GO NORTH EAST
ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL REPORT 2005
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Paul Matthews
A message from the Managing Director
Welcome to this, our first corporate social responsibility report.
We have been serving bus users in the North East for over 100 years. In this time,
we have learned that the secret of being a successful business is to be a responsible
business.We take our responsibilities very seriously.
Last year, we took part in a programme of meetings and discussions to check which
responsibilities our stakeholders considered to be priorities. Issues such as convenience,
reliability, safety, local air quality and noise all emerged as important. As a result of our
work, we have adopted a series of principles that define our responsibilities to both the
communities of the North-East and the environment.
We are proud of our achievements so far. Over three-quarters of our services are
‘Easy Access’, designed to help people with prams, pushchairs or wheelchairs, or with
other mobility issues.We believe that investing in new technology is good for safety
through CCTV, good for services and reliability through satellite vehicle tracking and realtime passenger information, and good for the environment as we reduce our emissions.
We serve and depend on the community around us. Our responsibilities go beyond
running services.We have a duty to help our communities flourish.This was why we set
up our Community Bus Miles Scheme, which helps local groups and charities extend their
work in the communities.This Scheme goes from strength to strength.
We know that people want to learn more about what we are doing and this is why
we have produced this report.We are committed to improving the way that we run our
business. Let us know if you have any comments, views or ideas on how we can do so,
or on any further issues that should be covered in this report.
Paul Matthews
Managing Director
Contents
About Go North East
About The Go-Ahead Group plc
About this report
2
The Marketplace
4
The Workplace
6
The Environment
8
The Community
IBC Auditing & verifying this report
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Go North East Environmental & Social Report 2005
Who we are
Go North East is the leading bus operator in the north of England operating
through its subsidiaries Go Gateshead, Go Wear and Go Northern. During
the past year we have operated around 800 buses on local services in and
around Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland, Darlington
and the surrounding areas.
About The Go-Ahead Group plc
Go North East is the founding company of the Go-Ahead
Group plc. Go-Ahead is now a major provider of transport
services across the UK employing over 20,000 people and
carrying around 700 million passengers. Its operations span
bus, rail, parking and aviation support services.
Go-Ahead offers its operating companies freedom to develop
and run their businesses: local people make local decisions on
running local services.
Go-Ahead also provides a common framework for managing
companies’ impacts on society and the environment.This report
describes our performance against that framework.
About this report
This report describes our performance in meeting our
responsibilities as a business in the 12 months to 2nd July 2005.
It is divided into four main sections, which describe the ways in
which our business impacts on the world around us, and our
responsibilities for managing these impacts:
Marketplace – how we run our services
Workplace – the issues that affect the people
who work for us
Environment – our impact on the environment
and how we manage and reduce it
Community – our role in the communities
where we operate
To keep this report short, we have placed our full report
containing a lot more information on the web
www.go-ahead.com/corporateresponsibility
NORTH TYNESIDE
NEWCASTLE
UPON TYNE
SOUTH TYNESIDE
SUNDERLAND
GATESHEAD
STANLEY
DURHAM
CONSETT
DARLINGTON
MIDDLESBROUGH
Our company structure ensures that local people
make local decisions about local services
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Go North East Environmental & Social Report 2005
THE MARKETPLACE
Our responsibilities in the marketplace
We want people to travel by bus as our business success depends on our
ability to attract or retain passengers. Increasing bus usage is good for our
business, good for the environment and good for the community, since bus
services play a key role in combating social exclusion; however, the realities
of bus transport make this a difficult objective to achieve.
Road traffic has grown by 80% since 1980, but
the vast majority of this growth is due to an
explosion in car ownership. As incomes rise, bus
usage falls.The number of passengers using our
services fell by 2% last year. Despite the market
conditions, stabilising and growing passenger
numbers are objectives we share with our local
authority partners.
We are committed to working in partnership with
the Regional and Local Authorities, local employers
and bus passengers to make sure that we make
the case for putting the bus at the heart of
a sustainable transport strategy for the region.
Our consultations with employees, passengers and
other stakeholders have confirmed that increasing
travel by bus is seen as our main responsibility, and
indicated the factors that most influence people
to choose our services:
Our responsibility: to provide reliable, convenient
and punctual services
This year saw the re-launch of Go North East’s
X66, a fast, frequent, regular and non-stop service
connecting the MetroCentre shopping centre and
the Gateshead Interchange.
X66’s articulated buses’ extra accessibility, comfort
and safety features are now complimented by the
newly opened Centrelink bus way.This is helping
deliver consistently reliable journeys via a dedicated
bus way along the bank of the river Tyne.
X66 still offers a more personal service manned
by dedicated drivers, its own in-service cleaner
at the interchanges and a dedicated supervisor.
X66 Centrelink represents a major investment
in the future of bus travel in the North East.
Reliability, convenience and punctuality
Accessibility for all
Safety and security
Affordability
We are therefore reporting our performance in
each of these key areas.
Articulated, low-floor buses enhance comfort and reliability
on the X66 route
The Marketplace
Our responsibility: ensuring accessibility for all, particularly
people with disabilities
Go North East was the first bus company to introduce an Easy
Access Guarantee onto its bus network.
Traditionally, bus design has been geared towards the able
bodied. Low-floor buses fitted with powered ramps represent a
major step forward in improving access for all. Currently 54% of
our whole fleet is made up of low-floor buses and we have more
than 75% of our regular daily services operating with our Easy
Access buses.
This year saw the X10 service between Newcastle and
Middlesbrough convert to accessible buses, and we have set
new targets to increase the proportion of low-floor buses on
our services for 2005/6.
Passenger
journeys
Vehicle kms
travelled
69.06m
59.62m
% of low floor buses in fleet
54
55
44
03
04
05
Size of bus fleet
810
757
842
04-05
Our responsibility: ensuring the safety and security
of passengers, employees and the general public
03-04
Safety of passengers, staff and the general public is our first
priority. We have an established Health & Safety Management
System to meet this objective.
Vehicle accidents per million
vehicle km travelled
We have invested almost £1 million in CCTV equipment and
support as an effective means of deterring and detecting crime
whilst improving personal safety and passenger confidence.
Nearly half of our buses are equipped with CCTV systems.
Our responsibility: affordability to ensure as many
as possible can use our services
Go North East offers a wide range of tickets designed to save
passengers money every time they travel.The Go’n’Save cards
offer savings for both regular travellers and less frequent users
and make bus travel far more affordable.The Go’n’Save schemes
are available for one day, one week, one month or one year, and
in a variety of flexible packages. Extra discounts incentivise
purchase off bus.
02-03
13.68
12.96
10.87
04-05
03-04
02-03
Average age of fleet:
Government-Industry target
vs Go North East (years)
Government-Industry target (max)
7.41
6.63
8
6.67
Average fleet age
03
04
05
VOSA PSV vehicle test pass rate
Go North
East
National
average
98.87%
84.13%
Scheduled km
operated buses
Industry target
98.7%
99.5%
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Go North East Environmental & Social Report 2005
THE WORKPLACE
Our responsibilities in the workplace
Our business success and ability to run our services depend on the
2,079 people we employ, over three-quarters of whom have direct
contact with the passengers we serve.
Our responsibility is to provide a positive work environment conducive
to the recruitment and retention of our people.
We are committed to being a good employer.
This means treating people well regardless of
gender, race, age, or where practical, disability.
We invest in a range of employee benefits that help
us to recruit, retain and motivate our employees.
Our responsibility: training & development
We invest in our people and provide opportunities
to improve and to develop their professional skills.
We offer driver training for those who are new to
the company and driver refreshers for experienced
staff. We also support the development of
customer service and customer care skills.
Many of our staff have pursued additional
vocational qualifications with our support.
Trainees out ‘on manoeuvres’
Chris Moyes (Go-Ahead’s Chief Executive)
thanks Larry Singh for 35 years of service
The Workplace
Our responsibility: maintaining recruitment levels
The challenges of bus driving can make it difficult to recruit and
retain good people. We recruited 546 people last year and are
looking at new and innovative ways to fill vacancies.
Poland has a good supply of qualified bus drivers looking for new
opportunities, and focusing recruitment efforts on the country
has enabled us to employ 70 experienced Polish drivers, with
more to come. A special induction programme for these recruits
covers language and cultural training as well as intensive support
on the Highway Code. All new drivers have a designated mentor
and are accompanied until they are ready to go solo. Our bus
drivers have given enthusiastic help introducing their Polish
colleagues to the regional culture.
As a major local employer and recruiter, we advertise job
opportunities through newspapers and radio, as well as on our
buses and vans, on our website and in depots. We distribute
leaflets at job centres and hold recruitment open days. Retention
is being improved through improved basic pay, better terms and
conditions and a wider range of employee benefits.
Number of employees
2079
2077
2152
04-05
03-04
02-03
Diversity by gender (Male)
1901
1891
1962
04-05
03-04
02-03
Diversity by gender (Female)
04-05
03-04
02-03
178
186
190
Diversity by age
16-19: 0.5%
20-29: 9.5%
30-39: 22.4%
40-49: 30.8%
50-59: 29.5%
60-64: 6.9%
65+: 0.3%
Physical assaults on staff
per million passenger journeys
04-05
03-04
0.10
0.41
0.84
02-03
Employee turnover rate (%)
04-05
03-04
02-03
Detailed employment information is kept up to date
on the website
18.5
20.3
25.8
5
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Go North East Environmental & Social Report 2005
THE ENVIRONMENT
Our responsibilities to the environment
Bus companies have positive and negative impacts on the environment.
Our buses are a source of greenhouse gases and local air pollutants, whilst
depots and garages use energy for maintenance, heating and cooling. Equally
greater use of our buses can produce reduced emissions from cars.
Our main responsibility is to minimise the environmental impact of
our buses, particularly emissions and noise. We do this through good
maintenance, investment in our fleet and the use of Continuously
Regenerative Traps (CRTs) which control and reduce emissions.
Environmental impact is minimised through good maintenance and investment
Our responsibility: reducing congestion
People are travelling more and more. Overall,
we travel three times more than we did 50 years
ago and most of this explosion has been in travel
by car. Cities such as Durham, Newcastle and
Sunderland are centres for students, tourists, visitors
as well as working cities. Getting the right balance
between the needs of pedestrians, drivers, cyclists
and the bus is critically important.
Public transport is part of the solution and is seen
to be so. More passengers can travel in a bus than
a car, bringing benefits for reduced environmental
impact and congestion. We work closely with local
authorities throughout our operating area to
promote and improve the service that we offer.
The Environment
Our responsibility: reducing emissions
We must earn the right to put bus travel at the heart of an
environmentally sustainable transport strategy by managing
our own impact on air quality.
VOSA emissions pass rate
100%
99.14%
The average age of our fleet is 6.67 years, substantially
less than the Government-Industry target of 8 years. New
vehicles have lower emission specifications than older vehicles,
and we are investing in new buses with emission-reducing CRT
traps as standard. We have made further progress on meeting
our target to increase CRT traps this year.
Go North East
A key element of driver training looks at steady driving and
ensuring that engines are not idling unnecessarily, techniques that
further reduce emissions.This is part of our commitment under
our partnerships with local councils.
% of fleet with Euro II engines or above
National
average
71
67
04-05
03-04
54
02-03
% of fleet with CRT
49
44
04-05
03-04
30
02-03
Air pollution NOx (g)
per passenger journey
7.82
7.81
7.77
04-05
03-04
02-03
We are purchasing low emission buses powered by Euro IV engines
Our responsibility: testing new technology
The standard for Go-Ahead is to power our buses using
Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel.The use of ULSD together with
retro-fitting of CRTs has helped to reduce our vehicles’
emissions substantially.
We consistently test the environmental performance and
commercial viability of alternative approaches.This year, we
carried out a trial of a biodiesel fuel, a cleaner-burning diesel
fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable
oils. Whilst the performance of the product met our
requirements, it is currently not commercially viable to use.
The UK Government is aware of and considering the position.
Our responsibility: measuring our performance
The Go-Ahead Group came top of the public transport
companies that participated in the Business in the Community
Corporate Responsibility Index 2004.The index criteria were
made more challenging in 2004. We improved our score to 81%.
In the Environment Index, we scored 85%.
Air pollution PM (g)
per passenger journey
04-05
03-04
02-03
0.12
0.16
0.22
Air pollution CO2 (kg)
per passenger journey
0.81
0.80
0.77
04-05
03-04
02-03
Air pollution CO (g)
per passenger journey
1.00
1.10
1.16
04-05
03-04
02-03
Air pollution HC (g)
per passenger journey
04-05
03-04
02-03
0.53
0.68
0.88
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Go North East Environmental & Social Report 2005
THE COMMUNITY
Our responsibilities to the community
Bus companies are an integral part of the community; we provide
essential services for the people that live and work in the region,
as well as other visitors. Running our services is the main way that
we contribute towards improving the commercial and social
wellbeing of the local area.
Successful communities are in our interests as a local service
provider, and we contribute through encouraging employee
fundraising, providing cash donations and offering free travel
as prizes for good causes.
Community spend
Community Bus Miles make sport more accessible for
young people
The Go North East community investment
programme is the Bus Miles Scheme, which makes
donations and has free miles for organisations
giving young people improved access to sport
and educational opportunities. Bus Miles, along
with the school buses that we provide, aims to
build relationships with our future customers.
Organisations benefit directly through drawing
on their Bus Miles account, but they can also be
used to secure support from other funders.
Partners include Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club,
Gateshead City Learning Centre and Sunderland
AFC Foundation.
£45,181: 13.8% of total Group
spend (£327,470)
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.
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 2004 to June 2005.An Associate
Director, 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 fourth
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 2005 a sample of three operating companies was
visited as part of the verification process. 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 www.go-ahead.com/corporateresponsibility.
Helen Rushton, Associate Director,
The SMART Company, September 2005
Go-Ahead
Go North East is part of The Go-Ahead Group plc.
Members of the group operate bus services (in the south of
England, North East England and London) commuter train
networks, aviation ground handling and parking services.
Other companies within the group are:
• aviance
• Brighton & Hove
Bus Company
• London Central
& London General
• Meteor
• Metrobus
• Oxford Bus
Company
• Southern Railway
• Thameslink
• Wilts & Dorset
More information on how Go North East
manages its responsibilities can be found at
www.go-ahead.com/corporateresponsibility
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:
Paul Matthews
Managing Director
Go North East
117 Queen Street,
Gateshead NE8 2UA
Telephone: 0845 60 60 260
Email: [email protected]
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 88% of dry waste and 95% of cleaning solvents for future
use. Beacon Press uses 100% renewable energy, is a Carbon Neutral company, has ISO14001
& EMAS accreditation and holds the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development.
Printed on Revive Matt which is made from 75% post consumer waste and 25% mill broke.
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. 16.64 tonnes of CO2
will be balanced through native forestry Donkleywood, a UK Forestry project in Northumberland,
making both these reports CarbonNeutral.
For more information about other projects from The CarbonNeutral Company go to
www.carbonneutral.com or call 08701 99 99 88.