Go Ahead in Recession Essay Example for Free

Go Ahead in Recession Essay Recession The transport group behind nearly a third of UK rail journeys suffered a profits fall as the double-dip recession hit demand for one of its key commuter lines. Go-Ahead said operating profits at its rail arm fell 17 per cent to  £40 million in the year to June 30, with its Southern franchise, which connects Brighton and much of Sussex with London, seeing revenues at the end of the period 2 per cent weaker than it forecast when it bid for the franchise in 2009. The Newcastle-based firm, which also runs Southeastern and London Midland, said group pre-tax profits fell 3.4 per cent to £94.2 million. Pressure groups: Environmental impacts Another main issue for transport is the control of environmental impact. Go-Ahead takes its responsibility to this very seriously. Because more people already travel by car, this has had a poor impact on our surroundings. Public transport must therefore provide a viable and convenient alternative. Go-Ahead has produced environmental and social responsibility reports on all its operations. The Group came top of the public transport companies that took part in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. 66% of public transport journeys are made by bus. Go-Ahead prides itself on operating fleets of buses that are well ahead of European environmental standards. They use ultra-low sulphur diesel as well as particulate traps, which cut exhaust emission levels and improve air quality in cities. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/go-ahead/meeting-needs-in-a-competitive-sector/planning-for-the-future.html#ixzz2EJCEuy2A Follow us: @Thetimes100 on Twitter | thetimes100casestudies on Facebook David Brown, Go-Ahead Group Chief Executive said: We are delighted to be supporting the Footprinting Gallery. Go-Ahead has worked with the Carbon Trust since 2008, when we became the first UK transport operator to receive Carbon Trust accreditation after taking action to cut our emissions. Reducing our carbon footprint is integral to our business strategy, and we continually seek ways to further reduce our footprint and use fuel more efficiently. We aim to achieve a 20 per cent per passenger journey reduction by 2015 – a target we are well on course to meet. The brands exhibiting recognise that everything we buy, produce and use has a carbon impact, and that helping customers to make more environmentally friendly choices when they shop is becoming increasingly important. Some brands such as Go-Ahead are also working to reduce the carbon footprint at an organisational level by implementing energy-saving measures such as intelligent lighting controls and staff engagement programmes. Govermment policy The government is also looking at ways of charging people who use roads, including motorways and roads in city centres. This is in order to reduce congestion and pollution. The integration of transport systems is a key issue for the government and transport companies. Read more: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/go-ahead/meeting-needs-in-a-competitive-sector/planning-for-the-future.html#ixzz2EJC7sTFy http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/business-news/uk-coventry-business-news/2012/09/07/business-news-go-ahead-hit-by-recession-squeeze-92746-31786637/#ixzz2EJ3jJmKU Competetion Go-Ahead is looking at more ways of forming convenient public transport systems involving the mixing of bus, rail, aviation and car parking links to meet government policy and improve its service to passengers. Go-Aheads other operations already create some of these but car parking for example, is a vital part of integrated transport. Go-Ahead is responsible for 156 rail station car parks and a number of Park Ride sites. Additionally it purchased Meteor (the third-largest operator of off-street parking in the UK in 2002) which has around 60,000 car-parking spaces across 20 sites. The largest part of the business is airport parking. Services include: * managing car parks * car park security * transporting people to and from terminal buildings. Meteor operates under a number of brands, including Pink Elephant and e-parking. The business is growing to provide services at hospitals and shopping centres. Another part of Go-Ahead, aviance, provides a range of airport facilities. The business loads and unloads commercial cargo from freight flights and provides baggage handling and check-in services for passenger airlines. It also operates executive lounges and information desks, and manages aircraft slots and customs clearance. These services are offered at airports like Manchester, Birmingham and the main London airports. : http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/go-ahead/meeting-needs-in-a-competitive-sector/planning-for-the-future.html#ixzz2EJDQ3Fg7