Environment
| Bus operations have a number of environmental impacts summarised below. | |
|---|---|
| Climate Change | Emissions of carbon dioxide from the operation of buses, buildings and staff travel |
| Air Quality | Emissions of nitric oxides, particulates, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from the operation of buses |
| Use of Resources - Energy | Use of energy to heat and light depots |
| Use of Resources-Water | Use of water for domestic purposes to wash buses |
| Waste Management | Management of waste arising from our maintenance operations, offices and waste derived from customers on our buses |
We report performance in relation to all the above impacts. Total emissions are reported as well as emissions normalised per passenger journey as this represents the unit of output from the business. The exception to this is water usage: vehicle washing accounts for the main use of water and is normalised per vehicle.
This year we established a central database to collate our environmental data. The data is available to all of our Health, Safety and Environmental Managers following a series of training workshops. Performance reports can now be generated locally and the reporting processes have been streamlined.
Our Environmental Management Framework
In the UK Bus division we have a well-established environmental management framework. Each operating company has a Health, Safety and Environment Manager who is responsible for helping the company achieve improvements in performance. They are supported by the Group safety and environmental functions.
Minimum standards for environmental performance are set out in the Group Environmental Management Manual. Each operating company and depot is audited against the requirements of the manual and their performance is scored. In addition a number of companies are now working towards achieving the ISO14001 Environmental Management Systems standard.
We aim for all our operating companies to have ISO14001 certification by 2008/09. Our Manchester operation achieved certification this year. Eight out of nineteen of our operating companies are now certified.
Learning and Development
Ongoing learning and development in relation to environmental issues is a core part of our environmental programme. Environmental awareness training forms part of our Core Safety Brief delivered to all staff. Our supervisory and management training packages also include environmental elements. Bespoke training is also provided at company level, particularly for those companies developing ISO14001 management systems. Our Health, Safety and Environmental Managers are working towards achieving an IEMA certificate in Environmental Management.