you first aberdeen summer 2015

The magazine for First people in Aberdeen

Summer 2015

IN NEW ECO-FRIENDLYBUSES & TECHNOLOGY

See Group NewsPAGE SIX �

MAJORINVESTMENT

relishes

of the

PAGE SEVEN

Craig scoops Frontline Employeeof the Year accolade at ScottishTransport Awards PAGE THREE

You First Aberdeen p1 23/6/15 12:49

YOUFIRST I SUMMER 2015

2 NEWS

AberdeenManagingDirector DavidPhillips

HELLO and welcome to the latestissue of our staff magazine. It’sbeen a busy period where themanagement team at FirstAberdeen has been developing anumber of initiatives to promoteengagement with both employeesand stakeholders.

Externally, we have recently beenattending local Community Councilmeetings across the Aberdeen area,and the feedback has beenextremely positive. The dialogue isan important way of making usmore accessible and giving a voiceto local community representatives.

Internally, we are keen to respondto your feedback in the Your Voicesurvey and we are taking steps toimprove staff communication via aStaff Application.

The App is currently in its finalstages of development where wenow hope to roll out a pilot schemeto a small sample of staff beforeextending it to the wider workforce.

Our aim is to promote two-waycommunication with employees– and we would alwaysappreciate your views on howwe could develop the content.

We would like the App toprovide people with greateraccessibility to informationthat is both timely andrelevant and includes suchinformation as schedules and duties.

Very shortly we will beannouncing details of thosewho are shortlisted for ourStaff Excellence Awards.

It is important to recognisethose who have gone the extramile and actively promote ourvisions and values on a daily basis.

Ultimately, whether or not youhave been shortlisted, I wanted tosay thank you to those who werenominated for your ongoing effortseach and every day as they are verymuch appreciated.

As a business we rely on theefforts of our staff to deliver aservice to our customers and Ihope to see many morenominations going forward toensure the real stars of ourbusiness receive the recognitionthey deserve.

Promotingengagementwith staff andstakeholders

SEVEN brand new buses costing a total ofaround £1 million will be added to the fleetlater this year – reflecting First Aberdeen’s

continued commitment to its customers andstakeholder partners.

The low carbon certified, Euro 6-engined, singledeckers – being supplied by Falkirk-based ADL –are among the most fuel-efficient buses on themarket and are part of the company’s commitmentto improving air quality across the city.

Managing Director David Phillips said: “Ourinvestment in these new vehicles is great news forour customers and underlines our continuingdetermination to provide ever better bus servicesin our area and encourage more people to travelby bus. These new vehicles will be among the bestand most eco-friendly in the country.

“Passengers can enjoy pleasant, more

comfortable journeys and keep connected on themove with our free WiFi, while we support theefforts of our local authority partners to improve airquality for all. We are working hard to provide thebest bus service possible for our passengers inAberdeen and are in close discussion with the citycouncil around ways to improve infrastructure too,which could lead to larger investment by First inthe future.”

Test results show that running eight Euro 6buses produces the same amount of certainexhaust emissions, including nitrogen oxides andparticulate matter, as running one bus with a Euro5 engine. ● This investment is part of an overall order byFirst UK Bus of 385 new vehicles worth £77.7million for delivery in the current financial year.See Group News on page six.

EX-SERVICEMEN employedby First Aberdeen backed asocial media campaign topromote the city’s ArmedForces Day celebrations.

Each year Aberdeencelebrates its support forserving and former members

of the armed services with aparade through the heart of

the city and other events.City council officials

came up with idea ofasking people tosubmit images ofthemselves holdingan Armed ServicesDay flag to mark theoccasion on June27. The images –known as selfies –are featured on aspecial Facebookpage set up byorganisers of thenational event to

raise awareness ofthe day.

First Aberdeen’sselfie featured Controller

John Gordon, a formerRoyal Engineer, and Driver

Ian Walker who served in theRoyal Corps of Signals.

John said: “We have quite afew ex-servicemen at FirstAberdeen and it’s good to seethe military links beingmaintained.”

First Aberdeen has anothervery close link to the armedforces – the company’s KingStreet headquarters used tobe the home of the GordonHighlanders.

Eco-friendly busesadded to the fleet

Employees support Armed Forces Day

Controller John Gordon, who has helped to organise support for ArmedForces Day, is pictured with a rugby shirt from his Royal Engineers days.

You First Aberdeen p2 23/6/15 16:02 Page 1

SUMMER 2015 I YOUFIRST

NEWS 3

DRIVING Instructor Craig Duthie receiveda major accolade at the prestigiousScottish Transport Awards for his

shining community spirit.Craig was named Frontline Employee of the

Year after organising a surprise birthday tripfor 12-year-old bus super fan Logan Colemanand showing great enthusiasm for helpingwith community events.

His act of kindness had already won him aSuperstar of the Year award at First Aberdeen,with a prize of £500 in shopping vouchers.

Runner up Superstar was Driver ShaneMitchell who saved the life of collapsedpassenger Allan Mclean by giving him CPR.Shane received £300 in shopping vouchersand The Stirk Trophy – a coveted trophy onceawarded to top first aiders by the now defunctCoach and Bus First Aid Association.

Other monthly Superstars nominated duringthe year, Drivers Rab Evans and Phil Legge,were highly commended for their fantasticcustomer service.

A total of 192 staff have received certificatesfor perfect attendance and 237 drivers weregiven badges and certificates for achievingROSCO safe driving standards.

Many of them take the wheel on thePlatinum service which was shortlisted atthe STAs for the second year in a row forScotland’s Best Bus Service.

The company’s popular mobile mTicketinginitiative was also recognised at the nationalawards when it made the Excellence inTechnology and Innovation category.

Managing Director David Phillips said: “This

was my first opportunity to attend the staffawards event and it was great to be in thepresence of the very best of First Aberdeen.

“I was a little bit in awe of the achievementsbeing recognised and am very humbled that Ihave the opportunity to manage the Aberdeenbusiness.

“And to be shortlisted three times at theScottish Transport Awards as well is fantasticrecognition of the great work being done dayin and day out at First Aberdeen to improveservices and attract more customers onboard.”

WHEN little Jack Connon suffered a bumpon the head while travelling on a bus itfrightened him so much that he flatlyrefused to get on one again.

But when staff at First Aberdeen heardabout the three-year-old’s plight theyinvited him into the depot in a bid toovercome his fears.

They arranged for Jack to tour thedepot, sit at the wheel of a vintage doubledecker and allowed him to stay on boardas the vehicle was taken through the buswash.

And the result? Little Jack is no longerscared of buses and is happy to travel onthem again. “We were on our way intotown on a bus when a car pulled out infront of us and our driver had to brake

suddenly,” said Jack’s gran, HelenConnon. “Jack was thrown forward andhit his head against the seat in front. Itwas quite a bump and it frightened him.

“Jack had always loved buses, but afterthat he was scared and refused to get onone again. Then First Aberdeen invited usto bring Jack up to the depot. They tookus around and Jack had a great time.

“Now he is happy to go on buses again.The depot trip really restored hisconfidence.”

First Aberdeen Training ManagerNorman Wood, who organised Jack’s visit,said: “We want Jack and all our otheryoung passengers to grow up knowingthat First buses are the best and safestway to travel.”

Superstar gainsnational acclaim

Jack is happy to travel by bus again

Jack Connon at thewheel of a bus duringhis tour of FirstAberdeen depot.

Craig Duthie and his wife

Shona with theSuperstar of the Year

trophy and certificate atthe First Aberdeenawards evening.

Shane Mitchell is presented with the Superstarof the Year Runner up trophy and certificate byAberdeen Deputy Provost John Reynolds.


4 NEWS


NEWS 5


DEDICATED trainingprogrammes have beenintroduced aimed at

reducing collisions involving FirstAberdeen buses.

An initiative called CAT (CollisionAvoidance Training) has beendesigned for all new recruits and tosharpen up the skills of moreexperienced drivers following acollision. The training includes raisingawareness about accidentblackspots, reviewing CCTV footageof collisions, road positioning, wingmirror management and entering andexiting bus stops.

Training Manager Norman Woodsaid: “CAT for new drivers starts

midway through their buddytraining. We’re always keen

to drive the messagehome that, in the

majority of cases,accidents involvingour buses can beavoided if driversthink far enoughahead and takethe appropriateaction.

“For newdrivers, CATallows them todrive the nursery

routes that weoperate for up

to five daysunder the

supervision

of their Buddy Drivers. During thattime they learn about accidenthotspots along the routes, roadpositioning and things like how toenter and exit bus stops safely.

“At the end of their first five daysbuddy training they return to theclassroom to learn more about howto avoid collisions. Finally, they haveto pass a question and answersession to make sure they have fullyunderstood the information they havebeen given and know how to put itinto practice.

“Then, and only then, are newdrivers allowed to rejoin their Buddydrivers and complete their training.”

On the odd occasion when a driveris involved in an avoidable collision,First Aberdeen’s approach is basedfirmly on education rather than blame.

“Drivers who havebeen involved in anavoidable collision undergo advancedCAT training which is tailored to thatperson and to the incident they wereinvolved in,” said Norman. “Driverssign up to a support plan thatincludes bespoke training designed tomatch their individual needs, oftenbased on analysis of CCTV footage ofthe collision, captured by the camerasfitted onboard our buses.”

The advanced CAT training is alsopart of an action plan aimed atavoiding further collisions.

“The action plan includes aninterview with myself as TrainingManager, study of the CAT DVD, areview of Drive Green performanceand a Smith System refresh,” saidNorman.

RON Hooper thinks it is areal gas to get behind thewheel of one of FirstAberdeen’s new hydrogenfuel cell buses.

Now his enthusiasm forthe clean, green machineshas seen him featured onthe website of theprestigious EuropeanHydrogen Association (EHA)which promotes the useand development of fuel celltechnology.

EHA officials caught upwith Ron in Aberdeen citycentre and asked him to

explain why he liked thehydrogen buses so much.

Ron, who has beendriving for First Aberdeensince 1999, told them thatfor him the key advantageswere the quiet and smoothdriving style and the extraroom in the driver’s cab.

He said: “I love the hydrobuses and I would happilydrive them all the time. Theyare much nicer to drive thantraditional diesel-enginedvehicles and even mypassengers notice thedifference.”

SUPPORT for a foodbankcollection point at FirstAberdeen has been sogenerous that a second boxhas had to be provided tocope with the number ofitems being donated.

School bus Driver Ian Haylaunched the collectionpoint in the drivers’ ControlRoom earlier this year withthe hope of filling just onebox with tins, pasta andother non-perishablefoodstuffs each month.

But the initiative has beenso successful that two fullboxes of items are beingpassed to Aberdeen’s

CFINE (Community FoodInitiatives North East) foodbank every two or threeweeks.

“I’ve been both surprisedand delighted at the level ofsupport,” said Ian. “Peopleare bringing stuff in all thetime and we’re having totake the boxes down to thefood bank more and moreoften.”

Management have alsogiven their support to thecollection initiative andhave provided 100 free bustickets to be given out topeople using the CFINEfood bank.

TRIBUTES have been paidto long-serving driver IanPollock who died earlierthis year after suffering abrain haemorrhage.

Ian, 69, began hiscareer with the companyas a driver in 1976 andclocked up nearly 30 yearsservice before taking earlyretirement in 2006.

But he refused to giveup work entirely andtransferred to a new roleas a part-time School BusDriver.

Coaching Manager Tom

Gordon, said: “Ian lovedhis job and made manyfriends with the familieson his regular schoolrun and his belovedAlbyn School gamesbuses, which healways claimed forhimself.

“He had a wickedsense of humour andwas always happiestwhen winding up hiscolleagues and wearinghis daft hats at holidaytimes. He will be sorelymissed.”

DISADVANTAGED children canenjoy a free trip to the cinemanow First Aberdeen hasteamed up with Union Squareand Aberdeen City Council.

The company has handedover 300 bus tickets solooked-after childrencan visit theshopping centrewhere Cineworld isalso contributingcomplimentary tickets.

Managing DirectorDavid Phillips said: “I’mdelighted we can contribute toa great day out for children inour local area by providing bustickets to Union Square, taking

them to the movies safely.”Councillor Angela Taylor, the

city council’s Convenor forEducation and Children’sServices, said: “It’s great to seea local company supportingour most vulnerable children

and I’m sure the youngsterswill have a fantastic trip to

the cinema.” Union Square’s

General Manager RyanMason said: “This is afantastic initiative and agreat opportunity forchildren who might not

normally get thechance to visit the

movies.”

Foodbank donations morethan double expectations

Free bus tickets to takeyoungsters to the cinema

Ron promotes H-buses onprestigious Euro website

Driver Ron Hooper with one of the new

hydrogen fuel cell buses.

Training Manager Norman Wood, right, discusses collision avoidancewith Trainee Drivers David Dunbar, left, and Michael Watson.

Specialist training toavoid collisions

Buddy Driver Richard Nicol, right, explains goodroad positioning to Trainee Driver David Dunbar.

DriverBarry Watsonwith some ofthe foodbank

donations.

RichardNicol shows

Michael Watsonhow to avoid

kerb andobstacles.

Tributes to popular longserving Driver Ian Pollock

Richard Nicol shows David Dunbar how toavoid hitting the mirror on a bus stop.

Buddy driver Richard Nicol, right,shows trainee driver Michael Watson

how he has ended up too far fromthe kerb at a bus stop for

passengers to get on.

You First Aberdeen p4-5 23/6/15 16:10 Page 1


6 NEWS

OUR announcement of a£77.7million order for newvehicles is fantastic news. It’s

one of our biggest ever orders andreinforces improving performance,increasing passenger numbers and ourcontinuing commitment to deliver ourBetter Journeys for Life promise.

Investing in our fleet is absolutelykey if we are to continue improving ourproduct and attracting new customers.

We should all be proud that we’ve invested almost£385million in vehicles over the last five years,replacing some 2,200 buses, almost a third of ourfleet. The new vehicles will all come fitted with leatherseats, CCTV and WiFi, providing customers with freeinternet access.

In addition to the dedicated space for wheelchairusers, extra space will be provided for pushchairs andwe are trialling the installation of USB charging pointson some vehicles. I’m also delighted that more than 90 per cent of the new buses will be fitted withenvironmentally friendly Euro 6 engines, the biggestinvestment in Euro 6 buses in the UK to date. To setthis in context, Euro 6 engines have eight times lessemissions than their predecessors, the Euro 5. As wellas travelling in new buses, customers will benefit fromimprovements in new technology. For example: ● We will soon reveal improvements to our website

including real time bus tracking and journeyplanning, alongside a trial of the same features in themTicketing app.

● We’re also looking at new ways of paying formTickets, including Paypal, and Apple Pay, as wellas exploring new technologies to validate mTickets.

Of course, we can only continue to invest by beingsuccessful as a business. We need to set the highest

standards in our operational performance whilstoffering our customers excellent value.

We are committed to continuing to build a moresustainable business. That means introducing costefficiencies where possible and increasing revenuesunderpinned by continuing to grow our customer base.

We know that the most effective way to deliver thebest bus services for customers is through operatorsand local authorities working together in partnership,and we have a great track record of doing just that.

We believe that there is much more that can bedone through partnership and that calls by some LocalAuthorities for regulation of bus services is notnecessary.

We have made great progress in strengthening ourbusinesses across the Division but regrettably in someof our towns and cities, particularly where the localeconomies are suffering, we continue to facesignificant challenges.

The announcement of this investment, however,demonstrates again our strong commitment to ourBetter Journeys for Life promise.

Investing in futuresuccess

Micro Hybrid Streetlite Buses which entered service last year. First has ordered a further183 of these environmentally-friendly vehicles, which now feature Euro 6 engines.

VIP speakers willappear at First UK BusExcellence Awardsceremonies.

Olympic goldmedalist athlete SallyGunnell is guest ofhonour at the SouthEngland & Walesceremony in Reading,while Scotland rugbyhero Gavin Hastings willaddress the gathering inScotland.

North England’sceremony will be hostedby Harry Gration, whopresents the BBC’sevening newsprogramme Look North.

Over 1,100nominations have beenreceived fromcolleagues for theawards launched thisyear to reward andrecognise those staffwho best display thecompany’s values andgo the extra mile.

Look out for reportsin the next issue of youremployee magazine.

VIPs toappear atceremonies

By First UK BusManaging Director Giles Fearnley

FIRST UK Bus people are being encouraged totake personal responsibility to make sure they,their colleagues and customers remain safe.

It comes amid an increase in collisions andpassenger injuries in most OpCos.

There were fewer severe injuries but moreminor injuries to passengers boarding andalighting.

There is also concern that slips and tripsduring in 2013/14 led to an increase in stafflost time injuries.

First UK Bus Managing Director GilesFearnley said: “We need to address these

issues and we are working to encouragecolleagues to take personal responsibility forsafety.”

A new system is being developed to helpidentify drivers’ training and support needs inrelation to safety.

It aims to provide a consistent approach toanalysing driver data across the whole group,and identify the factors that are a risk toemployee and customer safety.

This tool will enable colleagues to discusssafety matters more accurately duringprofessional development planning.

New drive reinforces key safety valueChecking passengers aresafe before pulling away.



NEWS 7

minutes with5

Tell us about your previousjobs with First or elsewhere?Before joining First Ipredominately worked in thefranchise sector. I was a partsmanager at Mitsubishi and thenat Jeep and worked briefly as aService Advisor for BMWbefore I came to First.

What is the main challenge ofyour job?Trying to maintain a reasonablestock of spares in the restrictedspace we have available.

Which famous people, alive ordead, would you invite to adinner party?Sir Winston Churchill, JohnLennon, Sir Alex Ferguson – Ithink that would be a goodeclectic mix – and GordonRamsay, he could cook thedinner.

What has been your proudestachievement?Getting married.

If you had a time machinewhich era would you visit andwhy?I would go back to the 1980sas that was the period I grew

up in. I enjoyed the nightlifeand the music and I could fitmy clothes then as well. Iwould tell myself to makedifferent decisions about somethings in my life.

How do you relax?I like to spend time with myfamily and I am a season ticketholder at Pittodrie. That can bea challenging experiencesometimes, but Aberdeen areon the up so it’s been a moreenjoyable experience of late.

What are your favourite filmsand music?Films: The ShawshankRedemption, Lord of the Rings,Pulp Fiction, The Stand. Music:Simple Minds, Duran Duran,David Bowie, Japan.

Where do you like to go onholiday?We enjoy trips to Anglesey butother than that I don't mind.Anywhere hot will do for me.

What is the best bit of adviceyou’ve ever been given?If at first you don’t succeed –try, try, try again.

DAVID PHIN, has done a variety of jobs buthas been Store Manager at First Aberdeen depotfor the past six years. Here he explains why hewould invite Gordon Ramsay to dinner and why the80s was his favourite era...

CUSTOMER Service AgentRussell McGonigle is aman who knows his bow

from his bulkhead and hisbackwash from his boils.

Those in the know willrecognise the words as termsused by adrenaline junkies whoindulge in the sport of kayaking –and Russell, aged 37, is certainlya kayak fan.

He likes to get out and abouton rivers in the Aberdeen areaat least twice a week and isnow passing on some of theskills he has learned toyoungsters eager to experiencethe rush of whitewater.

“I got involved in kayakingseveral years ago because I justfancied having a go,” saidRussell, who has been with FirstAberdeen for four-and-a-halfyears. “I really enjoyed thatexperience and as time has goneby I’ve got more serious about it.

“Now I’m out two or threetimes a week, often with my son

Jamie and daughter Emma whoare both keen paddlers. I enjoythe adrenaline rush I get fromkayaking and it’s great physicalexercise. I love the challenge oftackling whitewater and rapids.”

Having recently completed hiscoaching qualifications, Russell isnow organising kayak trainingsessions for young people fromdeprived areas of Aberdeen.

He said: “I’ve noticed thatmany of the young people whoare already involved in kayakingtend to come from quite well-offfamilies and I want less-privilegedyoungsters to have the sameopportunities. We need to reachout to these young people andget them involved.”

Russell’s regular kayakingactivities see him gliding throughrapids on the River Dee and onthe North Esk at Edzell, but healso goes further afield and lastyear tackled some challengingwhitewater runs on rivers inSpain.

is trainingyoungsters

RussellMcGonigle

with his kayakon the banks of the River

Don.

DavidPhin in

the stores atAberdeen

Depot.


8 NEWS


MORE than 1,000youngsters from acrossthe city took part in asport spectacular with alittle help from FirstAberdeen.

The children, from 38primary schools, wereferried to the AberdeenSports Village on busesprovided by First as partof the company’ssupport of theaward-winning AberdeenYouth Games Festival ofSport.

The Festival – whichincluded athletics,hockey, tennis,basketball andbadminton – was theculmination of weeks ofactivity involving secondyear BSc (Hons) AppliedSports and ExerciseScience students fromRobert GordonUniversity providingcoaching sessions in theschools.

In addition to freetransport, FirstAberdeen alsoprovided £3,875 insponsorship to buysports equipment forchildren taking part in

the scheme.David Phillips said:

“I’m proud of Firstgetting behind this, asyou never know, wecould well see somefuture sports starscome out of this.

“We might beintroducing some kidsto some sports theyhave never done before.In years to come, whenwe are celebrating theirsuccess, we can saythat we had a small partin it.”

Every child taking partin the Festival received aspecial commemorativemedal. Gamesorganisers also copied akey feature of the 2014Glasgow CommonwealthGames by staging abaton relay, with theofficial Festival Batonvisiting every school inthe run up to the finalevent.

THE multi-operator Grasshopper ticket can nowbe used across the whole of Aberdeenshire.

Launched a year ago by First Aberdeen inpartnership with Stagecoach and six othertransport firms, the ticket was valid for useacross zones one to three, covering areas suchas Inverurie and Stonehaven, as well asAberdeen City. Day and weekly Grasshoppertickets are now available for all six zones,

covering the whole of theAberdeenshire region.

Commercial Manager DanielLaird said: “The idea is to allowpeople to travel across thewhole region using just the one ticket so it’s veryexciting. We’re confident it’ll open up bus travelto more people especially those who live in ruralareas who want to travel into Aberdeen.”

COMMONWEALTH GamesBaton Bearers AndrewBallantyne and Shane

Mitchell thought they had seen thelast of their iconic batons untilManaging Director David Phillipsstepped in.

He had decided they deservedto have them for keeps so hebought two and handed themover in a surprise presentation.

Shane, a First driver for fouryears who was selected to carrythe Queen’s Baton after saving acustomers’ life, said: “I had no ideawhat it was about and my stomachwas churning. I honestly thought Iwas in some sort of trouble. Butwhen Andrew and I walked into

reception David just said ‘here yougo boys, these are for you’ andhanded each of us a box. I wasalmost speechless.

Fellow Driver Andrew said: “I wasa bit concerned when I got the callto go to a meeting with the MDand had no idea what it was about.But when he presented me withthe baton I was really surprised andpleased.

“Being one of the Queen’s Batonbearers was a huge honour andnow I’ve got a permanent reminder

of that. It is sitting on a display unitin my dining room and looks great.”

David, who took over as MD atFirst Aberdeen earlier this year,decided to present thecommemorative batons afterlearning that both drivers had notreceived anything to mark their roles.

He said: “When someonerepresents First in such anexceptional way I think theydeserve some proper recognitionand I am delighted we were able toachieve that in this case.”

ManagingDirector David

Phillips presentscommemorative Queen’s

Batons to DriversAndrew Ballantyne,

left, and ShaneMitchell.

Grasshopper ticket set to boost bus travel

Baton Bearers geta surprise gift

Companysupportcontributesto gamessuccess


you first aberdeen summer 2015

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