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For the fifth year in a row Go-Ahead Group plc ('the Group') has been listed in the Top 100 Companies for Corporate Responsibility by Business in the Community (BITC) in its Corporate Responsibility Index – the UK's leading voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.

Go-Ahead has also retained its Gold Rating, which it has achieved every year since the Gold Band was introduced 3 years ago. This is the highest rating among comparable participating public transport operators in the UK.

In achieving this level, Go-Ahead has demonstrated that it integrates and improves responsibility throughout its operations by providing a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on business impacts in society and on the environment.

Go-Ahead's Group Chief Executive, Keith Ludeman commented: "I am delighted with Go-Ahead's continued success in this year's index. For Go-Ahead, corporate responsibility means becoming a part of the local communities we serve, and being responsive to the issues that matter for our stakeholders. It also means being committed to minimising our impact on the environment through innovation and investment. This ranking by BITC reinforces our approach to environmental management and highlights our commitment to being a responsible employer and public transport operator."

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: "I congratulate Go-Ahead on achieving gold in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index. At a time when trust and confidence in businesses is at an all time low, it is examples like this that will help to demonstrate that some businesses are taking the responsibility they have towards their people and the planet seriously and that it makes business sense."

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Notes to Editors

• Go-Ahead's performance, which has improved by more than 25% over the last eight years, puts the company in the same category as some very well known and respected UK brands, including Marks & Spencer, Cadbury and Rolls-Royce
• The rating is based on the way Go-Ahead, through its devolved structure, manages its impact on the environment, as well as its ethical business practices. This is the third year in a row that the company has achieved a rating of more than 90%.
• The Corporate Responsibility Index was established seven years ago by BITC to help businesses address their key environmental and social risks and address their impact on society.
• Overall, Business in the Community believes corporate responsibility is just good business. In order to test this assertion, in October 2008, BITC supported by Legal & General, commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct statistical analysis of 33 companies who have participated in the Business in the Community CR Index each year 2002-2007 and are listed on the London Stock Exchange. As well as demonstrating a correlation with reduced share volatility, the most striking feature of the research showed that companies consistently participating in the CR Index outperformed their FTSE 350 peers on total shareholder return 2002- 2007 by between 3.2% and 7.7% per year.
• For more information about the CR Index results please visit http://www.bitc.org.uk

The Go-Ahead Group plc

Go-Ahead is one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transport services operating in the bus, rail and aviation services sectors. Employing over 27,500 people across the country, around 920 million passenger journeys are undertaken on our services each year. In addition to the travelling public, customers include the Department for Transport, Transport for London, local authorities, British Airports Authority and major airlines.

Website: www.go-ahead.com