Go-Ahead crowned as industry leaders at National Transport Awards
Go-Ahead are proud of the achievements recognised at this year’s National Transport Awards. The National Transport Awards is an annual event which celebrates innovation, expertise, and dedication of those working tirelessly to improve our public transport networks which Go-Ahead proudly supports as a Gold Sponsor.
We are pleased to share that Brighton and Hove Buses won the award for Best Practice for Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility. Brighton and Hove Buses have been instrumental in instigating many positive changes to ensure a more inclusive journey.
Their Accessibility and Communities Manager, Victoria Garcia MBE, is part of the Go-Ahead’s ‘Accessibility Taskforce’ specially formed to listen and learn from the lived experiences of our customers whilst helping to roll out these and
other innovative initiatives across our networks.
These include equipping our fleet with audio next stop announcements, ‘Helping Hand’ cards which are an effective way for customers to discreetly communicate if any extra assistance is required. We also work together with other local and national charities, including Guide Dogs, to enable their dogs in training to become familiar with the environment of travelling by bus.
Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus
have also supported the development of training materials to educate and inform all bus and coach drivers on how best to support blind and partially sighted passengers. Brighton and Hove Buses were also commended in the best bus category for its Regency Route.
In addition, Go-Ahead’s Go East Anglia and Go South Coast were shortlisted for their industry leadership in the following categories; Campaign of the Year, Best Bus Service and Bus Operator of the Year.
NEWS ACROSS THE GROUP
Welcome
from Miguel Parras
Dear Team,
Welcome to the October edition of News Across the Group.
Last month, our company made a landmark announcement with a £500 million investment to deliver up to 1,200 zero-emission buses, manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland. This initiative not only aligns with our commitment to caring for the environment but also embodies all our core values. Together with Wrightbus, we will deploy zero-emission buses that will improve air quality for the communities we serve, provide more efficient services for our customers, and operate more reliable assets for our people.
The agreement with Wrightbus will create 500 manufacturing jobs and support additional jobs across the wider UK supply chain in the coming years. This investment will accelerate our transition to zeroemission buses across England, including at Go South West, East Yorkshire Buses and Go South Coast.
Alongside Matt Carney, Carey Stuart and Luke Marion, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Louise Haigh MP to Oxford to officially launch our partnership with Wrightbus and celebrate our significant investment. The Secretary of State was able to witness the transformational project that our dedicated and brilliant
Oxford team recently completed, now operating over 100 zeroemission buses across the city, another Go-Ahead success story.
Turning our focus to our people, I was delighted to join colleagues at Matthew Parker Street for a Diwali celebration, the festival of lights, symbolising the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It was wonderful to experience the traditions, spirit, and flavours of this special festival with everyone in the office.
One of the best things about working for our company is the diversity and multiculturalism within our team. It’s truly inspiring to foster an environment that is a
melting pot of cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, all united in harmony, mutual respect, and a shared joy of celebrating together.
This month’s edition of News Across the Group also marks the anniversary of my first year as Go-Ahead’s CEO. It has been an exciting and challenging year, and I take great pride in working alongside brilliant people who are dedicated to doing their best for our company and the communities we serve. I look forward to continuing our journey together and building on the success we’ve achieved across the Go-Ahead Group this past year.
Together, we are The Go-Ahead Group.
Best regards,
Miguel Parras Go-Ahead Group CEO
Summit 2024
We were pleased to be part of the annual Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC) summit in Manchester. WiBC is a national network created to encourage, represent, support, and retain women in the bus and coach profession. Co-founder Louise Cheeseman is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Go-Ahead and we are pleased to be supported by her expertise in this area.
Earlier this year, Go-Ahead launched Go-Ahead Women and at the summit Carolyn Ferguson, Company Secretary, shared insight into our journey to date, reflecting on how we are bringing in more inspirational women into our workforce. We are aiming for 50% gender equality by 2035. The initiatives by Women in Bus and Coach and Go-Ahead Women will ensure a more inclusive environment for all, regardless of gender and size, for the benefit of the industry as a whole.
WiBC has made significant progress in the last 12 months and the summit set out the positive, pioneering work the network have developed, including the official launch of an Irish branch, and a Northern branch which is to be imminently launched, both providing a dedicated platform
for women in Ireland and Northern England to connect, collaborate and champion equality in the sector.
The summit proved to be a celebration of positivity within the industry and there was much discussion on the theme of ‘breaking down barriers’. There was a session held regarding the importance of cab design as traditionally bus cabs have been designed for the ‘average male’, which is not helpful for many. Researchers from Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), working with Transport for London (TfL) and Women in Bus and Coach, have been visiting bus garages across the country. One recent visit was at Go-Ahead London’s Camberwell Garage, where researchers received feedback and recommendations on features such as mirror placement, seat controls, fabrics, pedal placement and cleanliness.
We look forward to continuing to support this research and the WiBC.
The Hassenbrook Rockettes
Put your hands together for The Hassenbrook Rockettes, one of the latest youth football clubs to be sponsored by Go-Ahead London.
They recently received their new kit, funded by the joint Social Value Fund with Bidvest Noonan. The Hassenbrook Rockettes are an under 14s girls football team, based near our Bexleyheath Garage, and our driving instructor Chantel Neil is the assistant manager.
Chantel has been one of the instructors responsible for training those in our new Go-Ahead Women cohorts. The sponsorship of this team further demonstrates our commitment to gender equality.
Values in action
Care for our customer Care for our people Care for our environment Care for our community Care for our assets
New route for Go-Ahead Singapore
Go-Ahead Singapore recently started to operate the City Direct Service (CDS) 673. This route operates between Punggol Way and the Central Business District (CBD), enhancing connectivity and aiming to provide greater convenience for our valued commuters.
Morebus provides vital bus boarding experience for local guide dogs in training
Morebus has teamed up with Guide Dogs to help provide some vital bus travel experience for puppies in training. The operator welcomed a pack of young canines to its Poole depot this week to help them progress a crucial aspect of their education - hopping on-and-off buses.
Elli Cavazza, Guide Dogs puppy development advisor, added: “We really value the support we’ve had from Morebus. It will make a real difference to giving our dogs more experiences that will prepare them for being guide dogs and supporting people with visual impairment.”
Raising the importance of Mental Health
In recognition of this day, Go East Anglia turned its social media channels blue, and encouraged the team to wear their brightest blue outfits to show solidarity with those living with mental health conditions, in support of Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s “Do Blue” campaign.
They are also expanding their Chatty Bus initiative through corporate partnerships, a call for community involvement, and colleague engagement events. Go East Anglia has partnered with The Chatty Café Scheme, which encourages passengers to take the bus to a Chatty Café located on one of their routes. There, they can sit at a “Chatter and Natter” table and engage in meaningful conversations with volunteers from their local communities.
Bus Centre of Excellence Lifetime Achievement award
Congratulations to Eric Dale, Academy Manager, for winning the Bus Centre of Excellence Lifetime Achievement award. Eric is responsible for the Recruitment, Training and Apprenticeships at Go-Ahead London. He has been instrumental in many initiatives throughout his 40 years in the sector. The announcement was shared at the Quality Bus Conference held in Manchester, which also incorporated a garage visit to showcase Go-North West’s Bolton depot.
U-Go successfully launch fifth depot
U-Go Mobility have successfully launched their Southwest Link bus services contract, including the mobilisation of its Sydenham depot in Marrickville, adding more than 40 buses to the fleet.
Operator of Region 10 buses in Sydney’s south and southwest, U-Go is one of two operators providing replacement transport for Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) during the closure of the T3 Bankstown rail line for the next 12 months, while Sydney Metro upgrade works take place.
Bright pink buses operate on three routes covering ‘all station’ and ‘express’ services along the affected line, and are supported by enhanced customer information including e-ink displays at stops and integration with TfNSW’s digital platforms.
New gardening equipment ordered for Friends of Portswood Rec
A voluntary organisation that helps maintain a local recreation ground in Portswood has received a financial boost – thanks to a donation from Southampton bus operator Bluestar. Garth Long, co-chair of the Friends group stated “ We’d like to thank Bluestar for helping us make a difference to the area, whilst encouraging more people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.”
Oxford Bus Company has gone electric
Oxford Bus Company has completed the roll out of its new fleet of 104 electric vehicles. The vehicles are used on its city fleets, BROOKESbus service and City Sightseeing Oxford open-top tours. It represents a significant milestone for Oxford as part of its groundbreaking commitment to sustainability.
Oxford Bus Company also installed an electricity substation at its Cowley depot to support the rapid charging of the electric buses. EV fleet specialist Zenobe installed 104 chargers into the depot. The 104 electric buses will save more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year in Oxford.
NEWS ACROSS THE GROUP
Waste warriors thrash the trash on Brighton Beach
A clean-up crew from across GTR swapped rolling stock for rubbish bags when they cleaned a section of Brighton beach as part of The Great British Beach Clean.The team of 42 volunteers blitzed a 100m stretch behind the iconic i360, picking up litter from cigarette buds to banana peels, metal scraps and bottle lids to do their part for the wildlife and community.
Each piece of litter the team picked up is one less bit of rubbish that will enter the ocean and cause harm to marine wildlife. Everything collected was also catalogued. This gives the Marine Conservation Society, which organised the week-long national event, an invaluable insight into what is polluting the sea, enabling it to campaign for positive change to protect the ocean.
Blind passenger helps Thameslink write audio guide to its trains
Over £15,000 raised
Railway colleagues rally together during companywide fundraising week
For the first time, employees Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), have taken part in a companywide fundraising week, helping to raise a total of £15,194 for mental health charity, Mind.
Focused around World Mental Health Day, the ‘The BIG Fundraising Week’ saw a whole host of activities, from station relay races and ‘row-a-thons’, to cycling challenges, bake sales and a prize draw, all with the aim of raising vital funds for Mind, GTR’s charity partner.
With one in four people experiencing a mental health problem every year, GTR is supporting Mind through a dedicated threeyear partnership that aims to raise £75,000 for the charity, whilst removing the stigma attached to mental health.
Thameslink has released an audio guide that describes its vast fleet of 115 trains, written with the help of a blind passenger from Redhill in Surrey. Dave Smith sits on Thameslink’s Accessibility Advisory Panel to help it improve services for disabled people.
He said: “I use these trains all the time but for someone else who is blind or partially sighted it can be incredibly daunting. Anyone can log onto the Thameslink website and listen to this audio guide before setting off, helping them understand the train layout before they travel, helping reduce any anxieties.”
GTR’s annual community conference
Partners from community rail groups, station partnerships, charities, local authorities, community groups and the rail industry joined GTR for our annual GTR Community Rail Conference.
The nearly 80 attendees joined us at the St Bride Foundation near Blackfriars Station for the conference which aimed to share new ideas, inspire new projects and, importantly, thank them for their continued work and support over the past year.
Tania Holcroft Get to know...
Chief People Officer – Go-Ahead
How did you get into transport?
This is the first time I have worked in the Transport industry, however I come with a wealth of knowledge about people and transformational change in various industries from supply chain, tech, hospitality, and manufacturing.
What does your role with Go-Ahead entail?
As CPO at Go-Ahead, developing the people strategy and transforming the culture of our organisation will be the main areas of focus.
What are your hobbies?
Working full time and bringing up two boys leaves only a small amount of time for hobbies, but when I get the chance, I enjoy reading, dining & theatre and love watching rugby and cricket. Most of all I enjoy long walks with my two cockerpoo’s Rafferty & Stanley with a good pub lunch at the end!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I have spent a lot of time working throughout Europe & Asia and enjoy going back for holidays, but equally enjoy exploring parts of the UK, such as The Lakes, but Northumberland and those untouched beaches of Bamburgh are amazing!
What’s a goal or dream you’re currently working towards?
My son Matthew was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes recently and we are working with a number of research laboratories to see if there is a hereditary link to developing Diabetes. My dream would be to eradicate Type 1 Diabetes and to see far more investment into finding a way to eliminate this all together! Injecting 6 times a day to stay alive is hard for those who suffer with Diabetes, but technology is developing so fast, I hope I see new technology materialise soon!
What is your go-to comfort food?
Gosh, it is too difficult to choose, I enjoy the majority of foods and trying out new recipes is always fun!
What’s a skill or hobby you’d love to learn?
It would be playing the piano, as a child I was born with significant hearing loss, so I am hopeless at anything musical and admire all those who can sing or play an instrument! Do you have a favourite book, movie, or TV show?
My favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – a throwback to my A level English days!
