Customer & Community

Customers

Our vision is to Transform Travel. FirstGroup wants to lead the way in transforming the way people travel and the way they feel about public transport. By aiming for the top in everything that we do, and helping each other, we can deliver the highest levels of safety and service and give greater customer and employee satisfaction. We will share all the success of our Company and reach our destination as the number one transport provider.

We will:

  • act in accordance with fair business, marketing and advertising practices and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of our services
  • respect the human rights of our customers - our security and revenue protection arrangements are consistent with international standards for law enforcement
  • provide transparent and effective procedures that address customer complaints and contribute to fair and timely resolution of disputes without undue cost or burden
  • not make representations or omissions nor engage in any other practices that are deceptive, misleading, fraudulent or unfair
  • respect customer privacy and provide protection for personal data in accordance with the relevant local law.

Stakeholders

We are committed to maintaining open and regular dialogue with all our stakeholder groups in matters that affect their interests. These range from formal consultation to regular informal contact on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.

Suppliers

Ethical Purchasing Policy

  1. We purchase a wide range of goods and services required in the operation of our business and we also rely heavily on a number of key suppliers for the delivery of our core services. Good working relationships with our suppliers are therefore central to the success of our business. For this reason, we clearly state our purchasing policy as part of ensuring that our business standards are integrated throughout the supply chain.

  2. We are committed to obtaining and retaining competitive goods and services while at the same time ensuring they are from sources which have not jeopardised human rights, safety or the environment.

  3. We aim to develop strong relationships with our suppliers, based on mutual trust, understanding and respect.

  4. More specifically we expect our suppliers to:

    • Adhere to business principles consistent with our own.
    • Ensure that their products and services are produced and delivered to comply with all legislation relevant to their business.
    • Seek to maintain continuous improvement in their supply chain relationship with us.
    • Ensure they adopt and implement acceptable safety, environmental, product quality, product stewardship, labour, human rights, social and legal standards in line with our own code and to ensure these issues are acceptably managed within the supply chain for any products supplied to us.

  5. We will seek to work with our key suppliers to:

    • Develop long-term meaningful relations to the benefit of both parties.
    • Improve the quality, environmental performance and sustainability of goods and services where this can be achieved to the benefit of both parties.

Community

As a public transport operator, we provide an essential service to the community. We play a role in connecting people with each other, with other communities and key community services. The operation of our services touches on all members of the community with the potential to impact positively on quality of life. We also operate from a significant number of properties and have responsibility to those living and working nearby as well as being a significant employer.

Our relationships with the local communities we serve are therefore very important to us and are an essential part in the growth of our business. When developing our services, we have a role to play in improving services for the community as a whole and not just our individual customers.

Through our community strategy, we therefore engage with the community at a range of levels as customers, neighbours, potential employees, businesses and residents. Through our community strategy, we seek to play our part in promoting socially inclusive policies, encouraging the young and disadvantaged and helping older members of the community and the disabled.

In line with our core values, our community strategy incorporates the following elements:

  • Engagement with the local communities in which we operate on the quality of our services and any changes to those services;
  • Working with local authorities, businesses and other interested parties to promote sustainable travel to reduce congestion and improve quality of life;
  • Offering employment opportunities to all sectors of the community through non-discriminatory policies and promoting opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups;
  • Promoting engagement between our staff and the community;
  • Supporting local community groups and charities;
  • Improving the environment in and around our operations;
  • Promoting broader opportunities for workplace learning;
  • Supporting local initiatives for the development and education of young people in the areas we serve; and
  • Working closely with local law enforcement agencies to address anti-social behaviour, crime and vandalism as well as promoting road safety.

In addition, local companies provide support to community based charities and projects in their respective areas including support for employees' efforts in fund raising and for small-scale projects.

 

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