- As Bristol comes to the end of its year as the European Green Capital, FirstGroup will continue to help the city ensure ‘It doesn’t end here’ with a continued drive to make public transport cleaner and greener.
As the leading public transport operator in Bristol and the West Country, FirstGroup is proud to have been a principal partner in the Bristol’s year of celebration as the 2015 European Green Capital.
In addition to being the leading bus operator in the city, FirstGroup runs Great Western Railway, the rail franchise linking Bristol to London and other parts of the South West and South Wales.
Over the last year, the company has worked closely with Bristol 2015 and the Mayor of Bristol to help deliver an unforgettable European Green Capital year:
- Showcasing Bristol’s “poo bus” – FirstGroup provided the city with one of the icons of Bristol 2015, a high tech bio-methane powered vehicle, which creates 70% less harmful emissions than a standard diesel bus. This was in addition to taking delivery of two ‘Virtual Electric’ double-decker buses with geo-fencing technology secured in partnership with Bristol City Council and the Department for Transport. These state-of-the-art vehicles have put Bristol on the map as a testing ground for new, ground-breaking sustainable transport technology.
- Helping make Bristol’s transport network more sustainable - First West of England introduced 59 brand new double-deck buses into service during the year, 34 of which were innovative micro-hybrid vehicles which harness power from the braking systems to power lighting and ticket machines. All of these new vehicles meet the latest Euro VI emissions specification, and are up to 14 times cleaner than those they replace.
- Playing a key role in the Good Transport Plan for Bristol, tackling congestion with smarter, more integrated travel options – FirstGroup has done extensive work with Bristol City Council and the Mayor better to integrate bus and rail timetables and improve travel information at key interchanges, and will continue to be closely involved with this plan as it develops.
- Sponsoring the Bristol Community Apprentice Scheme – Great Western Railway supported this “The Apprentice” style scheme which recruits people from the local area to improve their communities in an inter-school competition which helps young people develop the skills and competencies most valued by employers.
- Recycling and upcycling lost property - Great Western Railway and First West of England gave uncollected lost property to local recycling schemes to re-use and upcycle some of the lost items collected on trains and buses right across Bristol.
- Leading partner in the Bristol 2015 schools programme – First West of England helped create the ‘Shaun the Sheep Game’ which is now played all around the world to help educate children about sustainable living. First West of England also contributed to the Virtual Fieldtrip programme which allowed children from across the world to join in on a tour of the “Poo bus”.
- Raising awareness of Bristol 2015 across the city – all of First West of England’s 317 buses in Bristol carried the Green Capital logo for the entire year, and in partnership with Exterion Media First West of England ‘wrapped’ six double decker buses in Bristol 2015 branding. A special Bristol 2015 branded high speed train also plied the Great Western Railway between Bristol and London.
FirstGroup Chief Executive, Tim O’Toole, said:
“We finish this Green Capital year proud to have helped showcase Bristol as a sustainable place to live. At the heart of our partnership with Bristol Green Capital has been a mutual recognition that getting public transport right is essential to securing a cleaner, greener future.
“We have worked over the last year to make the city a test-bed for sustainable transport innovation – bringing together FirstGroup's unique mix of global expertise and local knowledge with the city's commitment to find sustainable solutions.
“We’ve achieved a lot together – and we want to ensure this continues through the strong and creative partnership we have with Mayor George Ferguson and the City Council – it definitely doesn’t end here.”
Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, said:
“FirstGroup have played a pivotal role as Green Capital partners, embedding major physical changes for Bristol and encouraging other cities to follow in our footsteps. Not only are we working together to introduce the latest green technologies, but we are using those very innovations to inspire a lasting change in each and every one of us.
“I encourage everyone, as we did throughout 2015, to think even more carefully about the impact of all our individual actions on the health of the city and the planet. I thank FirstGroup for the spirit with which they have entered this partnership and in particular the way they have combined new technology with a sense of fun with the now world famous Bristol ‘poo bus’.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
About FirstGroup plc:
FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North America and our services help to create strong, vibrant and sustainable local economies. During the last year around 2.4 billion people relied on us to get to work, to education, to visit family and friends and much more and, each day, every one of our 110,000 employees works hard to deliver vitally important services for our passengers.
Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world… keeping people moving and communities prospering.
For more information about FirstGroup and our divisions please visit www.firstgroupplc.com