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Case Study Type: Bus

Optimising service performance with CitySwift

We are committed to providing reliable and punctual transport for the benefit of the customers and communities we serve. We have commenced rolling out the use of CitySwift’s public transport performance platform across all of our bus operations in both the UK and Ireland.

Powered by intelligent data processing

Go-Ahead first engaged CitySwift in 2020, by trialling the platform at our operating companies East Yorkshire Buses, Oxford Bus Company, and Go North East. The trial used CitySwift’s analytics platform to help service planning, improve reliability and better manage the use of business resources.

The platform uses AI to optimise bus operations. By using the available data feeds, CitySwift applies intelligent algorithms to provide actionable insights into key performance metrics such as punctuality, excess waiting time (EWT), and scheduling efficiency.

These initial trials delivered exceptional results including:

  • A 14% improvement in punctuality.
  • A 4% increase in passenger journeys.
  • Enhanced productivity for schedulers and planners.
a man wearing a headset and using a computer a bus driving down a street

A partnership for the future

Encouraged by these outcomes, Go-Ahead committed to a full rollout of CitySwift’s platform across its UK bus operations. The rollout will take a phased approach and be completed by the end of 2025.

“Care for our customer and care for our community are two of our core values at Go-Ahead. Buses are essential services for many, and continually improving reliability and punctuality is vitally important. CitySwift’s platform helps us deliver on this promise by optimising schedules and timetables.” Matt Carney, CEO of Go-Ahead Bus

Go-Ahead’s partnership with CitySwift showcases how embracing technology and collaboration can improve customer service with more reliable and punctual services.

“”
Our mission is to make public transport the travel mode of choice for citizens across the UK and beyond. This partnership with Go-Ahead Group marks a milestone in our journey as we continue to build the smart cities of the future. We have worked with Go-Ahead Group since 2020, seeing tangible results across the companies who implemented our technology in achieving more efficient, faster, and reliable bus services. It is fantastic to have the opportunity to take this further, and have our platform deployed across all companies in the Go-Ahead Group in the UK.

Alan Farrelly

CCO and Co-founder of CitySwift

Route 358 – Pioneering pantograph technology in London  

In a groundbreaking project, Go-Ahead London (GAL) introduced innovative pantograph charging technology on Route 358, one of London’s longest bus routes. Spanning 15 miles between Crystal Palace and Orpington, this zero-emission initiative demonstrates a creative and industry-leading approach to sustainable transport solutions.

A need for alternative zero-emission technologies 

Operating a long urban route like the 15-mile Route 358 presented unique challenges for traditional overnight-charge electric buses. While these buses can achieve a daily range of up to 200 miles, their design relies on returning to the garage for recharging. This requirement would have necessitated a larger fleet size to accommodate Route 358’s high-frequency schedule, increasing operational costs and complexity.

To address this, Transport for London (TfL) tasked Go-Ahead London with exploring alternative solutions. The answer was to implement rapid pantograph charging, a system that allows buses to quickly recharge during the day without range limitations. This approach, inspired by European best practices, optimised fleet size while ensuring seamless operation along the route.

Delivering the project

Core project requirements included:

  • The design and installation of pantograph infrastructure on leased bus stands shared with multiple operators.
  • Providing power supply and managing the installation on behalf of TfL.
  • Deploying Irizar ie tram buses – fully electric buses designed by the Spanish manufacturer Irizar which combine the appearance and comfort of a tram with the flexibility of a bus. These buses come with enhanced safety features and passenger comforts.
  • Partnering with TfL to install rapid-charging pantographs, enabling buses to recharge in just six minutes at either end of the route.
  • Coordinating with stakeholders, including Bromley Council, TfL, Network Rail, and Uk Power Networks (UKPN), to address land rights and ensure infrastructure compatibility.

Measuring success: enhanced sustainability and a better customer experience

The new fleet provides enhanced safety for road users, including speed-limiting technology, pedestrian alerts, and improved driver visibility with camera monitoring.

For customers, USB charging ports, slip-resistant flooring, and ergonomic seating make for a more comfortable journey.

“The launch of Route 358 and our expansion of pantograph technology mark significant strides in our journey towards a zero-emission future. These initiatives are a testament to our commitment to cleaner air and healthier communities.” Tom Joyner, Managing Director of Go-Ahead London

The success of Route 358 underscores the viability of pantograph technology for high-frequency urban routes, setting a standard for broader adoption across London and beyond. As we continue our mission to achieve a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035, this project serves as a model for innovative, sustainable, and operationally efficient public transport solutions.

Reducing loneliness and social isolation: Chatty Bus

Go-Ahead bus companies tackle loneliness across the UK with the ‘Chatty Bus’ scheme – a unique initiative to reduce social isolation and promote conversations about mental health.

Research highlights that one in three people admit to using the bus for social interaction, with some individuals going an entire week without speaking to anyone close to them.

Our operating companies Go North West, Go East Anglia, and Oxford Bus Company each facilitate their own Chatty Bus initiatives, partnering with local mental health charities to widen the programme’s reach.

Chatty Bus across Go-Ahead: A snapshot of regional initiatives

Go North West

  • Partnered with Rochdale and District Mind to launch the Chatty Bus initiative on World Mental Health Day 2024.
  • “Chatty Bus Champions” engaged with customers along the 471 route which includes Bolton, Bury, Heywood, Rochdale.
  • Over 150 customers were engaged by the programme, prompting many conversations, connections and promoting mental health awareness.

“It’s been a lovely experience to talk to someone who cares.” – Passenger feedback

Go East Anglia

  • Hosted its first Chatty Bus event in March 2020, with volunteers from Konectbus, Aviva, and Age UK speaking to customers.
  • Included amental health event at East Anglia University featuring guest speakers discussing wellbeing, mental health support and inspiring ambition in younger people.
  • An inclusive day out for older adults including a trip to the scenic Wroxham Broads intending to spark connections and combat loneliness
  • A pilot Chatty Bus discount card in Norwich to provide affordable transport for well-being service users.

Oxford Bus Company & Thames Travel

  • Held its first Chatty Bus programme in 2019, with a focus on inclusivity and loneliness reduction.
  • Partnered with local mental health organisation Age UK Oxfordshire.
  • In 2024, Oxford Bus Company introduced discounted £1 fares for the Chatty Bus, building on previous programmes that offered a 50% discount. This ensured that everyone could take part in the Chatty Bus programme.

“We’re really pleased to be partnering with Oxford Bus Company again this year for Chatty Bus. The initiative is a wonderful opportunity for many local older people to get or stay connected with others, and our team look forward to chatting with people and helping them link into their community. It’s fantastic to see age friendly initiatives like this and we are keen to support and encourage other events that are inclusive and help older people make connections.”  Paul Ringer, CEO of Age UK Oxfordshire

The Chatty Bus initiative reflects Go-Ahead’s dedication to supporting the wellbeing of the communities we serve. By encouraging conversations and connections, the programme helps reduce loneliness and create a sense of belonging for customers across our bus networks.

Leading the way in accessible bus services   

Go-Ahead Group is committed to ensuring our buses, all over the world, are easily accessible for everybody.

Caring for our local communities and connecting them to their work, education, healthcare and vital social interactions is at the very heart of what we do and one of our Go-Ahead core values.

By prioritising accessible initiatives our customers can feel comfortable, safe and confident in using our services.

A focused Accessibility Taskforce

We established the very first, operator-led, transport accessibility taskforce uniting accessibility and customer service leads from across the bus division who meet bi-monthly to share industry and group best practice.

The group work with national and local disability groups and charities, by listening and learning from the lived experiences of customers to then co-design and co-produce initiatives, policies and vehicle designs. This continues to then provide innovative solutions to ensure a more accessible journey for all.

a child holding a lunch box in a bus a woman pushing a stroller with two children

Sharing knowledge

Go-Ahead’s Brighton & Hove Buses is a well-known leader in bus accessibility and part of the Accessibility Taskforce.

Brighton & Hove Buses implemented several measures to improve our services including:

  • Implementing the very first ‘Accessibility lead’ role and then subsequently the very first ‘Accessibility Department’ within the UK Bus Industry. This dedicated resource is a key reason why Go Ahead is now a recognised leader in bus accessibility.
  • Partnering  with Alzheimer’s Society UK, to introduce dementia friendly flooring across the entire fleet and dementia friendly moquette on the seating of all new buses.
  • Creating Helping Hand, an award-winning assistance card scheme which is co-designed with several disability organisations. Helping Hand provides bus users with a way to advise of any assistance they may require discreetly and directly. This is particularly helpful for customers with non-visible disabilities.
  • Hosting travel confidence building sessions and a Safe Haven Scheme within our travel shops have enhanced the areas into a community space. The schemes offer help and support to anyone requiring assistance or those unsure of their surroundings. We work in partnership with the local councils, The Alzheimer’s Society, Guide Dogs, local schools and many other charities and organisations to implement these initiatives.
  • Enhancing visual and audio information for all customers with many buses having increased space for two wheelchair bays and separate buggy bays.

 The UK Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood visited Brighton & Hove Buses and said:

“We want to build a transport system that works for everyone, and Brighton & Hove are leading the way in making this a reality for bus passengers.

Speaking with local disabled people it was clear how much they valued these services, and we want operators across the country to learn from this leading approach – enabling everyone to travel with confidence”.

Ed Wills, Managing Director for Brighton & Hove Buses:

“We continue to work with and learn from charities and organisations locally and across the UK. By listening and learning from the lived experience of disabled people including co-designing our policies, initiatives and new vehicles helps to ensure a more inclusive journey for all.”

We are now taking the many of the initiatives developed by Brighton & Hove and implementing them across other operating companies, ensuring these accessibility measures benefit customers throughout our networks.

Training drivers to support passenger needs

We have also partnered with the Sight Loss Councils to develop driver training that supports blind and partially sighted customers. Endorsed by the CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport) Bus Users UK, DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and CIHT (Chartered institute of Highways and Transportation), this training is now considered the gold standard for the industry and is freely available to operators throughout the UK.

On demand bus services

Our operating company, Carousel Buses, has introduced a Demand Responsive Transport service. This service operates on the concept of ‘virtual bus stops’, with services picking up and dropping off customers near where they want to start and end their journeys, without being constrained by physical infrastructure. This is a progressive step in making public transport more accessible to customers in rural communities.

 

Social care initiatives in Singapore 

At Go-Ahead Singapore we have made significant investment into ensuring public transport is inclusive and accessible to all.

  • Care Buses
    We worked with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) on the CARE bus initiative. This awareness campaign involved designing bus wraps on our service 358 to raise awareness for an inclusive commuting culture.
  • Helping Hands Scheme
    We first trialled this programme on our Singapore services in 2020. As a result of its success, it has now been implemented across all LTA bus and rail services.

Recognition and outcomes 

As a result of our initiatives at Brighton and Hove Buses, the Go-Ahead Group is the first owning group to achieve Leader status. This is the highest level for the UK Department for Transport’s Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme for bus and train operations.

Additionally, we have received accreditation from respected accessibility groups including Guide Dogs, Dementia Friends status and our Accessibility Lead at Brighton & Hove Buses and a key member of the Accessibility Taskforce, Victoria Garcia, is honoured with an MBE for ‘Services to disabled transport users’.

 

 

Mobilising the Manchester Bee Network contract   

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) chose Go-Ahead as its partner for the first two contracts as part of its plan to re-regulate bus services in the city region under its new Bee Network.

On 24 September 2023, the new franchise went live with Go North West (GNW) operating the first Bee Network buses from depots in Bolton and Wigan, marking the start of a new era for public transport in Greater Manchester.

This was, at the time, the largest and most complex mobilisation the UK bus industry had seen since deregulation 40 years ago.

A nine-month mobilisation period

To achieve the ambitious target for this large and multifaceted project, GNW formed a dedicated transition team (led by a Transition Director and Project Manager) with 10 functional leads and a 40-person team for recruitment, onboarding, induction, and training.

The mobilisation saw the successful overnight transfer of 50 routes from five outgoing operators with more than 550 drivers, two depots and 320 buses (including 50 new electric vehicles), as well as the installation of new ticket machines and software on all buses.

We undertook multiple initiatives to support the high-profile transition, including:

  • A brand new, award-winning recruitment and training programme branded Elite, designed to raise the profile of bus careers, access applicants beyond traditional target groups and provide a highly engaging learning environment.
  • A significant increase to our in-house training capacity including a new fleet of specially branded training buses and enlarged training team.
  • An industry-leading multi-channel colleague engagement programme to support and reassure the hundreds of employees eligible to transfer to us under TUPE from incumbent operators.
  • Contingency vehicles and 80+ drivers sourced from across our UK business.
  • Welcoming volunteers from across the Group to support throughout the transition weekend.

Measuring success 

These initiatives led to an overwhelmingly successful mobilisation. We saw several positive outcomes from our efforts, including:

  • A full team of drivers deployed from day one.
  • Punctuality improving by more than 10% in the first 12 months of operation.
  • Record level of recruitment and training, despite inheriting a 40% shortfall of drivers from the incumbent operators.
  • The development of a brand-new, industry-leading Operational Control Centre, which opened in September 2024, further enhancing performance.
  • Successful collaboration between GNW and TfGM to ensure deployment of 50 new electric buses and charging infrastructure from day one, supported by our Zero Emission Centre for Excellence.
  • High engagement levels with staff, positive union relations and promotion of a unified ‘one team’ culture, underpinned by an innovative ‘Get Up & Go’ internal values campaign.
  • Full Member status of Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.
  • Recipient of a Real Living Wage employer accreditation, delivering community benefits through job creation, training, and social impact initiatives led by our Social Value Manager.
  • Achieving ISO 14001 and 45001 accreditation earlier than planned. These international standards are awarded for success in delivering environment management systems and occupation health and safety, respectively.
“”
We have worked in partnership with Go North West to make bus franchising a success. In just a year we have seen patronage and punctuality significantly increase, revenue exceed forecast and the cost of operation fall. The job now is to continuously improve services in collaboration with our local districts and communities and we look forward bringing the rest of Greater Manchester’s bus network under public control from January next year. I’d like to thank the people of Transport for Greater Manchester and Go North West for all their hard work and commitment in achieving these results.

Vernon Everitt

Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester

Expanding the Bee Network

Since the successful mobilisation of the first Manchester Bee Network routes, Go North West has expanded its operations within the Bee Network.

The mobilisation of these contracts required the opening of a new depot in Denton in January 2025, creating additional job opportunities and further strengthening our contribution to the local community.

The successful mobilisation of the Manchester Bee Network showcases our expertise and capability to deliver high-profile, large-scale, and nationally significant projects with precision and impact.