FirstGroup Commonwealth Games supplement

FirstGroup’s Glasgow 2014 commonwealth games transport challenge

‘We’ll do our personal best’

The waiting is over.

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the largest celebration of sport and culture in Scotland’s history, have begun. And FirstGroup’s bus and rail operations are ready to perform

p to a million extra visitors will descend on Scotland for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. And that means a huge uplift in demand for public transport, from the Games Family, spectators, everyday commuters and those who simply want to soak up the atmosphere.

Travellers are being advised to leave their cars at home, and many will rely on buses and trains.

Within a designated Glasgow boundary, public transport to and from venues will be free for volunteers and included in the

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price of tickets for spectators.

It won’t just be the 6,500 athletes and officials in the spotlight. Companies within Aberdeen-based FirstGroup are at the forefront of delivery. First ScotRail and First Bus enjoy Official Supporter status, and are working together to provide the smoothest integrated transport experience possible for the Games.

They have a shared motto – ‘we’ll do our personal best’.

“We’re proud of our Scottish heritage and the important role we play in connecting people and communities up and down

Scotland, every day,” says Tim O’Toole, chief executive of FirstGroup.

“Our employees at First ScotRail, First Bus and First TransPennine Express are well prepared to manage the extra demand for public transport.

“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, falling in the Year of Homecoming, provides an important opportunity for Scotland to promote itself around the world, and we look forward to playing our part, moving people around Glasgow and Scotland as quickly and efficiently as we can.”

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FirstGroup’s Glasgow 2014 commonwealth games transport challenge

bus

£20m investment in 109 brand new buses for GLasgow 2014 700-strong driving team brought in to deliver services irst Bus, Scotland’s largest operator, is operating spectator shuttle and park and ride services during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, as well as providing dedicated services to the Games Family, officials, media and sponsors.

In addition to First Glasgow’s 950-vehicle network of high frequency, regular services a cross the city, First Bus is operating an extra 510 buses - a 54% increase - including 109 brand new vehicles, during the Games.

The fleet of new vehicles, which will carry passengers for the first time at Glasgow 2014, represents a £20m investment

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Andrew Scholey, managing director of First Games Transport, with some of the brand new Games fleet.

Top: Clyde, the official Glasgow 2014 mascot.

by First Bus. The fleet consists of StreetLite midibuses, manufactured by Wrightbus, and Enviro400 double deckers, manufactured by Alexander Dennis. These vehicles will sport bespoke Glasgow 2014/ First Bus branding, emphasising the company’s ‘Personal Best’ campaign.

First unveiled two of the new buses earlier this month at the site of First Glasgow’s new £20m headquarters and depot on Cathcart Road in the south side of Glasgow. The site, which has been named ‘Caledonia’ by First Glasgow staff, will become partly operational for the first time during Glasgow 2014.

Although not due to be officially opened until November this year, First factored in plans to the construction schedule to enable it to operate up to 280 vehicles

during the Games (around 75% of the capacity of the 10-acre site when fully operational).

“I’m delighted that we’ve made this investment and delighted too that the vehicles sporting our Personal Best branding look so striking and so impressive,” says Andrew Scholey from First, who is heading up the company’s Glasgow 2014 spectator and Games Family services.

Scholey, who also headed up First’s bus spectator contract

at the London 2012 Olympics, adds: “We’ve been planning for Glasgow 2014 for some time.

We’ll be operating thousands of journeys over the course of the Games with our shuttle services at some venues at certain times, operating as often as every 20 seconds. We’ve got a great team in place.”

As with the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, First has brought in drivers from its operations across the UK to enable it to deliver the enhanced level of service provision.

Around 200 drivers from locations as far away as Plymouth, Bristol, Norwich, Manchester and Yorkshire have volunteered to be part of the 700-strong driving team.

The remaining 500 drivers have been sub-contracted from other bus and coach companies.

All have been provided with specialist training for the relevant routes before the Games begin.

Mandy Mitchell from Gosport is one of five drivers from the group’s First Solent business on England’s south coast who has made the trip north to help.

“I volunteered to drive on behalf of First at the London Olympics and thoroughly enjoyed it,” she says. “All of us are proud to be part of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. We’ll be going all out to set new driving and customer service Personal Bests.”

Her colleague Jon Croxall agrees: “I’m due to spend five weeks in total in Glasgow. I’m hoping to be fortunate enough to transport some athletes maybe even Usain Bolt!"

FIrst ScotRail wants to offer a warm welcome to visitors. Over 3,000 staff have received customer care training.

rail

first ScotRail delivers biggest ever timetable ..and FTPE hires extra trains to increase capacity irstGroup train operators First ScotRail and First TransPennine Express are delivering enhanced capacity to accommodate extra demand for travel during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.

First ScotRail, operator of 95% of Scotland’s railways, is expecting to deliver one million extra journeys during the 11 days of sport.

To meet this challenge, the company is delivering Scotland's biggest ever timetable, with extra carriages, more frequent services and trains running later into the night than ever before – after 1am on some routes.

FTPE, which has already provided an additional 9,000 seats a week between Glasgow

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and Manchester as a result of its May timetable change, has added further capacity on the route.

The operator has hired two Class 350/3 four-carriage trains from industry partner London Midland to provide strengthened services between the two cities.

First ScotRail’s Games timetable was introduced on July 21, two days ahead of the opening ceremony, so that people could adjust to the changes ahead of the busiest periods. It will remain until the closing ceremony on August 3.

“We have been planning the Games timetable for almost two years,” says Steve Montgomery, First ScotRail’s managing director. “I’m confident that we’ll make best use of every train, station and stretch of track available during what will be an extremely busy time for Scotland’s transport networks.”

But First ScotRail’s preparations have gone beyond

first ScotRail’s Games timetable n Double the number of carriages on the Glasgow Central High Level-Mount Florida route on the nine days that events take place at Hampden Park. n Double the number of carriages between Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Carntyne, Partick and Scotstounhill. n Eight trains an hour linking Glasgow Central Low Level with Bridgeton, Dalmarnock and Exhibition Centre. n Extra carriages on cross-city routes. n Longer trains on many longdistance routes linking Glasgow with other parts of Scotland. n A quarter-hourly service will run on the flagship Edinburgh-Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High route for almost the entire day. n Many services later into the night than ever before, with some after 1am.

service expansion. More than 3,000 of its staff have received customer service training.

Frontline rail workers, including drivers, ticket examiners, hospitality, and station staff, have taken part in the WorldHost course which was used successfully for 100,000 volunteers and staff at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics.

The programme has been tailored to brief staff on interesting information about local attractions and landmarks near their individual stations, and the events and sports stars expected to attract visitors to their locations or routes.

To ensure it provides top quality customer information, First ScotRail has uploaded detailed FAQs to its website, extended the opening hours for its popular social media accounts during the Games, and invested in tablets for frontline managers to share latest service information.

“Our people are often the first point of contact for people visiting Scottish destinations, and the welcome they offer can have a major impact on the tourism experience as a whole,” says Montgomery. “With the spotlight well and truly on Scotland this summer, we want to showcase our business, and the nation, in the best possible way.”

The warm welcome also extends to Manchester Airport station, which is dressed out to act as a gateway to the Games.

FTPE is providing a Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games information point and extra staff to assist passengers. Customers will receive goody bags to help keep them entertained and refreshed on the 3.5hr journey.

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FirstGroup’s Glasgow 2014 commonwealth games transport challenge

employees

FirstGroup staff help to carry the Queen’s Baton to Glasgow 18 employees helped iconic baton on its journey through Scotland team of transport workers received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Queen’s Baton during its journey to this summer’s Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Eighteen staff members from the UK’s largest public transport operator, FirstGroup, helped transport the iconic baton as it travelled through Scotland for 40 days during June and July, helping to create a real sense of

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anticipation for the Games.

The baton, which has visited 70 nations and territories since October 2013, took a central role in the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games at Celtic Park on July 23.

The baton bearers included nine colleagues from ScotRail, six from First Bus, one from First TransPennine Express and two from FirstGroup’s Aberdeen headquarters.

All staff involved in the relay are known for their work for community groups or charities, or to improve public transport services for customers.

Baton bearers: First Glasgow drivers James Gallacher (left) and Jason Boyce (right) with lead administrator, Jean Fraser.

technology

New technology brings seat backs to life Glasgow Shuttle pioneers the use of ‘augmented reality’ to welcome visitors o-inciding with the start of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, First Glasgow is pioneering new technology on its Glasgow Shuttle bus service that brings bus seat backs to life

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and helps to welcome thousands of visitors.

The Glasgow Shuttle service 500, which provides a direct link between Glasgow Airport and the city centre, is the first airport service in the world to fit ‘augmented reality’ technology to the back of bus seats.

Customers can simply download the First Scotland AR app and point their mobile phone, or tablet, at a vinyl fitted to the seat in front. The app launches an interactive action screen showing short films about Glasgow 2014 preparations and all that’s going on in the city.

The content has been

Three employees from Aberdeen carried the Queen's Baton on June 21: Pictured left: Shane Mitchell, Bus Driver, First Aberdeen Shane, 39, from Sheddocksley in Aberdeen, saved the life of a passenger, who suffered a heart attack on his bus, by applying first aid resuscitation.

His actions enabled 72-year-old Allan Mclean to survive and continue to enjoy time with his children and grandchildren. Shane says carrying the baton was a great honour. “I did what anyone would have in the circumstances and am thankful Allan is making a good recovery.”

Centre: Andrew Ballantyne, Bus Driver, First Aberdeen Andrew, 55, lives in the Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, and has been driving buses for around three years. He received an internal ‘Superstar’ award after he came to the rescue of one of his elderly customers, who was lost and suffering from dementia. “I would never have thought that a career driving buses would lead to carrying the Queen's Baton ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Right: Kristina Hunter, Reward and Pensions Associate, FirstGroup Plc Kristina, 26, from Aberdeen’s Ferryhill, currently volunteers for Aberdeenbased charity Befriend a Child. Having spent nearly four years helping the same child, Kristina has noticed a big difference in the youngster’s development and confidence. She also spent three months in Malawi on a voluntary community care project. “It’s a little overwhelming that my voluntary work with Befriend a Child has resulted in the honour of carrying the Queen’s Baton,” she said.

produced by First Glasgow in partnership with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau. It includes videos updating customers on some of First’s big news, including progress on the company’s new Cathcart Road depot and First Glasgow’s easyto-use simpliCITY network and the national award won by the Glasgow Shuttle service.

“Our new ‘augmented reality’ feature brings our seat backs to life and makes bus travel more interesting, enjoyable and useful for our Shuttle customers and complements the free Wi-Fi on board,” says First Glasgow’s managing director, Fiona Kerr.

How to experience the Glasgow Shuttle’s augmented reality: Simply download the First 1 Scotland AR app for Apple or Android devices.

Use the Glasgow Shuttle’s 2 free Wi-Fi. Scan the vinyl poster on the 3 seatback in front of you.

Follow simple instructions to 4 see the city come to life in your hands.

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