ECO Stars News
FIRST SOUTH YORKSHIRE JOIN AN AWARD WINNING FLEET ENVIRONMENT SCHEME
January 2010
First South Yorkshire are setting an example to bus and coach operators across South Yorkshire by signing up to the Award winning, ECO (Efficient and Cleaner Operations) Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme. The free South Yorkshire scheme offers an exciting opportunity for all commercial vehicles to massively cut costs and improve environmental performance by reducing fuel consumption.
First South Yorkshire have signed 524 buses up to the scheme and have received a three star rating. With over 80 million passenger journeys across South Yorkshire per year, First take their environmental responsibilities very seriously. They were one of the first public transport companies in the country to achieve the internationally renowned ISO 14001 Environmental Standards for which they have recently achieved a three year accreditation.
The Scheme, which is the first of its kind in the UK, recognises fleet operators who are using lower polluting vehicles and effective fuel management. The ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme was launched in January 2009 by South Yorkshire’s air quality campaign, Care4Air, as part of the drive to improve the quality of air across the region.
To aid the Operator’s progress through the Scheme, First South Yorkshire aim to fit all buses with Drive Green technology by the middle of 2010. The equipment picks up on acceleration and breaking patterns as well as corner, lane and speed handling. A ‘traffic light’ LED monitor on vehicle dashboards flashes green if the driver is driving correctly, or amber or red if a bus driver carries out an unwanted driving manoeuvre, such as heavy breaking or acceleration.
The driver can then make immediate changes to their driving to ensure buses travel more efficiently to produce fewer CO2 emissions, as well as travelling more smoothly to improve the journey experience for passengers.
Jason Cardwell, Environmental Manager at First South Yorkshire, said: “First have a unique opportunity to improve the environment in which we live and work by helping to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and conserve scarce resources by offering a real, viable alternative to the car.
“The strategy of good environmental management has led to a number of important business improvements. The company remains committed to building upon this continued success and by using environmental initiatives such as Drive Green, will see continuous improvement in the future.”
Robert Gillicker, ECO Stars Coordinator, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with First South Yorkshire to help them to progress through the Scheme. Their Drive Green initiative seems like a great way of improving driver efficiency and lowering harmful emissions in the environment.
“Since the scheme launched in January 2009, over 4,000 vehicles across the region have been assessed by our ECO Stars Team. The scheme is completely free to sign up to and we give operators as much or as little guidance as required. The process of registration is straightforward and once we assess the fleet we initiate feedback for any improvements that can be made.
I hope many more fleet operators across South Yorkshire will take advantage of this great opportunity to lower emissions and save a great amount of money annually.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the scheme, its benefits and how to sign up, call the ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme Team on 01543 416 416 and quote ‘ECO Stars’. Alternatively, email [email protected]