eXchange Spring 2016 by i•creation

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Spring 2016

The magazine for First people in the Midlands A copy of eXchange has been printed for

EVERY EMPLOYEE Please take your copy to keep.

music passion

SECURES FIRST solo gig PAGE SEVEN

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Employees rise (as usual) to set of new challenges By Managing Director

Nigel Eggleton

EACH year always brings new challenges for those of us working in the bus industry, but as usual our people have risen to them over the first few months of 2016. Adapting to new vehicles on the roads, service and network changes and an evolving work force keeps us on our toes, but we have done well to meet those things head on and keep customers happy. Our engineering teams always have a big role to play in this and you can get an insight into their day-to-day duties through our spotlight on the Leicester workshop (see centre pages). We have also been playing a big role in community-minded projects, from supporting a prostate cancer campaign with Leicester Tiger’s rugby union club and planting new trees in Worcester to reinforcing our commitment to the Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank project. We are also working in partnership with a local daily newspaper to spread the message that travelling by bus is the best option for people. I’m also glad to report that WiFi has now been rolled out on 59 of our vehicles on key commuter routes throughout the Midlands. This is a big thing for our paying customers who see it as an every day part of their life and have come to expect it as they travel into work, go shopping or meet up with friends. Finally, as always, we have plenty of people whose activities away from the workplace are “newsworthy” and you can read all about them in this issue of Exchange. I will sign off by thanking you all for your continued support and hope you enjoy reading the magazine.

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Joining forces to boost foodbank ROUND half a ton of non perishable food was donated when First Potteries joined forces with the local daily newspaper to help foodbanks. Driver Richard Window, Marketing and Publicity Co-ordinator Tony Coram and Sentinel staff met to drum up support at Morrisons Supermarket in Newcastleunder-Lyme. In addition, First laid on a bus for the event. Tony said: “We were there all day, pushing trolley loads of food back to our bus. We ended up collecting more than half a ton of everything from tins to cereals and drinks. “The only problem was that the foodbank didn’t have a van to take the donations way. We needed our bus for next day service so on arriving back at our depot on the Friday afternoon, we had to unload the food into our office. “Then on Monday morning we loaded it into two vans to take to Blurton Methodist Church, the local foodbank storage facility. People were so generous with their donations. Some even gave money so we took that into the store to buy

First’s Tony Coram, left, at the Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank with Health Co-ordinator Keith Stubbs.

items we didn’t have much of – such as coffee.” Foodbank Health Co-ordinator Keith

Stubbs thanked First Potteries for its support, adding: “It was a fantastic effort.”

Ken is nominated for his good deed

Customer Barrie Webb, right, thanks Driver Ken Baker for promptly returning his lost wallet.

GOING the extra mile to reunite a passenger with his lost wallet was all in a day’s work for First Potteries Driver Ken Baker, and he has now been nominated for an award for his efforts. After 78-year-old Barrie Webb realised he had left his wallet containing £200 of holiday money on a bus, he hopped onboard the next service – driven by Ken – in the hope of retrieving it. Ken then managed to catch up with the other bus, allowing Barrie to jump off and collect his wallet which had luckily been handed in by a fellow passenger. First Potteries General Manager Dan Flanagan said: “We encourage all of our staff to be ambassadors in delivering the best service we can for our customers, and this good deed by Ken shows commitment, initiative and quick-thinking on his part in ensuring the item was not lost.”

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Findings set to enhance workplace

Pete Gibson with his Phantom of the Opera mask.

Pete just loves his music of the night USICAL theatre is the guilty pleasure of First Potteries Driver Pete Gibson but he is not content with just listening – he also takes to the stage to perform some of his favourite tunes. The 51-year-old Unite Shop Steward has his wife Val to thank for getting him in front of an audience to belt out songs from shows like Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Pete, a First employee for around 15 years during two

stints with the company, said: “I’ve always done a bit of singing in the shower and karaoke, that sort of thing. I was even in a covers band for six months once. “Val takes our twin grandchildren Anna and Sarah to dance classes and when she heard they did a yearly review called Showtime she volunteered me. I had a few singing lessons and before I knew it I was up on stage singing Music of the Night from Phantom and a duet. I was really nervous the first time but don’t have stage fright now.”

That was four years ago and Pete is preparing for his latest show, being staged this year at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. He has five songs to sing – three Michael Bublé numbers, a duet and a show tune. “I really enjoy it,” said Pete. “I get such a lot out of it as do my whole family. I’ve eight grandchildren and the older ones are dead chuffed. Val even did a bit of tap dancing in last year’s show. It’s become a real family affair.”

Mutual support is all round good news FREE daily newspapers are being handed out on buses in the Potteries as part of an ongoing partnership with The Sentinel. First teamed up with the North Staffordshire based newspaper last year to provide mutual support and promote public transport. Two of First’s buses have been branded with the newspaper’s articles and images and this September the two organisations will work

together to stage an open day. The latest initiative has seen copies of the newspaper being handed out to commuters who travel on key routes in North Staffordshire. First Midlands PR Manager Ady Culpin said: “It is great to work closely with a key stakeholder in the area and mutually support one another. It is also helping us to promote key messages about public transport.”

EMPLOYEES are being thanked for their response to the Your Voice Survey and the findings are now being rolled out to the depots. The survey highlighted that 53 per cent of colleagues feel engaged with the company. This means that they are proud to work for First Bus, recommend it as a good place to work, are encouraged to go the extra mile and currently have no plans to leave. Another key result demonstrated that 45 per cent of those who responded felt empowered. They feel confident about making decisions and are supported to do so, are listened to and feel that people are accountable for their performance and feel people are open to new ideas to improve the way they work. Senior managers have been visiting depots to pass on these results and other key findings, as well as exploring ways to implement recommendations and suggestions that will enhance the workplace.

Pushchairs guidance MORE than two pushchairs are now permitted onboard StreetDeck vehicles as long as there is space and it is safe to do so. First Bus Head of Policy John Birtwistle put the new guidance in place to clear up confusion and because StreetDecks do have more buggy space. The existing policy for pushchairs on all other vehicle types remains in place – a maximum of two only are permitted. The wheelchair policy remains the same – only one per bus.

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Trimmer Lee Tyers staples a new seat cushion.

Paul Matthews in his workshop with his P51 Mustang “Miss America” model plane.

The finishing touches are being put to the new Haymarket Bus Station.

Mechanic Roman Luberola fits a wheel on a new StreetLite at Leicester engineering workshop.

Engineering team adapt to Paul’s planes collection keeps heading skyward FLYING model aircraft has really taken off for three First Potteries drivers – but one of them is far more obsessed about his hobby than the others. Shaun Holmes flies models of two American World War Two planes and a glider while Tony O’Connor has three helicopters, three planes, four gliders and a paraglider. However, colleague Paul Matthews has an amazing 32 planes, some worth up to £300 in value, and is currently secretary of the Crewe Model Helicopter Club. He said: “Don’t let the name of the club fool you, I fly mainly planes. I don’t play with the dark side. I’d always wanted to fly model planes and started when I was diagnosed with diabetes four years ago.

“I taught myself to fly. It’s quite hard and took about eight months. One of my first planes lasted just seconds in the air before it crashed and smashed into pieces.” Once he had mastered the skill, his collection of planes grew. He now has a mix of gliders, aerobatic planes and what he calls “scale war birds” – a P51 Mustang, a Spitfire and the Royal Navy’s version, a Seafire. He even has a simulator on his computer at home so he can hone his flying skills over the winter. “It’s fantastic fun and I’m out flying once a week during the summer, depending on shifts and the weather. My three-year-old son Kane is mad about model planes already and follows me everywhere.”

modernised fleet KILLED employees at Leicester Engineering are rising to the challenge of ensuring that their modernised fleet of buses is well maintained and ready for the road each day. A total of 100 buses, including 18 brand new WrightBus vehicles, pass through the Abbey Lane-based department for servicing, MOT preparation, planned inspections and trim repairs. More than 40 staff, including 19 engineers, work shifts round the clock to support operations, carrying out seven routine vehicle inspections each day as well as dealing with breakdowns. The state-of-the-art WrightBus fleet is part of a £5.8 million investment by First in the Midlands, and consists of five StreetDeck and 13 StreetLite buses.

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university. It will initially be available in daily and weekly formats with both operators accepting these tickets. Day tickets cost £4.50 and weekly tickets costs £17. Drivers are reminded that the Keele Key tickets are only valid when presented with an in-date staff or student Keele Card.

Coachbuilder Graeme Konter fabricates a new bus panel.

Vehicle Inspector Vince Barnett prepares a bus for an MoT.

WORK on the new £13.5 million Haymarket Bus Station in Leicester is nearing completion with First Leicester set to move in from April. The 18-month project has produced a larger, more efficient station with 11 additional stands to allow 23 buses to drop off and pick up at any one time. Aaron Chambers, First Leicester Marketing and Publicity Officer, said: “We’ve been operating from nearby on-street bus stops during the development so we're really looking forward to moving in. The new station will be very modern and means we’ll be able to deliver a fantastic, efficient service for our customers.

It will significantly reduce bus queueing and congestion in the area.” Construction work meanwhile is underway on a new Aldi supermarket at the front of the Leicester depot in Abbey Lane. First’s Health, Safety, Environmental and Facilities Manager Phil Haines said: “Whilst we endeavour to try and keep disruption to a minimum, there will be times when access is restricted and large equipment will be moving in our main entrance. “Please keep safe and be patient at all times. If you come across any major issues please let your supervisor know in the first instance.”

Free onboard WiFi is live

Leading Hand Ian Killingworth works on an engine.

Keele Key ticket kicks off A partnership has been formed between First Potteries, Keele University and the D&G bus company to offer discounted multi-operator travel to students and staff. The Keele Key ticket is designed to make public transport more appealing to customers who currently need to use both operators to get to the North Staffordshire-based

They are all fitted with eco-friendly Euro 6 engines to help improve air quality and feature leather seats, CCTV and WiFi – providing customers with free internet access during their journey. Engineering Supervisor David Newham said: “We’ve had a huge investment in new buses and we’ve also received five two-year-old StreetLites. With 25 further StreetDecks due in the spring, the real challenge is getting used to the new vehicles and adapting our processes to them. “The aim is to help reduce the number of problems and keep all of the buses maintained to the best standards so that all services run on time for our customers – we’ve got a great team here who do their best to make sure that everything runs smoothly.”

£13.5m new station will help improve services

WiFi has gone live on 59 buses in the Midlands – 23 in Leicester, 21 in Worcester and 15 in the Potteries. First Midlands Marketing and Publicity Co-ordinator Aaron Chambers said: “We have now completed the first phase of introducing WiFi onto our buses. We have invested over £60,000. This investment represents Aaron Chambers tries out our continued efforts to the new WiFi on a bus meet our customers needs in Leicester. and expectations “Customers will now be able to use our free WiFi to stay connected on the move, they can email, use social media and surf the internet. This is a big step forward in modernising our fleet.”

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Trimmer Lee Tyers staples a new seat cushion.

Paul Matthews in his workshop with his P51 Mustang “Miss America” model plane.

The finishing touches are being put to the new Haymarket Bus Station.

Mechanic Roman Luberola fits a wheel on a new StreetLite at Leicester engineering workshop.

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Coachbuilder Graeme Konter fabricates a new bus panel.

Vehicle Inspector Vince Barnett prepares a bus for an MoT.

Free onboard WiFi is live

Leading Hand Ian Killingworth works on an engine.

£13.5m new station will help improve services

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True story videos analyse cause of accidents FOUR drivers involved in road traffic accidents have retold their stories to help others avoid similar situations. The short films use CCTV footage to analyse what went wrong and then apply Smiths principles – rules which when applied can help drivers drive more safely and avoid collisions – to show how safer driving practice would have helped in each scenario.

The campaign reinforces the five Smiths principles of Aim High ® In Steering, Get The Big Picture ®, Keep Your Eyes Moving ®, Leave Yourself An Out ® and Make Sure They See You ®, which are known to reduce accidents when kept at the front of drivers’ minds. ● Look out for the videos on betterjourneysforlife.com and on leaflets and screens around the depots.

Simple, smart and seamless plan for future VERYONE at First Bus is being urged to place a new focus on customer service to build a more successful future for all. Research is underway to help the company understand customers’ changing expectations of public transport and develop services which fit. At the heart of the drive is the plan to make everything the company does to look after its customers simple, smart and seamless. Discussions with customers, employees and even people who don’t use the bus has shown a clear need for improved information, easier access, more reliable services and a better customer experience all round. First Bus Commercial Director Mark Powles said better use of technology and more relevant information would help customers integrate bus transport into bigger journeys, which might start

and finish by bike, on foot or in a taxi. And he said everyone had a role to play in building customers’ trust of services, vehicles and staff to push bus travel up their list of priorities. Mark said: “Feedback from the research will be shared with colleagues in April and we will use it to prioritise action to create a better customer experience.” He said everything from providing better technology and information to cleaner buses and giving a friendly smile and welcome to the bus would make a difference in making sure more customers choose the bus as part of their journey. Moves are already underway to achieve this. Two existing apps, for mticketing and journey information, will be relaunched later this year in a new, improved single app. A huge investment in new

Travel Shop Assistant Vanessa Cooke helps customers Susan Tatton, centre, and Ann Newton, at the travel shop in Stoke-on-Trent bus station. vehicles will continue this year, with more double deckers being introduced on key routes. And work has started on developing smart, modern new uniforms, with employees being consulted on design and practicality. Mark said: “I see huge opportunities to be more customer focused, to improve customer numbers and revenues, and this drives the profit we need to continue to invest in First Bus and its employees.”

Bring the page to life with our exciting mobile app

Download our free First Bus AR app from the app store.

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Scan the photo or logo where you see the ‘Scan Here’ marker.

When the video starts, double-tap your screen for full screen view.

Nominate now for Awards 2016 HUNDREDS of nominations have already been received for this year’s First Bus excellence awards. The awards will recognise outstanding achievement where First Bus people have excelled over the last year, gone above and beyond and done a fantastic job. Any employee can nominate colleagues for an award across 15 categories. To nominate visit firstgroup.com/excellence awards, pick a category; nominate a colleague or a team; write a few words about why they should win; and click submit. For each nomination received, First Bus will donate £5 to Prostate Cancer UK. In the last year First Group has donated over £350,000 to its Charity of Choice.

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Singer set to hit a new high note SPIRING singer and songwriter Ethon Fyffe is hoping to hit a new high note by securing his first solo gig and releasing more songs to his online channel. The Worcester-based Driver has been writing and recording songs for his public MySpace page since the age of 18 and has taught himself to play the guitar and keyboard along the way. All songs are written, performed and produced by Ethon using professional standard recording software, allowing him to fit his passion for making music around his career with First. He counts Prince and Michael Jackson as some of his top musical influences and spends an average of eight hours each week practising playing his instruments and recording new pop, hip-hop, R’n’B and soul music. Ethon, aged 27, said: “If I’ve got a spare day,

I spend it practising and making music and my main aim is to get better and better so that I can start doing gigs and live performances by the end of this year – I’m also going to be releasing quite a few new songs on the MySpace page. “The process of writing music can take anything from a couple of days to weeks, I once heard a song on the radio while driving and it really inspired me so I ended up writing lyrics in two days and completing the whole track in two weeks. “Music is a huge passion of mine so it’d be fantastic if something came from it in the future, but either way I’ll carry on because I love it so much.” ■ To check out Ethon’s music, visit his MySpace page myspace.com/ethon

Driver Ethon Fyffe hopes to gig soon.

Company backs civic tree appeal

Worcester Mayor Roger Knight is presented with an ornamental foxglove tree by First employees, left to right, Administrator Christina Vickers, General Manager Sarah East, Staff Manager Kelvin Flavin, Engineering Manager Dean Morgan, Engineering Supervisor Bryan Harris and Engineering Service Assistant Steve Bates.

ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly First Worcester has backed an appeal to green up the city by donating 230 trees worth £3,800. The company will pay for oak, birch, golden larch, Japanese maple, elm as well as apple and pear tree specimens over the next two years. And green fingered First employees have already rolled up their sleeves to help Mayor Councillor Roger Knight plant a rare, ornamental foxglove in Cripplegate Park.

Staff donate Easter eggs for children’s hospice GENEROUS employees at Worcester made a special delivery to a local hospice this Easter to put a smile on the faces of terminally ill children. Every member of staff at the depot was asked to donate at least one Easter egg ready to be delivered to Acorns Children’s Hospice, based in Worcester, in time for the big day. Nominations were sought earlier in the year to decide which good cause to support, with the most popular being chosen.

Staff decorated a bus, dressed up in Easter costumes and paid a surprise visit to the charity to hand over the chocolate treats over Easter weekend. Organiser and driver Daniel Chivers said: “We wanted to do something for the local Worcester community and this seemed a Driver Clare perfect way of helping out McAllister and children at Easter time. Garage Liaison Officer “It’s all about putting a for Unite the Union Pat smile on faces and the way Bennett with some the depot has got behind it of the donated has been brilliant.”

Easter eggs.

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Driver Mark Beardsmore takes to the saddle as Mr August.

New awards for extra mile EMPLOYEES are to be recognised on a monthly basis through the newly launched Extra Mile Awards. The concept is simple – colleagues nominated in one of the five categories reflecting First’s vision and values could receive a bronze or silver certificate. Local teams would then review all silver certificate holders at the end of the year before awarding a gold certificate in each category. These winners will go through to a best of the best section and could win a diamond award at the national Excellence Awards. Nominations can come from both colleagues and customers. First Bus Managing Director Giles Fearnley said: “These new awards are a direct result of your feedback on how we celebrate great performance. I hope everyone in our business feels compelled to nominate someone they work with who has gone the extra mile.”

Cheeky calendar is

a real winner TRIPPING off for a charity calendar has helped a team of Potteries drivers secure first place in the Midlands heat of First’s Lifelong Learning competition. Each of the 12 employees photographed for the calendar – which was branded with the Prostate Cancer UK logo – received a gift voucher for their efforts. They went through to the regional final, taking on all-comers from South of England and Wales, but narrowly missed out on going through to the national final. Judging criteria included how well the photographs linked in with First UK Bus, Lifelong Learning and transport workers’ union Unite. First Potteries Lifelong Learning Rep Wayne Croxton said: “We had a great laugh shooting the calendar and that’s what it’s all about – having fun and raising awareness of Prostate Cancer UK, which is First’s Chosen Charity.” “The idea was to link some of

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Tigers convert double decker ONE of First’s double-deckers was transformed into a Prostaid Tackle Manbus for a Leicester Tigers rugby match as part of a campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Rugby stars Leonardo Ghiraldini and Jack Roberts also lent their weight to the cause, which saw volunteers hand out 5,000 “Tackle the Tiger in your Prostate” leaflets and hold a bucket collection. The bus visited Melton, Loughborough, Coalville and Market Harborough throughout the Tigers’ season, in what is the fifth year of First Leicester’s partnership with Prostaid.

Learning on the internet Driver Carl Baskeyfield pumps iron for the Mr February picture.

the photos with Lifelong Learning, so we tried to get some of the guys in the learning centre and other areas in the depot. This year we’re hoping

to team up with the First Potteries ladies to produce a joint calendar and raise as much money and awareness as we can.”

COLLEAGUES are being urged to try their hand at anything from basic maths to IT skills or a language to SCUBA diving to celebrate National Learning at Work Week. Tremendous opportunities are available at the Lifelong Learning Centres in most depots, but courses can also be accessed on smartphones and tablets, wherever there is an internet connection. Information will be posted on betterjourneysforlife.com in the run up to the special week from May 16-22.