Stagecoach has undertaken a number of initiatives and new ways of working over the past year to improve our own environmental performance and encourage people to take the green public transport option.
We are proud of our record of achievement, but despite the huge progress and investment we have made in the area of environmental sustainability, we realise that this is only a start and we have a long way to go.
Buses
Stagecoach continues to make significant investment in modern vehicles with improved environmental performance. We have invested around £80m in the year to 30 April 2007 in the continuing modernisation of our fleet, which meet and often exceed the latest environmental standards.
We have conducted the first UK trials of a bioethanol-fuelled bus outside London to evaluate the technology that can use sugar beets to power vehicles. The pilot study covered Liverpool, Barnsley, Sheffield, Newcastle and Manchester. Ethanol-powered buses are already in operation in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Poland, delivering significant reductions in carbon dioxide and particulate matter.
Stagecoach has further expanded the use of biodiesel to more than 4,300 vehicles in its UK Bus fleet as part of our drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency. The biodiesel we are using is a blend of 95% diesel and 5% bio-matter, which can be derived from sources such as soy, palm, rape, sunflower and used cooking oil. Our use of biodiesel now covers around 60% of our UK bus fleet.
Emissions from dozens of Stagecoach workplaces across the UK have been cut significantly after the introduction of a hi-tech energy management system. Gas consumption at 80 depots has been slashed by an average of 36%, while carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by more than 6,200 tonnes a year. The technology - now in place at 80 Stagecoach bus sites in Scotland, England and Wales - uses self-learning predictive programming, coupled with high accuracy temperature sensing. It takes over the control of the existing heating and delivers improved control, staff comfort and dramatic reductions in energy consumption.
We are continuing with our megabus.com marketing campaign to encourage budget travellers to switch from “gas guzzler” airlines to low-cost inter-city coach travel to minimise damage to the environment. Our analysis shows that, on a per passenger basis, travel by megabus.com can be more than six times more fuel efficient than flying with a budget airline, producing seven times less carbon dioxide emissions.
In the United States, we have continued to replace older vehicles in our fleet with coaches that feature reduced emissions engines with the latest technology. During 2006-07, we replaced 40 coaches and 13 sightseeing double deckers with new models.
We also have an action plan in place to comply with Federal US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policies and procedures by creating Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans and Spill Containment and Countermeasure Plans in all our operations in the United States.
In Canada, we have taken further steps to reduce direct emissions from our operations. As part of our compliance with engine emissions requirements under Ontario’s “Drive Clean” programme, 200 vehicles were tested during the 12 months to 30 April 2007, resulting in a 93.5% pass rate on first test. A total of 20 coaches were replaced with new vehicles, equipped with the latest engine technology, and all of our locations have converted to ultra-low sulphur diesel.
We are also in the process of implementing a system to accurately track and record electricity and water use at our facilities as a first step towards reducing our consumption levels.
Trains
Environmental management is central to our approach in our rail operations. As part of our commitment, all of our traincare depots have now achieved ISO14001 accreditation. Clapham, Wimbledon, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Farnham and Fratton depots achieved the status six months ahead of target.
We have developed an industry leading waste segregation and recycling operation at our South West Trains Wimbledon Traincare Depot, called Garbology. Waste is sorted into different types, with items such as cardboard and paper taken away for recycling. A culture of “re-use” and “recycle” is gathering pace to reduce waste being turned into landfill. Recycling schemes have been set up at nine pilot locations in partnership with waste management and recycling company SITA.
South West Trains has taken part in a trial of low sulphur gas oil fuel on one of its Class 159 diesel trains in conjunction with the Association of Train Operating Companies and the Rail Safety and Standards Board. If the trial involving our Salisbury depot is successful, we expect to switch to this type of fuel for the diesel fleet in 2008/9.
In partnership with the Carbon Trust, South West Trains has focused on four sites to strengthen our energy and water management strategy. Initiatives under consideration include the installation of automatic meters to monitor water usage and highlight leaks or fluctuations in demand.
A massive environmental improvement has resulted from the introduction of controlled emission toilets to all but a handful of trains in the South West Trains fleet. Effluent is collected in tanks, emptied at special depot facilities, and transferred hygienically into the national sewage network. From the end of 2007, all South West Trains units will be fitted with controlled emission toilets.
South West Trains recently replaced its carriage washing machines with new modern washers, which use alkaline instead of acid wash and often recycle water. Northam, the base for the state-of-the-art Desiro fleet, has a carriage wash with a sophisticated filtration system. The system deals with grease, chemicals and oil, ensuring 75% of the water can be recycled. While limited space has prevented water recycling at every facility, all machines are fitted with tanks that hold one month’s detergent supply, reducing the frequency of deliveries.
As well as ensuring it meets its own standards, South West Trains has taken steps to ensure high standards of supply chain management by using the ISO 14001 environmental management standard in its selection criteria.
VRG our joint venture with Virgin Group, has launched a ‘Go Greener. Go Cheaper’ marketing campaign, part of a consistent push to take on domestic airlines on speed, price, frequency and environmental credentials. The company’s Pendolino trains emit at least 76% less carbon dioxide than cars and planes. The state-of-the-art Pendolino trains also minimise their carbon footprint by returning 17% of electricity used back to the National Grid every time they brake – enough to provide power for 11,825 homes for a year.
As part of a national trial, VRG is conducting biodiesel tests with one of its engines and is running a Voyager train on a 20% biodiesel blend in the summer. Converting the entire Voyager fleet to run on B20 biodiesel would cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 12%, bringing a saving of 34,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
VRG also continues to look at all of its day-to-day operations and is committed to find ways to reduce the amount of energy and water used on board as well as amounts of office waste. Currently 20% of all electricity used to run Virgin-managed stations comes from renewable energy sources. The company has also installed multifunctional print devices in its offices to save paper and energy.
