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Embracing new technologies
and ways of working to deliver easy, convenient,
and sustainable mobility solutions for our customers.
Customer Software
Across the
Group our teams are implementing new and innovative journey software systems to
improve service delivery for our passengers. Systems allow for real-time train
service information, live train maps, and are designed to improve journeys
by letting passengers access more detailed information whilst travelling. Avanti
teamed up with tech innovator Signalbox to create a customised live train app
for travellers, and their innovative low-cost, flexible Superfare has continued
to see strong demand and has recently been extended to more destinations.
Lumo has also introduced a new, flexible ticket option, LumoFlex, a
digital-only ticket with benefits that include reserved seating and a fee-free
change of journey. GWR have also successfully introduced
smartcards and digital ticketing in parts of their networks.
Artificial
intelligence
The growth and
emergence of artificial intelligence technology provides a significant
opportunity to optimise and improve services for customers. First Bus has partnered with an AI company to optimise timetables, scheduling and
real-time fleet instructions.
Bus batteries
In November
2023, we announced our landmark £100m strategic joint venture with Hitachi to
finance up to 1,000 electric bus batteries, and in January 2024 we announced
that we had signed an innovative £150m Green Hire Purchase Finance Facility
with a syndicate of three UK banks to support the purchase of up to 1,000
electric bus bodies. In addition, we are making use of Hitachi Zero Carbon’s Battery and Charging Management Services (BCMS) to ensure we are using the batteries as efficiently as possible and potentially
extending their lives, ultimately lowering costs by improving energy utilisation.
This collaboration gives us greater
visibility of our financial commitment on the batteries, extends the life
of the battery life as well as enhancing the residual life at the end of the
battery bus use, as well as potential benefits from energy and electricity
utilisation. Looking ahead,
FirstGroup will also have an option, through a strategic partnership with
Hitachi ZeroCarbon to participate in future opportunities, as Hitachi
ZeroCarbon provides new, market leading decarbonisation solutions to transport
operators worldwide, leveraging our joint capability.
Our Project
NextGen strategic partnership with Hitachi ZeroCarbon (HZC) was named the
winning deal in the IJGlobal 2023 Awards ‘Innovation of the Year – Europe’
category. Updates on this project can be found in our annual reports.
In 2025, we invested in a minority stake in Palmer Energy Technology, to bring battery storage units to our sites. Bus batteries can typically be used for eight to ten years on bus and can then be repurposed for a ‘second life’ as static energy storage, as much of a battery’s capacity remains at the end of its useful bus life. This secondary use extends battery commercial life by several more years, before it reaches end of life and is recycled. We installed a one megawatt battery energy storage facility at our Hoeford depot in Hampshire in August 2025, with a second storage facility due to be installed in Aberdeen in early 2026, and we are exploring opportunities to create more battery sites across the UK over time to drive further cost efficiencies and provide a potential platform for second life use of bus batteries.
Bus depot infrastructure
We now have three
fully electric bus depots and more than 600 charging outlets across our sites
and have successful third party charging arrangements underway with DPD,
Openreach and various public services providers at four of our depots. We have
also recently opened a purpose-built hub at our Summercourt depot in Cornwall,
providing direct access for the public to eight rapid chargers. These
innovative new schemes aim to raise additional sustainability revenues and
encourage modal shift to low emission vehicles beyond our fleet. A further
fifteen depots have been identified for electrification with construction
underway.
Battery train trials
At GWR, we have
invested in low-carbon transport innovation through the purchase
of intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment from emissions-free
and hybrid trains manufacturer Vivarail, in partnership with Network Rail.
This has allowed us to trial fast-charging battery electric technology on the
Greenford to West Ealing line with the aim of replacing the use of diesel in
running trains on the line. The Class 230 battery trains to be used
in the trial are made from repurposed ex-London Underground trains, with trial
operations that began in March 2024.
Eco-design
We are
committed to integrating eco-design principles into our products and services,
ensuring that sustainability is at the core of our business operations.
Innovative eco-design examples include:
·
GWR running an innovative fast-charge battery train trial to eventually eliminate the use of diesel trains
·
First Bus introducing fleets of electric buses and fully electric bus depots, and working with industry partners to trial the conversion of former diesel buses to fully electric
·
Working with partners to procure innovative products such as Lumo that has introduced bespoke 100% recyclable cartons on their lines, eliminating single use plastic bottles
Discover
other ways we are innovating for our customers
Avanti
West Coast
First Bus
Great
Western Railway
Hull Trains
Lumo