GreenRoad Deploys Service in 5,000 FirstGroup Buses In 90 Days
13,500 Drivers Enrolled in First’s DriveGreen Programme to Cut Fuel and Improve Safety
LONDON, 16 November 2009 – GreenRoad, a global pioneer in improving driving behaviour, today announced that First UK Bus, Britain’s largest bus operator, is using GreenRoad’s service in 5,000 buses just 90 days after the launch of its DriveGreen programme.
Several UK regions, including London, Glasgow and West Yorkshire, have now gone live with GreenRoad 360™ in more than 1,000 buses each. 13,500 First bus drivers are using GreenRoad 360 to improve fuel economy and passenger comfort.
FirstGroup signed a five-year contract to deploy GreenRoad’s service across its fleet of 9,000 buses in August 2009. When deployment is completed in mid-2010, up to 20,000 First bus drivers will receive real-time, in-vehicle feedback and personalised online training through the DriveGreen programme.
When First trialled GreenRoad 360 earlier this year the company saw a significant decrease in the amount of CO2 emissions from its buses and a 70% decrease in the number of unnecessary driving manoeuvres. FirstGroup estimates that each bus will use around 500 litres less fuel per year, which equates to 1.2 tonnes less CO2. FirstGroup aims to reduce bus CO2 emissions by 132,000 tonnes over the next three years.
GreenRoad is a technology-based, automated driver coaching service that increases safety and reduces CO2 emissions, providing benefits to the drivers, the bus company and its passengers. It helps drivers, fleet and depot managers identify and correct unnecessary driving behaviour while it occurs and enables drivers to sustain improvements over time through constant reinforcement.
First drivers will be empowered to change their behaviour behind the wheel through a combination of automated feedback in the form of a red-amber-green LED display in the cab and online coaching tools. To give drivers even further incentive, FirstGroup is providing a £2million reward pot for those drivers who achieve and maintain the highest standards of driving.
“The rapid deployment at First demonstrates that GreenRoad 360 easily scales to support even the largest fleets,” said Aidan Rowsome, general manager of GreenRoad Europe. “The speed of this roll out is helping First benefit sooner from improved fuel economy, safer driving and passenger comfort.”
Graham Belgum, Business Improvement Director for First UK Bus, said: “DriveGreen is now live in 5,000 vehicles used by 13,500 drivers and we are beginning to see the fruits of our labour in terms of safe and efficient driving.”
About FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is the world’s leading transport operator with revenues of over £6 billion. It employs some 136,000 staff throughout the UK and North America and transports more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.
It is Britain’s largest bus operator running more than one in five of all local bus services and carrying 3 million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities. FirstGroup is the leader in safe, reliable, innovative and sustainable transport services – global in scale and local in approach
About GreenRoad
GreenRoad provides a single, comprehensive telematics solution to both change driver behavior and manage fleet performance and efficiency. Its solution engages drivers directly for meaningful, lasting behavior change. At the same time, fleet tracking, mapping and reporting help fleets optimize their daily and strategic operations. To GreenRoad customers this means increased safety and customer satisfaction and reduced operating costs for a clear competitive advantage.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Ursula Ron
Online Marketing Manager
ursula.ron www.greenroad.com
