First in the driving seat

When you are Britain’s largest bus and rail operator, climate change is a battle which starts with you in the front line.  So it is with FirstGroup plc,  a company critical to any hope of significant reduction in the use of cars and air by the travelling public.  

But for First, the challenge is far from that of merely attracting more consumers to its services — good in itself — but of making its own  operations a model of how the transport industry itself can lead by example.

‘Reducing its carbon footprint should be a key strategic aim for every organisation.  We have a collective responsibility to leave the planet in as good a shape as is possible for future generations,’ said Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup.

FirstGroup has already cemented an industry-lead in delivering sustainable transport services.  Last year it published its climate change strategy, the first of its kind in the surface public transport sector, and one which set out ambitious but achievable targets  — a reduction of 25 per cent in the  carbon dioxide emissions generated throughout its UK bus operations and of 20 per cent in its rail division, both by 2020.  

In meeting these targets — a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by an impressive 250,000 tonnes — FirstGroup has identified four key measures:

1. Improving the fuel efficiency of existing vehicles;

2. The purchase of higher efficiency vehicles;

3. Increasing use of alternative fuels;

4. Operational improvements through driver training and in cab technology.

The introduction of these measures has  already started.  For example, FirstGroup has begun trialling ‘train energy management systems’ which monitor energy usage and could reduce consumption by up to 13 per cent on its Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) fleets — the first rail company in the UK to trial such pioneering technology.  

Over 95 per cent of First’s carbon dioxide emissions are associated with the combustion of fuels in vehicles  — so addressing vehicle emissions is a key focus of the strategy.  

In recent years the average fuel efficiency of bus and rail vehicles has decreased, due to the need for additional abatement technology (to reduce other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulates) and increasing engine power and weight of vehicle.  Reversing this trend is an important part of meeting the targets set.  

In the short term this will be achieved through a combination of improvements in engineering and operational efficiency and conversion to five per cent biodiesel in the bus division.  First is already demonstrating progress in this area with the introduction of EURO IV engines to the bus fleet — 10 to 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than their predecessors.  

Indeed,  FirstGroup recently announced a £100m investment in its bus fleet: over 700 new buses all of which will be fitted with these ‘greener’ engines.  The company is also trialling a number of systems to change bus-driving styles.  Driving in an environmentally friendly style is part of First’s bus driver training and monitoring.  

In rail, engineering improvements to the First Great Western high speed train fleet will achieve fuel efficiency improvements of around 15 per cent.   The high speed trains produce 64 per cent less carbon monoxide, 21 per cent less nitrogen oxide, reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 46 per cent and smoke emissions by 42 per cent.  

A fuel-efficiency training programme for train drivers have been launched, again aimed at fuel-saving initiatives.  The use of shore supplies and reducing idling are important factors in achieving First’s rail targets.

These initiatives are supported by First’s ongoing programme to reduce emissions from its buildings and encouraging its employees to opt for green forms of commuting. In the longer term new technology in both bus and rail will become more commercially viable with hybrid technology likely to be a key contributor to the 2020 targets.  

As CEO Moir Lockhead puts it: ‘we carry over 2.5 billion passengers per year on our buses and trains and see ourselves as part of the solution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. We recently conducted an independent YouGov poll that showed that half of British people are becoming more concerned about environmental issues, compared to just five per cent who said they were becoming less concerned.

‘Of the concerned majority  61 per cent said that they were considering switching some or all of their car journeys to public transport or had already done so.  Our passenger number figures certainly reflect this.  Promoting the benefits of public transport and encouraging passenger growth is therefore a key part of our contribution to combating climate change.’  

However, that is not enough in itself ‘which is why we want to go further and reduce the impact of our own operations.  We have set ourselves tough targets in order to keep our companies focused on the environment in the short and long term.’  

It’s a tough challenge and will go on being so for the next 12 years, but  he is confident of success.   ‘To meet those 2020 objectives will require a wide series of innovative and groundbreaking initiatives from investing in new technology to developing and trialling alternative fuels and changing the way we operate.’

‘But we cannot afford to ignore climate change.  Across all our businesses the various elements to our climate change strategy are being developed and implemented.  We are setting the benchmark to the rest of the surface public transport industry — I hope that our competitors will follow.’

Duncan Hadfield is a staff writer on Parliamentary Brief.