process for managing and reporting progress on CSR, Reviewed that information in the Report has been correctly transposed from internal reporting processes, Reviewed media and carried out desk-based research to ensure that material environmental and social issues or events were not overlooked in the Report or given inappropriate focus (too much or too little), In addition, for the carbon emissions quantification, we checked to ensure that the scope of the reporting captured Scopes 1 & 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and that emission factors used were relevant and robust. Our opinion In our opinion, the report provides a fair representation of the progress Go-Ahead has made in living out its commitments to managing environmental and social impacts.we have examined the processes Go-Ahead has in place for managing these issues and nothing has come to our attention to suggest that information presented in the Report has been materially misstated. A full verification statement, 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 Corporate Citizenship 10 September 2008 Aviation Services (incorporating Aviance UK, Plane Handling and Reed Aviation) Bluestar Brighton & Hove Bus Company Go-Ahead London Go North East London Midland Metrobus Oxford Bus Company Southeastern Southern Southern Vectis Wilts & Dorset

12 More information on how Meteor manages its social and environmental 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: Stephen Turner Managing Director Meteor Kiln House Thremhall Park Start Hill Bishops Stortford Hertfordshire CM22 7WE Telephone: This report was put together bythe Go-Ahead Group with help from Corporate Citizenship, and designed and produced by Rare Corporate Design, London. Cert no. SGS-COC-0620 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 94% of dry waste and 95% of cleaning solvents for future use. Beacon Press holds the Queen s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development together with ISO14001 and EMAS accreditations. Beacon is a CarbonNeutral company and uses 100% renewable energy. Printed on Revive 100 Uncoated which contains 100% post consumer waste and is FSC certified.