Berkshire
FIRST BUS A FOCUS ON BERKSHIRE & THE THAMES VALLEY ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2016 - MARCH 2017
FIRST SOUTH YORKSHIRE
A FOCUS ON SHEFFIELD ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2014 - MARCH 2015
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I’m pleased to introduce the stakeholder report for our First Berkshire business. Throughout the region we’re always striving to achieve the best results possible and deliver a bus service that our passengers can be truly proud of. The improvements we’ve introduced have set up the business to move forward effectively through the rest of 2017 and into 2018.
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After launching the new network in Slough and Windsor last year, we’re beginning to see a more punctual and reliable service for our customers. We identified a number of journeys where traffic issues caused knock-on delays and to combat it we replaced long crosstown services with shorter routes terminating in Slough. When introducing wholesale changes like we’ve done, it does take time to adapt, but we truly believe that the network now in place is the best way to get around the areas of Berkshire we operate in. Our stakeholders remain pivotal to First Berkshire. We look forward to another productive year where we can work together and keep the local residents moving.
Marc Reddy Managing Director
Berkshire
Passenger growth RailAir continues to prove to be one of the best ways to get to Heathrow Airport. Passenger usage continues to show impressive growth and more and more people continue to opt for a stress-free and premium service from Reading train station before embarking on their next trip.
Greener buses 15 Volvo 7900 Hybrid
We’ve now got 15 Volvo 7900 Hybrid buses operating on the route from Slough to Heathrow Airport. We estimate that just one of these hybrids can improve First Berkshire’s carbon footprint to the tune of 27 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Flourishing partnerships Heathrow Airport
We have a very good partnership with Heathrow Airport, where we’ve continued to work closely with them in providing a network of services around Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead to the airport. We’re also delighted to offer a discounted travelcard scheme to allow reduced travel for their employees.
Free Wi-Fi We recognise the importance of keeping our passengers connected when they’re on the move. With 60 buses now offering free Wi-Fi, passengers can catch up on the latest news, chat with friends and send emails from the comfort of the bus.
238 staff We’ve continued to grow and now employ 238 people across our three depots in Berkshire. We invest in our drivers, engineers and support staff through training and development and regularly request feedback through our Your Voice survey. Our team continues to work hard to deliver the best service for our passengers.
4.6m journeys Across the Berkshire business in the last financial year, we carried approximately 4.6 million individual passenger journeys. We’re delighted to play an important part in the local economy and the community, taking passengers to shops, schools, work and many more destinations.
50 years of RailAir The Air Road Rail Service operated by the Thames Valley Traction Company, started in March 1967, later becoming First’s RailAir service connecting Reading Railway Station with Heathrow Airport.
Berkshire
Industry awards RailAir won the silver award in the Making Coaches a Better Choice category at the 2016 UK Coach Awards. The news came after the service relaunched its new-look facilities after a major rebranding and refurbishment programme. This includes an upgrade to its fleet of 10 high spec, air-conditioned coaches and passenger departure facilities at Reading Station.
Charity donation £5,000 worth of advertising space
We are proud to support Prostate Cancer UK and delighted that many of our vehicles featured their powerful new posters. A key aim of our partnership with Prostate Cancer UK is to ensure First Bus employees, customers and the wider community know their risk of prostate cancer, raising awareness of the disease and the support available from the charity.
50 free tickets Slough Foodbank donation
At First Berkshire, we’ve worked closely with Slough Foodbank to offer them 50 free bus tickets for those that can’t afford to travel across the region. These free tickets have been very warmly received by those that have to travel long distances to collect their food.
90%
Route 7 improved punctuality Due to severe congestion at commuter times on route 7, in 2015/16 buses on this route were only reliable 72% of the time. After adjusting the timetable, especially for peak morning and evening journeys, in the last 12 months 90% of journeys have now been on time.
First Berkshire is part of FirstGroup plc, the leading transport operator in the UK and North America. Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world...keeping people moving and communities prospering.
Our services help to create strong, vibrant and sustainable local economies and our opportunity is to be the provider of choice for our customers and communities by demonstrating the importance of our values‌
Dedicated to safety
Committed to our customers
Accountable for performance
Supportive of each other
First Berkshire Empress Road Southampton SO14 0JW
Email: firstsouthuk@firstgroup.com Customer Services phone number: 0345 602 0121 Customer Services opening times: 0700 - 1900 Monday to Saturday (excludes Bank Holidays), 0900 - 1700 Sunday Traveline number: 0871 200 2233 Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge
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