Author: Metroline Comms

“I would like to thank all of the more than 5,500 men and women who work extremely hard in our garages and on the roads all year round to keep London moving” Metroline CEO Jaspal Singh

Metroline was awarded the title of “Bus Operator of the Year 2016” at the prestigious London Transport Awards held in March this year at the Lancaster Hotel.

Celebrating the very best in public transport, ‎the London Transport Awards are into its 21st year and are supported by Transport for London, London Councils and London Travel Watch. Mr Mike Brown, Transport Commissioner for London, said of the significance of the event, “the London Transport Awards matter because they recognise the achievements of transport professionals who support London — to be one of the greatest and most successful cities in the world, the engine of the UK economy and just a great place to be’’.

Commenting on why Metroline came out top, the organisers noted that “TfL statistics show Metroline to be consistently very good for reliability and it comfortably beats its target‎ – it was the best of the larger operators for service reliability”. In addition, “Metroline has maintained its performance seamlessly since taking over five garages and associated routes from First Group from June 2013”.

Metroline’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Jaspal Singh welcomed the accolade, saying, “We are absolutely delighted, very honoured and extremely humbled to be awarded Bus Operator of the Year. Credit must go where it is due, and in this regard, I would like to thank all of the more than 5,500 men and women who work extremely hard in our garages and on the roads all year round to keep London moving. I would also like to thank TfL’s Managing Director Mr Leon Daniels and his officers, as well as the Transport Commissioner for their enormous support over the years.”

Mr Singh continued, “Our success would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of all these people in providing the very best service to all Londoners who depend on us for their daily transport needs.”

To mark this very special achievement, every garage hosted a barbeque for everyone in the Metroline team to celebrate and enjoy.

Metroline has become the first London bus operator to sign up to the RNIB’s (Royal National Institute of Blind People) accessibility charter.

The RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties and part of their ‘Stop for Me Speak to Me’ bus campaign involves a charter containing commitments for bus operators to improve service and accessibility to blind and partially sighted people.

The RNIB’s Regional Campaigns Officer for London, Richard Holmes and Natalie Doig Campaigns Officer for the Inclusive Society met with Metroline and were delighted that Metroline were so keen to commit to further improving their services for blind and partially sighted passengers.

Richard said “Bus travel is a life line to blind and partially sighted people in London, who rely on buses to take them to work, the shops or just to get out and about with friends. We are really impressed with Metroline’s proactive approach to making improvements for their blind and partially sighted passengers. Metroline has clearly been doing a lot already but now that we are working together and with their commitment to our charter, we are sure things can only go from strength to strength.”

Metroline’s CEO Mr. Jaspal Singh and COO Mr. Sean O’Shea attended a formal signing of the charter at Metroline’s ComfortDelGro House. Commenting on the signing of the Charter, Mr. Singh said, “Metroline are committed to ensuring that our services are accessible to everyone. We understand the important role buses can play in a person’s life, and we know that buses can help bring independence to people living with sight loss often providing vital access to work, the local community and important services.”

Jaspal continued, “We are very proud to be London’s first operator to sign the Charter and support the RNIB and through a variety of initiatives and events over the year aim to encourage all of our staff to join us in supporting this important project.”

Metroline’s very own London Bus Awards Accessibility Champion Euphema Wallace was also at the event and said, “We can often take it for granted, but buses are often vital lifelines that vulnerable people especially depend on. As a driver, just being friendly and saying ‘hello’ to a blind or partially sighted passenger can be very reassuring and give them the confidence to travel, little things can make such a big difference to someone’s life.”

The new bus charter identifies a number of principles that Metroline has agreed to adopt, many of which we already do and support, to help further improve bus travel for blind and partially sighted passengers. Look out for the campaigns and initiatives around your garages over the year and help show ‘We’re on board’ with supporting the RNIB and our blind and partially sighted passengers.

Metroline proudly launched the world’s first zero emission, all electric double decker on Route 98 between Willesden and Holborn.

The almost silent bus has been praised for its very impressive environmental credentials; the new bus is zero-emission and zero-tailpipe-pollution emitting which will be a significant benefit for Londoners.

Metroline’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jaspal Singh said, “Metroline is proud and delighted to have been chosen by Transport for London to launch the world’s first all electric, zero emission double decker bus service in London, reputedly one of the most challenging bus operating environments in the world, with customers who demand and deserve nothing but the best. This is a significant and exciting moment for us all, and underscores our determination to lead the industry as well as our commitment to our customers and Transport for London to deliver the very best service possible.”

Engineers estimate the new bus will be able to travel 190 miles or more than 300 km on a single charge, meaning the vehicles will be able to remain in service all day without stopping to recharge.

Developed by vehicle manufacturer BYD with fast charging equipment at Metroline’s Willesden bus garage, BYD designed and developed the 10.2m long vehicles to TfL specifications which feature air conditioning, seats for 54 passengers and space for 27 standing passengers.

The buses are equipped with BYD designed and built Li-ion iron-phosphate batteries, delivering 340 kWh of power through a permanent magnet synchronous motor that come with 12 year battery warranty. The batteries can power the bus continually for over 20 hours and up to 190 miles (300 km) of typical urban driving on service routes with a single daily recharging requiring only four hours.