News > Bakers Winning Streak Continues

Published 30 March 2011

Bakers Wins Environmental Business Award

We are very pleased and proud to announce that we ‘The Green Coach Company’ have won an Environmental Award at this year’s Sentinel Business Awards.

Passengers can take the smooth ride for granted– but with a Bakers’ Coach there’s a whole– world of back-stage activity contributing to it.

These range from continual waste and cost reduction to electronic system  monitoring drivers’ actions and providing feedback enabling them to improve their styles.  The latter is part of a ‘Green Road’ package which now goes far beyond being a computer system, having extended throughout the ethos of the Biddulph– based company. 

Now ‘The Green Coach Companies’ environmental achievements have been recognised by winning the Michelin Tyre plc– sponsored Environmental Business award, part of The Sentinel Business awards presented in association with North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Central to our environmental strategy has been the development of our custom– built company headquarters which, for the first time in Bakers Coaches’ 75 year history has brought the entire operation together on one site.  With 66 vehicles and more then 100 staff an awful lot of mains water was used, just for washing coaches and buses.  Now rainwater collected from the depot roof is stored in a 10,000 gallon tank and after filtering, is used in an automatic coach– wash. 

‘Using the ‘grey water’ is saving us 6.5 million litres of mains water’ said MD Phil Baker, ‘and to make most use of it 70% of it is recycled from wash off to wash off’.

Today’s garage is properly insulated, and heated by burning waste oil recovered from the fleet… a big leap forward from its draughty predecessors, the heating of which used to consume 10,000 litres of kerosene per winter. 

Phil goes on to say ‘We’re heating the building with some 5,000 litres of waste oil, which also saves on disposal costs and provides a comfortable working environment for workshop staff.  Our Coach Travel Centre may have been designed to make savings through environmental improvements, but it has also improved conditions for everyone here’.

Another major saving, with both cost and green benefits, is a concerted campaign targeted to reduce Bakers’ one million litres a year fuel consumption by 75,000 litres.  The most highly developed engines, fuel additives, and routine weekly visits from the tyre company are all part of that.  Driver training and development also plays a very important role in fuel reduction. 

Geoff Barker, Driver Trainer for Bakers Coaches comments that ‘As an industry we spend billions on technology for safety and fuel economy, but comparatively little on potentially the most variable factor… the driver’

Realising the folly of that approach, Bakers use smart tracking technology and Green Road which help with efficient scheduling, better vehicle use and customer service.  But the system goes much further than that.  On– board sensors constantly monitor forces acting on the vehicles, and drivers can view their performance via dashboard displays– adjusting their driving styles for best results. 

‘Road staff are already benefitting from a savings related bonus thanks to changed behaviour’ says Phil.

We also offer the opportunity to make your travel needs more environmentally friendly by becoming a Carbon Neutral Travel Partner.  As all businesses, organisations and schools move into 2011 there is a need set by the Government for us all to assess our Carbon Footprint in order to provide a more sustainable future.  Here at The Green Coach Company we offer you the opportunity to offset the carbon produced by your journey, thereby making it more environmentally friendly.

Example

A Private Hire going from Biddulph to London and return is 340 miles.  This creates 0.02 tonnes of CO₂ .  In order to offset this against a Clean Energy Portfolio the cost would be as little as £3.75 or for UK Tree Planting £13.50.