Go-Ahead

We believe that responsible decision making and management is based on understanding and respect for local community needs. Stakeholders are central to informing and shaping our strategy by providing ideas, support and raising dilemmas.

Listening to stakeholders is not a simple matter. There will often need to be trade-offs between the conflicting interests of different stakeholder groups. As a company, our approach is to seek to engage with our stakeholders on issues of particular concern. Each of our operating companies has developed their own approaches to stakeholder dialogue, both formal and informal.

We pioneered the concept of the Stakeholder Board, first introduced by the Oxford Bus Company. The Board is invaluable in providing insight into stakeholder priorities, and has been adopted widely by Go-Ahead Operating Companies and others in the sector.

This year, we plan to build on the stakeholder board model at Southern through the development of a new Community Ambassadors scheme. Drawn from existing staff, local communities, ambassadors will represent and engage with local community groups to explain the benefits of rail travel.

You can find more information about operating company approaches to stakeholder dialogue in their respective reports, which you can find by clicking in the box to the right.

Wherever we can we work in partnership, as we believe that this offers to best approach to tackling our key issues. On environmental issues we have worked with the Carbon Trust on the reduction of our carbon footprint, and we are also members of Greener Journeys. This is a campaign to raise awareness of the role buses and coaches can play to help the Government deliver its carbon reduction targets by giving people a real alternative to private car use. On social and economic issues we work with a wide range of bodies, from local councils to the British Transport Police, and we seek to build strong relationships that deliver the best outcomes for our customers. Our operating companies describe their approach to partnership working on specific issues in their respective reports.