First Bus

Today is #WhiteRibbonDay – which promotes an end to men’s violence against women and girls ?? White Ribbon UK are a charity who aim to prevent gender-based violence by enabling men and boys to be positive changemakers. By addressing the root causes of this violence and becoming an ally, men can help create a more equal and safer society for women and girls. We’re proud to have become accredited by White Ribbon UK, which will see us form a three-year plan to help put an end to this violence. Working alongside them will help us to continue creating a positive environment where every customer and colleague feels welcome, included, supported and valued. Click below to learn more ?? #ItStartsWithMen

What a week it’s been here at First Bus Rochdale! Here’s a snapshot of the exciting activities and meaningful conversations we’ve had: ???????????? - Morning: Attended the #BeeNetwork Supporting Technical Education meeting at TfGM. Great discussions on T Levels, MBacc, and Beeline. Thanks Joe Crolla and team at GMCA! Our Rochdale depot are excited to welcome our first T Level placement from Hopwood Hall College in the new year. - Evening: Thoroughly enjoyed the Rochdale Business Awards 2024 at the iconic Rochdale Town Hall. Huge thanks to Rochdale Development Agency & Michelle McHugh for the invite. Amazing venue, great food, and fantastic buzz! Congrats to all nominees and winners. Roll on 2025 awards! Carol Hopkins ???????????????? Provided a bus and driver to transport families from Manchester Youth Zone to Manchester Ice Rink for a fun-filled activity. A pleasure to support such a wonderful charity! John Ewbank ???????????? Welcomed Cate Calveley, Careers Lead at Hollingworth Academy, to our depot to discuss current and future engagement with students and teachers. Exciting plans ahead! Robert McGinty Jane Wells ?????????????? Caught up with Fran Darlington-Pollock from Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity to discuss continued support of the A Bed Every Night campaign. Already looking forward to again supporting the Charity Bus Pull in 2025! ?????????????????? - Depot visit 1, Met Jane and Jo Haworth-King from Altus Education Partnership to discuss school and college engagement across the schools in the trust, as well as wider community support. Jane Wells - Depot visit 2, Learned biodiversity tips from Michael Cummings, Woodlands and Natural Capital Projects Officer at Rochdale Borough Council (and got schooled on Japanese Knotweed!). - I attended Transport for Greater Manchester’s Highways, Control & Operations Open Event – inspiring to see how they keep the network running 24/7 and the part all transport stakeholders have in this! ???????????????? Joined other volunteers to plant 100 trees at Fairfield Hospital in Bury (serviced by our buses!) for NorthCare Charity - following on from our bulb planting in Sept! Excited to see these spaces bloom next year! Good to briefly catch up with Karen Casper too. Thank you to everyone who made this week so rewarding. Looking forward to supporting more charities, schools, and communities as we head into the festive season! ??

Building a future where young people choose the bus. ? This week, we welcomed aboard the Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP, Mayor David Skaith and Luke Charters MP onto our zero-emission bus from our fully-electric Net Zero depot in York. ? We share the Secretary of State's ambition to get more people — particularly young people — travelling by bus. Hearing directly from students at York College, York UK about their bus journeys gave us valuable insights into how we can inspire the younger generation to travel by bus. ? Buses are essential for connecting communities, tackling congestion and breaking down barriers to opportunity. With the UK Government's ￡1bn commitment to improving bus services, we’re proud to collaborate with Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom and local leaders like David Skaith to make this vision a reality. ? ?? Together, we can deliver a greener, more connected future for everyone. #BetterBuses #PublicTransport #NetZero

Great to have Lou Haigh visit us today to discuss the future of buses in our region and the further investment of ￡12.7m. I look forward to working closely with the Department of Transport to improve connectivity right across York and North Yorkshire. Big thank you to Ken Merry for welcoming us to York College and to the fantastic students we had the chance to meet. Also thank you to Andrew Cullen and First Bus for joining us and taking us on a tour around York.

It was great seeing one of our electric buses on Pelican Engineering Company (Sales) Limited's stand at last week's Euro Bus Expo ?? At the event, our Chief Operating Officer Andrew Jarvis was presented with a tree to symbolise the 10 trees Pelican are planting for every electric vehicle they sell. That's 1,690 trees from First Bus' order alone! ?? Ian Downie Yutong Bus & Coach

Today is #InternationalMensDay ♂ This year, we're partnering with men’s suicide prevention charity?#ANDYSMANCLUB?to help promote their mental health groups should any of our male colleagues want to get involved. Posters and leaflets have been popping up across all our depots and offices promoting their peer-to-peer support groups for men, which gives them a safe space to open up about their mental health. Learn more about Andy's Man Club here ?? https://lnkd.in/dZk9TKA #ITSOKAYTOTALK Gareth Hind Lois Taylor

Congratulations Jonathon Hunt very well deserved recognition!!! ????????????????????

Getting bus(y) charging?? We’ve signed an innovative EV charging partnership with First Bus which will see our fleet of EV vans given access to First Bus’ rapid charging infrastructure at bus depots nationwide. Starting with a trial at the company’s Leicester depot, the partnership was launched by Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood MP, who joined representatives from First Bus and Centrica to highlight the critical role the EV infrastructure will play in reducing emissions and promoting sustainable transport. While buses are out on the road during the day, the infrastructure will be used by British Gas vans to charge quickly and conveniently, allowing engineers to spend more time helping customers. Read more here ?? https://lnkd.in/eneJwfHH Rob Simister, Zoe Hands #ElectricVehicles #EV #Fleet

Over the weekend, our poppy buses joined Colchester's Remembrance Sunday Parade?– which honoured those who have given their lives in service. ? A special shout-out to our fantastic First Essex colleagues Ryan Hannah and Jake Pinner, who – with permission from their Ops Manager – went above and beyond to ensure the buses were part of the parade! ???

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