MEMBER NEWS


Driving excellence forward and supporting the local community


Plymouth Citybus have been honoured with not one but two major awards, establishing it as an industry leader.


“We are over the moon to have not only been


shortlisted for a Queen’s Award, but go on and win one for social mobility,” said Richard Stevens (pictured), Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus and Go South West. “It is a huge honour and really goes to show


the amount of pride each and every member of the team takes in providing a valuable service.” The Milehouse-headquartered firm, which


employs 561 people in Plymouth carrying more than 16 million passengers a year, has received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, receiving praise for helping disadvantaged people get into work. It was honoured in the Promoting Opportunity


I


t’s been almost a decade since Plymouth Citybus began a new era as part of the Go- Ahead group. And while the past few months have been


anything but calm in the transport sector, the teams at the industry-leading Citybus can at least reflect on a decade of groundbreaking excellence in their field. Their achievements, progress and innovation


have been crowned with two major accolades in a matter of weeks – awards that crucially recognise its impact on its community. They are the Queen’s Award for Enterprise –


the highest honour that can be bestowed on a company – and the Investor’s in People Award for Platinum Status, honoured to just a handful of firms at the very pinnacle of excellence. The awards come in the same quarter that its


sister company Go Cornwall Bus was awarded a major eight-year contract – and has since launched - to deliver subsidised bus services in Cornwall, with improved frequencies and routes, reduced fares for passengers, better links with rail, integrated school transport services and more environmentally friendly buses.


category for its work assisting the “most vulnerable and disadvantaged” find employment. As the firm put it: “Plymouth Citybus doesn’t


just help people get from A to B. It helps people move through life”. It was also rewarded for its groundbreaking


work to help disadvantaged people get to their place of employment and for providing services that would otherwise have been scrapped when subsidies were removed. Richard added: “I am extremely proud that Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall Bus (a sister company) again punch above its weight and achieve something that is truly remarkable. We will soon be putting plans in place of how we celebrate this with all.” Citybus has also been honoured by Investors


in People with platinum accreditation. Platinum is the highest level of accreditation


possible - something only two per cent of organisations achieve. It means policies and practices around supporting people are embedded in every corner


of Plymouth Citybus. And in a platinum company, everyone – from the CEO to a customer services apprentice – knows they have a part to play in the company doing well and is always looking for ways to improve. Plymouth Citybus is believed to be the first


transport company – of any mode - within the UK to receive platinum accreditation. It reflects both its investment in its employees and the time and money spent supporting the community through sponsorships, sporting events and charitable giving. “Investors in People has never been about


wearing a badge, it has always been a tool to help shape a working environment that truly puts people at the centre of everything the company does,” said Richard. “Achieving Platinum accreditation was far


from easy, at lot of people have put a lot of work in, to create an environment where change is embraced, where people can genuinely thrive. “Looking back on our Investors in People


journey, our company is unrecognisable in the way it behaves, together we respect difference and collaborate at every opportunity to achieve collective and individual success.”


Visit: www.plymouthbus.co.uk


6Chamber Profile Summer 2020


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