Partnership working
At both strategic and local level, partnership working is vital to achieving our business objectives.
At local level we work closely with local authorities and Network Rail, the UK rail infrastructure provider, to ensure we can deliver our services on time. We have partnerships in place across the country where we work together to manage the issues that cause delays and to offer better, more stable services.
At strategic level we work in partnership with other operators to encourage the UK Government to develop policy measures that increase use of public transport.
- We have been instrumental in establishing Greener Journeys - an industry partnership involving the major bus and coach operators in the UK. Greener Journeys encourages people to switch from cars to bus and coach and influences policy development to facilitate this.
- We are active members of the Sustainable Rail Programme through which we consult with Government, other operators and stakeholders on how the rail industry will meet the future challenges of sustainable development.
- We are part of the 2020 Climate Change Group, a group of industry and public sector leaders that is helping to advise the Scottish Government on meeting their Climate Change Delivery Plan targets.
- We have invested in the establishment of the Centre for Transport Research at Aberdeen University and have partnered in a number of research programmes.
The Greener Journeys One Billion Challenge
If everyone in the UK switched from car to bus or coach for one journey in 25 we could save two million tonnes of carbon dioxide and remove one billion car journeys from our roads.
www.greener-journeys.com
In North America we regard every contract as a partnership. Regular contact with all our customers helps us to continually improve our service quality. In First Student, partnerships in school districts help to manage truancy and bullying. In many areas we also help to run community safety awareness and child behaviour campaigns.
We are increasingly exploring partnerships with other transport providers such as car club and liftshare companies with whom we can offer complementary solutions that encourage people to use alternative means of travel. We also work closely with many businesses, assisting them in developing Green Travel plans and providing easy, low-cost ticket purchase schemes for their employees.