Minimising Our Environmental Impact
As a public transport operator we have an important role to play in lessening the negative impact of travel on the environment. Bus and rail travel produces fewer emissions per passenger kilometre than cars and helps reduce congestion and pressure for road development. We also work to manage our own environmental impacts and have a well-established environmental management programme for doing so.
Our main environmental impacts are atmospheric emissions and contamination that may arise during the use and management of fuel and chemicals. We also use energy and water at our depots and are responsible for managing the waste arising from our depots, stations and offices and from the passengers on our vehicles.
Key Developments in 2007/08
- Accreditation of five additional operating companies with the ISO14001 international management system standard.
- A 3% reduction in energy usage across our UK properties.
- A 4% reduction in water usage in the UK Bus division.
- A 3% reduction in total waste arising in the UK Bus division.
- Continued investment in new buses reduces our emissions profile of pollutants such as particulates and nitric oxides.
- A programme of legal compliance assessments at all new North American properties will be completed in June 2008.
- A three-year environmental plan for North America will integrate new properties and significantly strengthen our environmental management programme in North America.
The year has seen continued performance improvements with regard to depot management, giving overall reductions in utilities usage. Further companies have become ISO14001 accredited and we are making progress in implementing our Climate Change Strategy.
North America will be a further focus. Through the Laidlaw acquisition we have added over 500 new properties to the portfolio, many of which are owned rather than leased. Detailed risk assessments have been conducted on these properties and the new three-year plan for North America introduces a strengthened environmental management structure and training programme to promote consistent standards across our operations.
Introduction of Poll on Attitudes to Public Transport and The Environment
This year we funded a YouGov poll on attitudes to public transport and the environment. This showed that half of the British population are becoming more concerned about environmental issues. Of these people, 61% said that they were considering switching some or all of their car journeys to public transport, or that they already had done so. It also revealed overwhelming support (79%) for more government investment in public transport. Added to this, nearly half of those polled also said they would like to see a public information campaign to explain how people can reduce their impact on the planet whilst travelling.
Risk Management
We store significant quantities of fuel and chemicals at our depots. Well-established procedures and spill reporting processes are in place to reduce the spillage risks. Any incidents that do occur are fully investigated and lessons learned are shared across the operating companies.
Each of our operating companies is required to adhere to minimum environmental operating standards set by the Group. We have a programme for all our UK operating companies to have ISO14001 accreditation by April 2009. To date, ten out of nineteen bus operating companies and four out of six train operating companies have achieved the standard.
Small Change Big Difference
As a public transport operator we can make a contribution to reducing the impacts of climate change by supporting modal shift away from use of the private car. We are seeking to highlight the carbon savings people can make through small changes in behaviour. Our UK Bus and Rail division websites include information on how people can do this both at home and when they travel. Customers can also calculate carbon savings for selected journeys. This is supported by wide-ranging marketing campaigns to attract more customers.
