Moving with our people... Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
Go Ahead London comprises London Central, London General, Blue Triangle and Docklands Buses. We operate local buses in the London area representing over 16% of the total bus market in the capital. We re a part of the www.go-ahead-london.com Group Contents About Go-Ahead London 1 Safety 4 Message from the Managing Director 2 Environment 5 Passengers 6 Employees 7 Community 8 Data table 9 Go-Ahead London Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
About Go ahead LONDON The majority of our buses operate on behalf of Transport for London, with contracts being awarded for five or seven years via a rolling tendering programme. We are a large operator of rail replacement bus services and work for Southern, Southeastern, London Underground, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway. We also operate a small number of bus services on behalf of Surrey and Essex County Councils, a healthcare trust, a local college, a national supermarket, and a shuttle service between the two Stratford stations. Geographical areas: Central London South East London North Surrey South West London East Essex Revenue 300 million Approximate passenger journeys 362 million per annum Average number of employees 4,800 Fleet size 1,500 buses 2011 highlights Consolidated in difficult times, winning new contracts Took the lead across the UK with CPC training courses for drivers Successful in IRTE national engineering skills competition Conducted extensive communication survey amongst all staff Introduced zoned parking areas at 14 garages Where we operate Waterloo Mandela Way Docklands Rainham Stockwell Camberwell Putney Waterside Way Merton Sutton New Cross Peckham Belvedere Bexleyheath www.go-ahead-london.com 1
Message from John Trayner, Managing Director Go-Ahead London continues to be one of the most successful bus companies in the capital. The growth of our company has been built on our continued commitment to improve our operations, not only for our staff and passengers but for the wider community as well. Bus travel in London is the highest for 50 years with Go-Ahead London being a major part of this success story. Under the control of Transport for London (TfL), bus ridership has increased by 60% since 2000. Most Go-Ahead London services are contracted to TfL, operating to and exceeding their operational and environmental targets. Cycle awareness We see ourselves as an integral part of the Mayor s strategy for transport in London. We realised that the policy to increase the use of cycles would have a significant impact on our operations as we share road space with these new users. This has resulted in several staff becoming involved in local community training schemes to increase cycle awareness. I am committed to improving all aspects of safety and I have been personally involved in the production of the Group s safety training DVD. Energy We take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and have worked hard to successfully achieve the overall targets set last year to reduce the use of water, electricity and gas at our operating locations. Our challenge to further reduce our fuel consumption by 4% was not realised with a saving of just over 2% being achieved. Although this was less than we hoped, predominantly caused by increased traffic congestion, this gives us a great foundation on which to base our future targets. 2 Go-Ahead London Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
We continue to focus on our drivers energy efficient driving techniques through a combination of training, enforcement and encouragement. Over 82% of our drivers regularly achieve the highest standard of fuel efficient driving. We are becoming a major operator of hybrid buses with 13 already in service and a further 31 expected Autumn 2011, and another 15 already ordered for 2012. Passenger satisfaction Our contracted services are monitored by TfL who have shown that our standard of operation is the best on record. Our Blue Triangle depot in Rainham has been recorded as being the best standard of operation across London for reliability. Staff survey I am very conscious that with a workforce of over 5,000 it is not always easy for all of their voices to be heard in a clear and constructive forum. This year, we embarked on a Have Your Say campaign, where the initial survey produced an extremely positive response from our staff. I recognise that our people are some of the most important stakeholders in our business and that it is vital that they have an effective way in which to influence future policies and decisions affecting them. Safety A major revamp of the way we operate our depots has been undertaken. Garages have been divided into zones and colour coding has been introduced to reduce unnecessary pedestrian and vehicle movements. Looking back, we are emerging from the other side of a recession and I am proud that despite the tough trading year, Go-Ahead London has not had any major industrial relations issues, and continues to win work and provide employment in the areas we serve. We have not made any of our workforce redundant or closed any of our garage sites. I think this stability is vital for the community we serve and from where we draw our workforce. Looking forward, we have been awarded new contracts in east London and as a high quality operator we have also been rewarded with contracts to provide buses and staff in connection with the 2012 Olympics. It is always a challenge to predict the future, particularly as the Olympics will create its own individual challenges, but I am confident that the core values set out in this booklet will form the cornerstone of our future success. Our 2011 Performance 3.9% CO 2 saved as result of reduced energy usage Over 55% waste water is recycled 4.8% improvement in punctuality John Trayner Managing Director www.go-ahead-london.com 3
2% fewer accidents Safety A priority for all 100% buses fitted with CCTV There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our passengers, our staff and other road users. Cycle awareness campaign The introduction of Cycle Superhighways and the Barclays hire scheme has created potential conflicts with all users sharing the existing road space. Go-Ahead London has been extremely proactive in recognising this and has been involved in several joint cycle awareness initiatives. Consideration and awareness of how cyclists perceive buses and bus drivers form a cornerstone of the accredited CPC (Certificate in Professional Competence) course which every member of our driving staff will attend during this year. The Mayor s office and TfL were so delighted that Go-Ahead London had taken this initiative two of the Barclays hire cycles have been loaned to our training school and form an integral part of the training. Schemes have also been held with the police and representatives of London boroughs. Buses have been supplied at sites in the rush hours where police have stopped cyclists to show them a bus driver s point of view. These initiatives are in keeping with the Group s policy to reduce accidents, claims and work with the wider community as a whole. Safety in garages Bus garages, by their very nature, are potentially hazardous places in which to work. The movement of pedestrians, whether drivers or engineers walking to and from their vehicles, necessitates the movement of people and buses in a restricted area. Following a comprehensive review we implemented a completely new system of zonal working at all 14 locations. The entire garage is now colour coded with specific walkways to each area identified. Plans of these areas are installed around each garage and instructions to access these areas are given in a clear concise manner. An important element of the revised strategy is to restrict deliveries to quieter operational times and to divert non-essential traffic from areas of high risk and other vehicle movements. The implementation of these plans will reduce the potential for pedestrian/vehicle collisions of both staff and visitors to our locations. Zoned for safety. 4 Go-Ahead London Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
Environment 4.11% like for like reduction in site energy We all have a part to play Reduced emissions We continue to work with energy saving schemes introduced two years ago, the significant reductions achieved initially meant this year s target of 4% was always going to be challenging. Despite worsening traffic congestion across our operating area, the energy efficient initiatives adopted this year have achieved a 2% reduction in fuel consumption. The trend of energy savings over the last three years has enabled us to realistically reassess our future energy saving targets and provides integrity to the reporting system adopted. The introduction of additional hybrid buses next year will also assist us in focusing on our revised target for fuel consumption. Hybrid buses We have been at the forefront of introducing hybrid vehicles in London. This operating experience and the technical information learnt from on the road conditions has been used in the development of the second generation of hybrid vehicles. These newer vehicles reduce emissions by up to 25% compared to conventional diesel engined buses and have proved reliable when operating on our operationally challenging central London routes. Site energy savings We are delighted to report that the overall target set in conjunction with the Carbon Trust for savings in water, gas and electricity at our depots has been achieved this year. Our Energy Champions have been an integral part of our success and contribute to the Group target of reductions in carbon emissions. Go Green Our Go Green campaign, which encourages our drivers to drive fuel efficiently, continues. Staff are monitored and ranked according to the data transferred from an on-bus monitoring system. The top 20 staff who have consistently shown the most fuel efficient driving are invited to compete in a 500 challenge which is an eco-driving day at Millbrook Proving Ground. The prize is a Fiat 500. Conversely, monitoring of all drivers allows us to target those who have not consistently been driving fuel efficiently and return them for corrective training. The whole scheme fits comfortably with the training/ encouragement/retraining ethos adopted by Go-Ahead London to achieve the targets on energy saving and reduced carbon emissions set by the Group. Paul Cooper, this year s Go Green winner with his car. www.go-ahead-london.com 5
Passengers Catering for everyone 10.5m invested in new buses 6.7years average fleet age Growth Go-Ahead London has been part of the success story of bus travel in London growing to its highest in 50 years. However it is accepted that this increase can only be seen as a success if the passengers now using our services feel comfortable, safe and have confidence in the professionalism of our staff operating these services. We continue to provide periodic training to all our staff and we are confident that they are some of the best trained in London. Operating staff have attended over 13,000 training days since 2009, and we believe this commitment to training and the benefits this brings to our passengers is unmatched by any operator in London. Reliability The timekeeping and reliability of Go-Ahead London s bus services are closely monitored by Transport for London (TfL). We have consistently been one of the best performing companies in London. Services from our garage in Rainham have appeared as the top performing depot in London for EWT (excess waiting time) at stops compared with all other operators in London. Inclusivity All our vehicles operated on TfL services are low floored and are fully accessible to passengers with impaired mobility. For those visually impaired or hard of hearing audible and visual information is provided on bus through the ibus network which announces and displays the route being travelled, the bus ultimate destination and the next stop to be served. Training has been undertaken by all our staff to understand the issues and concerns of the disabled not only our existing passengers but also potential users from the wider community. Hybrid technology in central London. 6 Go-Ahead London Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
Employees Won 3 awards at inaugural IRTE competition The best in the business Staff Have Your Say survey We can only deliver the high standards of service our passengers and contractors expect if our staff receive training, motivation and back up. A survey was conducted of all employees to seek their opinions on communications within the company. The Have Your Say campaign has produced positive responses from a large proportion of our employees. The next stage will be to create local forums to ensure we capitalise on the momentum of the initial survey. Only by listening to and letting our people know our own aspirations and goals can we build on the success of the company. Engineering staff A vital part of our business is ensuring that our vehicles are maintained to high standards by our engineering team. Go-Ahead London has operated an engineering apprentice scheme for many years. This year our engineering staff entered the first Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) National Skills Challenge. Our team of three, all of whom came through the apprentice scheme, were awarded for their individual expertise in electrical, bodywork and mechanical disciplines. Institute of Advanced Motorists Scheme Driving a bus in London requires a great deal of skill and patience, the majority of our driving staff taking pride in their professional status. In order to capture and develop this a scheme has been created to allow drivers to enhance their existing skill through the Institute of Advanced Motorists. At Merton Garage, where the trial is taking place, over 130 staff have applied for this additional voluntary training. The benefit to the drivers is linked to the attainment of a nationally recognised higher standard of driving whilst the passengers and other road users also benefit from the development of our staff s skills. The ultimate goal is to reduce incidents and accident claims, which will benefit passengers, the wider community and the company. Success at the London Bus Awards For the second year running we came away with awards at this London-wide event. Julie Jessup won Best Communication with Passengers and Merton s team of driver mentors won Bus Service Support. Team taken on the day of the IRTE challenge. www.go-ahead-london.com 7
Community Wide reaching involvement 14.2k in charitable donations Our Hut Project Stockwell Garage Go-Ahead London has teamed up with Our Hut architectural education charity to participate in a programme of events focussing on the heritage of Stockwell Bus garage. The All Aboard for Stockwell project aims to involve a broad section of the local community. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, a series of cultural events linked to this unique Grade II listed building will seek to stimulate local interest culminating in the instigation of the Friends of Stockwell Bus Garage Society to provide a lasting legacy to the project. At a recent lecture at the Royal Academy, Will Self referred to Stockwell Bus Garage as London s most important building. We certainly feel it is a vital part of our ability to operate our business and are happy to share its historic and aesthetic attributes with the local community. Involvement with local charities and local groups Our policy on charitable giving has always been to support our own staff in their endeavours, thus generating goodwill amongst both staff and local communities. We have this year hosted groups of disabled adults and children with a view to encourage use of public transport. It has become apparent that lack of confidence in using our buses is a major factor affecting whether to travel or not. Encouraging these groups to experience getting on and off our vehicles in a controlled environment dispels much anxiety. Sutton Education Business Partnership Our engineering training team have attended careers events sponsored by the above partnership. We are conscious of the effect that the recession has had on the job market for school leavers and young people in general. We specifically targeted the opportunities from our engineering apprentice scheme. The results of this initiative will not be known immediately as the students targeted will not be leaving full time education until next year, but we are keen to maintain and develop this initiative as the response from those prospective candidates was very positive. Sponsorship We are sponsoring our second pupil during their two year A level course at Reed s School. The selection criteria is living within our operating area, coming from a disadvantaged background and showing high academic potential. Like the first pupil we sponsored during 2008-10, James is someone who has a potential future in our industry. Local children listening to a bus driver during school visit. 8 Go-Ahead London Corporate Responsibility Report 2011
2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009 Safety Bus accidents (per million miles) 81 82.69 87.36 Fleet with CCTV (%) 100 100 98 Environment Carbon emissions per passenger journey (kg) 0.36 0.36 0.37 Site energy savings Gas consumption (kwh) 7,923 8,492 8,221 Electricity consumption (kwh) 5,878 5,893 6,393 Fuel efficiency Miles per gallon 5.53 5.5 5.19 Passengers Fleet with low floor (%) 99.5 99.5 98 Employees Number of employees 4,761 4,707 4,506 Turnover rate (%) 17 17 16 Absence rate (%) 3.9 4 3 Number of staff training days 39,276 35,320 61,012 Diversity by ethnic group (%) Asian, black or other origin 49 49 43 White 51 51 57 Diversity by gender (%) Women 9 9 8 Men 91 91 92 Average length of service (yrs) 8yr 2m 8yr 0m 8yr 6m Community Charitable giving and investment ( ) 14,255 2,388 17,838 Number of stakeholder events 43 95 * n/a * First year of data collection. For information on the full Group data please visit our corporate website www.go-ahead.com www.go-ahead-london.com 9
We re a part of the Group You can find out more about Go Ahead London by visiting our website www.go ahead london.com and more information on how Go Ahead London manages its corporate responsibilities can be found by visiting www.go ahead.com/responsibility 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 write to: John Trayner Managing Director Go Ahead London No. 18 Merton High Street London SW19 1DN Tel: 020 8545 6100 Email: john.trayner@go ahead london.com Verification of Corporate Responsibility data For the third year Bureau Veritas UK Ltd has worked with the Go-Ahead Group plc (Go-Ahead) to verify and to provide an independent opinion on selected corporate responsibility (CR) key performance indicators (KPI) data contained within the Go-Ahead Group s Corporate Responsibility Report 2011. The information and data reviewed for this verification process relates to the reporting period 1st of July 2010 to the 2nd of July 2011. The verification incorporated site visits, interviews, document review and checking of Group and Operating Company data. The full Bureau Veritas verification statement is available in Go-Ahead s Corporate Responsibility Report and at http://www.go-ahead.com/responsibility.aspx This report was put together by The Go Ahead Group and designed and produced by Black Sun plc, London. Printed by Park Communications using environmental print technology which minimises any negative environmental impacts resulting from the printing of this document. We include the use of vegetable based inks, recycling 85% of dry waste, 85% of cleaning solvents and use 100% renewable energy. Printed on Indigo Premium Smooth Uncoated which contains 100% post consumer waste and is FSC certified.