Innovation

Our key competitor is one of the most popular forms of transport ever invented – the car. While we accept that cars have their place in the transport mix, we obviously want to encourage people onto our buses and trains. That takes creative thinking.

It also takes expertise. Arriva is one of the few companies experienced in delivering transport services in different European countries – which helps us develop the right systems for the right regions.

A key aspect of our approach is that we take on big challenges – the ones few other companies could handle.

This goes back to the late 1990s, when we identified the growth potential of deregulating markets in mainland Europe. Building on our experience of deregulation in the UK, we have achieved a leading position in Europe that is unique among UK bus and rail operators.

That growth is set to continue – in a European public transport market estimated at over €200 billion.

These are some of the ways Arriva is using technology, creativity and expertise to improve everything from customer information to how we deliver our services every day:

Enhancing customer service

• Customers across Arriva’s regional bus businesses in England, Scotland and Wales, can now buy daily, weekly and four-weekly tickets via their mobile phones following the national launch of Arriva’s m-ticketing service. Arriva’s introduction of m-ticketing is believed to be the largest deployment of its kind in the world.
• Technology is at the forefront of delivering improvements to customer information and services at CrossCountry. The business is the UK's first train operator to offer e-ticketing for the whole of its network which enables customers to purchase and print their tickets at home. It is also the UK's first train operator to offer a free application for Apple iPhone users which provides instant access to a range of information including live train times, platform numbers, connection information and station directions. The business is embracing the social media phenomenon to communicate with its customers with the successful launch of its own 'fan profile' on social network site Facebook.
• Arriva Portugal has worked with IT developer AMI-Transport Technologies and EDITMINHO research institute to develop and implement a new contactless ticketing system.
• In Yorkshire 'Yournextbus' provides a new level of customer service sending real-time information to customers' mobile phones.

Enhancing service delivery

• Much of Arriva’s UK bus fleet is fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to help monitor punctuality, refine timetables and manage congestion.
• Our London control centres have real-time information on the location of our 1,500 buses, alerting drivers to traffic problems and advising on the best routes to follow to keep services running on time.
• In Portugal, TST is implementing a €2.1 million Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system. AVL will significantly improve the provision of travel information to TST customers, with new bus stop display panels using real-time data to indicate expected arrival times. The innovative bus stop panels will be solar powered and provide audio information for visually impaired passengers. TST passengers are also set to benefit from a new contactless ticketing system as a result of a €5 million joint investment by TST and central government.
• We have installed a system in Cremona, Italy, that not only tracks vehicles but is integrated into the management of traffic lights, giving priority to bus users.
• As the very first private rail operator in Denmark we faced some scepticism. However we have proved we can operate the services more cost effectively, more accurately and with a higher passenger satisfaction rate than the state-owned operator DSB did.

Safety and environment

• Fuel-saving technology and changes in driving technique are helping cut exhaust emissions from Arriva’s UK bus fleet. The EcoManager system gives drivers real-time feedback through a dashboard-mounted LED indicating fuel consumption and helping drivers adjust their driving style. During 2009 EcoManager was fitted to almost 3,000 buses with the remainder of the fleet set for installation in 2010. A similar system was adopted in Arriva’s 2,300 strong bus fleet in Sweden and Denmark in 2009.
• We helped develop a bus driving simulator, similar to the type used on aircraft, for use in driver recruitment and training. Arriva's UK rail businesses - Arriva Trains Wales and CrossCountry - have invested more than £5m on state-of-the-art train driving simulators at depots in Cardiff, Chester and Derby. The simulators match the types of trains used and provide a realistic driving experience. They are an integral part of the driver training and refresher programmes at both businesses.
• To enhance the safety and security of our employees and passengers, 81 per cent of our UK buses are now fitted with CCTV systems.
• The Fastrack rapid bus system operated in partnership with Kent County Council is one of the UK's longest bus priority schemes including dedicated busways, making a major contribution to regeneration of the region and the Government's Sustainable Communities plan.

Energy and water management

• Wind turbines to produce electricity operate at Arriva Trains Wales' Machyynlleth, Arriva Portugal’s Guimarães facility, and at TST's Moita depot in Portugal. The turbine at Machynlleth runs alongside solar-powered domestic water heating, energy efficient lighting, and rainwater harvesting systems. The Moita workshop was the group’s first workshop to be built with reducing environmental impact at the heart of its design.
• Arriva Portugal has spent €4.7 million on a state-of-the-art building which will bring the quality of its maintenance and transport services to even higher standards for customers. The facility in Guimarães opened in 2009 provides new headquarters and a central workshop. The facility has solar panels to provide water heating and is constructed to capture the maximum levels of direct light from the sun reducing the need for interior lighting. Oil is collected for recycling and 85 per cent of the water used in bus washing is also collected and recycled.