Keeping people moving & communities prospering 2017/18 a focus on Leicester
Introduction from
the MD
Welcome to the annual report for First Leicester in 2017/18 – a taster of the hard work that goes into running many of the local buses in your area. In Leicester we have a strong, committed & enthusiastic local team based at our depot on Abbey Lane and on Belgrave Gate (overlooking the Haymarket Bus Station). I’m delighted that this year saw an increase in satisfaction, as measured by the Transport Focus annual survey – my team strives to provide a consistent, reliable service and it is pleasing to see this reflected. Nevertheless, traffic congestion in the city remains a major issue for us and we make every effort to work with local authorities to identify solutions. Contactless card payments were introduced on bus in February 2018 and have proven to be hugely popular amongst new and existing customers alike helping to speed up bus journeys and appeal to new users. Our on-bus Wi-Fi offering has gone from strength to strength, with many more customers now taking advantage of this whilst travelling. Looking forward to this year we will continue our strong focus on service delivery, using new technology to ensure our timetables reflect a changing Leicester. We’re excited to relaunch our 17 service, Highfields circular, based on a depot project and celebrating the diversity of where we operate.
Nigel Eggleton Managing Director
First Leicester 2017/18
Improving our customer offer Technology
72% growth In mobile ticketing over the year Across the year we have invested in technology to help speed up boarding times and improve the journey experience for customers. New ticket machines with contactless technology were introduced in February, and we are aiming for 80% of transactions to be non-cash to assist with speeding up journeys. This year we’ve also upgraded the First Bus Travel App so customers always know which bus to catch and where to catch it. It also gives real-time information on all local bus operator services.
Satisfaction
85%
*
The 2017 Transport Focus survey showed an increase in satisfaction by 2% from 2016 which is a strong result, but we’re keen to use feedback to improve further. Customers can now provide instant feedback at any time via TellFirstBus.com (in addition to our other channels) providing an ‘instant’ picture of how we’re performing and any issues we need to address. *Transport Focus Bus Passenger Survey 2017
Supporting service delivery for our customers
Our buses
100 buses Our vehicles covered over 3 million miles in the year and are maintained by our expert team. Over the year our MOT pass rate stood at virtually 100%. Our depot was amongst the first to be awarded a ‘Wrench’ award, an internal accreditation system ensuring the very highest standards in engineering. We were also re-accredited with ISO14001 standard.
All our vehicles are fitted with GreenRoad telematics helping reduce emissions and provide customers with a smoother journey. Buses are key to tackling congestion and improving air quality: a double deck bus can take up to 75 cars off the road.
Staff & training
252 staff Including 207 fully qualified drivers and 4 apprentices in our engineering department. We’re a major employer in the community making a significant contribution to the local economy. We invest in our staff through continuous training and development. Challenges are brought to life by our ‘Journey Makers’ training programme which is supporting a one-team culture, working together for our customers.
First Leicester 2017/18
Focus on performance Reliability
93.1%
Journeys starting on time We aim to operate 95% of journeys on time. We use a number of new technologies to monitor buses ‘in service’ as well as using historical data to assist in planning. Instant messages to drivers via our new ticket machines has also seen improvements in dealing with unplanned disruption. Our team are seen actively involved with increasing our performance and the UK Bus ‘Operational Excellence’ scheme places strong emphasis on on time performance, and Leicester depot has already achieved bronze accreditation over a short period. We continue to work closely with our transport partners to tackle congestion and improve service punctuality for customers.
Dedicated to safety For our staff, safety is at the forefront of our business. All managers are actively engaged, with regular touchpoints with staff and debriefs to encourage peer-to-peer coaching. Drivers are regularly engaged with a number of initiatives, including ‘Pull Away When Safe’, to help less mobile customers sit down before the bus departs.
Strengthening our partnerships Journeys
12.6 million More people commute to work by bus than all other forms of public transport combined, and the bus has the largest market share (one third) of retail/expenditure trips to city centres* We get people where they want to be in Leicester, with a frequent network of services within the city boundary. Bucking the trend nationally in the UK, we have seen an increase (+0.1%) in patronage over the past year, a credit to the strong focus on service delivery of our team in Leicester.
Community
250
* Greener Journeys
measured in number of bin bags!
Our Leicester team are always involved in the community, demonstrated by our administrator Gaynor Johnson’s lead in a campaign for the local Rainbow’s hospice, where 250 bin bags of clothing were collected for sale through their shops – that’s pretty much 1 bag per staff member! Along with our colleagues from across FirstGroup, we have raised funds for Prostate Cancer UK to help this organisation fight a disease which kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK. Across FirstGroup we have donated £1.5million over the past three years.
First Leicester 2017/18
Leicester City Bus ltd
Contact us Leicester City Bus Ltd Abbey Lane, Leicester, LE4 0DA Visit firstgroup.com/Leicester and select ‘Help and Contact’ Twitter: @FirstLeicester Customer Services phone number: 0345 646 0707 Customer Services opening times: 0700-1900 Mon-Fri 0900-1700 Weekends and bank holidays Traveline: 0871 200 2233
www.firstgroup.com
Our numbers in summary
72% growth
in customers using mobile ticketing
85%
Overall customer satisfaction
Over 12.6 million
passenger journeys a year
3 million miles
operated a year across our region
252 total employees A total of 100 buses Reliability of 93.1% Re-accredited with ISO14001 environmental performance standard First Leicester Ltd is part of FirstGroup Plc. Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world... keeping people moving and communities prospering.