In celebration of Learning at Work Week 2023, FTS staff have been taking part in programmes across First Bus aimed at learning, sharing expertise and collaboration.

Firstly, the Female Intentional Allyship Programme which is a six-month programme aimed at helping play a significant role in First Bus’s commitment to levelling the playing field in gender diversity.&nbsp; The programme was created to help improve female representation at leadership levels and it brings together over 100 female colleagues from all functions of First to work with 13 senior leadership mentors, two of which are FTS’ very own Kerry Lambson and Katie Johnson.

Over the course of the programme, the mentors and mentees cover a range of topics including body language, imposter syndrome, mindset and success.

Kerry and Katie will be using their experience to help the mentees navigate their career paths, giving support when faced with challenges as well as helping colleagues with their personal and professional growth.

We look forward to hearing more as the programme develops over the next few months.

Alongside the Female Intentional Allyship Programme, FTS Controller Jane Golightly has been taking part in First Bus’s Reverse Mentoring Programme.&nbsp; 

The new programme is designed to enable mentors and mentees from all business levels to get together and share experiences from their current roles and previous employment.

Jane is partnered with Martin McGowan, Marketing Manager at First Bus Potteries and together they will join forces to experience a ‘day in the life’ of each other, with Martin visiting FTS Control and Jane visiting the First Bus Potteries depot in Stoke-on-Trent.

Jane said ‘I am excited to experience a ‘day in the life’ with Martin and visiting one of the First Bus depots.&nbsp; Just imagine the wealth of shared experiences and knowledge that is going to be exchanged!

It is certainly something that challenges us to maybe come out of our comfort zone a little and gain new experiences we would not have otherwise had the opportunity to obtain. In addition, it gives us a chance to spread the word about what a great job we do in each department across the First Bus and the challenges we may face as a female member of the company.

This will allow us to identify if/where any barriers are and put an action plan in place to soften them.&nbsp; Also, to find out what we are doing well to ensure it continues and look at how it could be implemented in other areas. I feel this will enrich everyone's equality, diversity and inclusion greatly.”

Learning at Work Week 2023

Article

Well, recent research has shown that face to face has invaluable benefits!

Virtual meetings became a necessity during the pandemic, and many have continued since – but we all know how easy it is to be distracted in those online meetings or conferences, where the opportunity to multitask can lead to distraction.&nbsp; 

Data from an article on Zippia.com indicated that “employees multitask in at least 41% of meetings” and the most common multitasking behaviours in virtual meetings were checking e-mails (55%) texting (51%) snacking (45%) and social media (39%).*

The BTA commissioned the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) Economics team to prepare a report, issued this week, to understand the benefits of business travel and in person meetings.

It showed that over three quarters of those businesses interviewed found face to face meetings beneficial. Afterall we all find it easier to pick up the tone of our meetings when we can see each other in person.&nbsp; The report is available on The BTA website now!

So, if you do need to travel, and there are clearly good reasons to attend those conferences in person, then let us sort out your travel.

Give our expert team a call today on 0345 528 0270.

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* Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zippia.com/advice/meeting-statistics/" target="_blank">https://www.zippia.com/advice/meeting-statistics/</a>

Why bother with Face to Face when you can go virtual now?

What are the benefits of a corporate travel management company?

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Industry expertise

Both SMEs and larger businesses can benefit from the knowledge and experience of expert travel management. Choosing to work with a corporate travel company like FTS lets your team get on with their job whilst we sort out the details of all the travel requirements.

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24/7 support

Your own team aren’t always there 24/7, so they may not always be there to assist when things go wrong or you need to make changes. On the other hand, a corporate travel management company like FTS, has a 24/7 contact centre to help with your plans whenever you need it.

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Duty of care

By working with our expert team, you can ensure that all your corporate travel needs are covered in every way. Our 3 ISO accreditations give comfort that your people will travel in safe, reliable, and quality vehicles; all supporting your Duty of Care responsibilities.

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Compliance

We make sure all your travel from start to end is compliant.&nbsp; We make sure we are compliant by following our ISO standards and strict internal policies and procedures.

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What are you waiting for?&nbsp; Let us take the travel management for your next event off your plate and into expert hands.

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Give our team a call today on 0345 528 0270.

What are the benefits of a corporate travel management company?

It's that time of year again when the nights are dark and the temperatures are freezing!

This time of year is particularly dangerous for those who drive for work, such as taxi drivers or coach drivers.

Here are our top tips for safe driving this winter.

Car Checklist

As a professional driver, you also have the added worry of the safety of your passengers to think about.&nbsp; Keeping a kit in your car means you're prepared should you find yourself in a challenging situation.

Our winter car kit checklist includes:

<ul>
	<li>Blankets/extra clothing</li>
	<li>Hi-vis</li>
	<li>Food and water</li>
	<li>De-icer and ice scraper</li>
	<li>Portable phone charger</li>
	<li>Torch</li>
	<li>First aid kit</li>
	<li>Tow rope/jump leads</li>
</ul>

Winter Car Check

Making sure your vehicle is winter ready is highly important, particularly when driving on icy roads.

You should ensure:

<ul>
	<li>Screen wash, anti-freeze, and other fluids are topped up</li>
	<li>All lights are working including headlights and brake lights</li>
	<li>Tyres are inflated, have sufficient tread, and no tears</li>
	<li>Windscreen wipers are working correctly</li>
	<li>Battery is charged</li>
</ul>

Driving for the conditions

Make sure you drive according to the conditions so that includes driving slowly if required and knowing when to stop if visibility becomes an issue.&nbsp; If you enter a fog patch, switch your fog lights on and slow down, allowing extra space from the vehicle in front.

You can get further information from <a href="https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/winter-driving/">The RAC on driving in winter, and other weather conditions here.</a>

Winter Driving Tips

Booking a taxi or a bunch of taxis (known as a flock!) has never been easier right?

Well, right and wrong – there is a national shortage of taxi drivers which means it is difficult for them to meet the demand consistently.&nbsp; Booking direct has become increasingly difficult.

How can you make this easier?&nbsp; We’ve got our top 3 tips below:

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<ol>
	<li style="margin-left:8px">More journey time</li>
</ol>

Don’t guess – let experts help you work it out so your pick-up and drop-off times are accurate and take into account any external factors – like traffic or the impact of disruption from other modes. 

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<ol start="2">
	<li style="margin-left:8px">Book ahead</li>
</ol>

If you’re aware of the requirement for taxi travel, book in advance.&nbsp; And by advance, that can mean weeks or days ahead for some.&nbsp; If you know your proposed travel, get it booked now.

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<ol start="3">
	<li style="margin-left:8px">Book online with your own bespoke account</li>
</ol>

This means you can login in any time, easily book your taxi and track your vehicle when the time comes.&nbsp; Invoicing is all taken care of with one invoice and one payment each month.

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With FTS Taxi Online, you can book your taxi journeys and more, within your own bespoke account.

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Fast, efficient, and reliable

Our self-service platform allows your business to book travel requirements directly with us through our powerful client accounts portal.

Customisable to meet your business needs, create travel policies that suit your business rules, and empower your employees with the ability to book direct or book on behalf of others.&nbsp; 

Our client portal allows you to set budgets, spend limits, hours of operation and limit vehicle choices, and more.&nbsp; 

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<a href="https://register.firsttravelsolutions.com/">Click here to register for your account today.</a>

Top Tips for Taxi Travel

First Travel Solutions are proud to be nominated in this year’s Meeting Industry Association List Awards in the Supplier of the Year category and for two categories at the Taxi Summit Awards for Innovation and Aggregator of the year.

It’s the first time that First Travel Solutions have been nominated for these prestigious awards, from the MIA and Taxi Summit Awards and is symbolic of their visionary growth plans.

The MIA awards recognise and shine a spotlight on the meeting sector’s finest talent and recognise those who go above and beyond. &nbsp;FTS work with the sector now and will be growing the meeting and conference solutions more in 2023 as they support the sector with UK travel arrangements as more customers strive for sustainable ways to deliver their events holistically.

The Taxi Summit Award nominations are in two categories for Innovation – an award recognises an individual or team that has created an innovative product – which for FTS is their brand-new Taxi Booking Tool, a bespoke software plug-in that has been developed in-house at FTS and allows businesses to sign up and book travel wherever and whenever required. &nbsp;The Taxi Booking Tool allows businesses to sign up employees with accounts, makes invoicing simple and gives the user tracking and booking information in the palm of their hand.

They are also nominated for Aggregator of the year – awarded to the provider that consistently meets the needs of clients, which FTS have proven successful in throughout the last 5 years and fits perfectly with their promise to deliver better experiences for everyone.

To find out more about the awards and to vote please see the links below.

<a href="https://www.taxisummit.com">https://www.taxisummit.com</a>

<a href="https://www.mia-uk.org/miaList-2022">https://www.mia-uk.org/miaList-2022</a>

Award Nominations on board for First Travel Solutions as they continue to grow in 2022

Following a busy summer of festivals and events, First Travel Solutions are delighted to announce the appointment of Katie Johnson to the newly created role of Business Operations Director. &nbsp;The role is focused on improving our operations internally and externally to deliver the best experiences to our clients and their customers, as we continue to grow our business.

Katie joins us from e.on Energy (and previously First Direct Bank) where she worked for 14 years in senior operational &amp; strategic roles including leading change, digital operations and customer services during a challenging time in the energy industry.

Our “Why” at First Travel Solutions is Delivering Better Experiences and Katie is leading the team in ensuring this is delivered every time, at every event for our customers. &nbsp;Which means ensuring our people are having the best experience too.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We have recently been awarded the Rail Replacement contracts for Avanti West Coast and Katie and the team will be heavily involved in ensuring any disruption to clients and customers is minimal.

&nbsp;

Katie said of her appointment; “I am delighted to be joining First Travel Solutions at such an innovative time for growth in this sector. FTS are on a rapid trajectory to provide the best managed transport solution in the UK and I am ready to take the team to that next level in the excellence of operational delivery.”

Andy Scholey, MD of First Travel Solutions commented on the new role; “After a quiet 18 months during the height of COVID with many festivals, conferences and sporting events cancelled or closed to spectators we took the time to look inward at our business and identify what we needed in place to take FTS to the next level.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The appointment of Katie to the Business Operations Director role means that we can use Katie’s award-winning customer experience skills and change management knowledge to deliver the very best solutions to our clients. &nbsp;We have several projects being delivered at the end of 2022 and into 2023 that Katie will ensure are created and managed with customer experience at the heart of them.”

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The First Travel Solutions team will be at the Euro Bus Expo in Birmingham in 1-3 November and the Meeting and Events International Summit taking place in Manchester on the 26th of October.

New Business Operations Director for First Travel Solutions

We are pleased to be attending Euro Bus Expo again from 1st – 3rd November, after a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

We’re looking forward to catching up with industry friends and colleagues as well as meeting potential new customers and suppliers.

Come see us on Stand A58.

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Our Sales team will also be attending CHS Birmingham on Tuesday 1st November at the ICC Birmingham as a Delegate Wranglers stand partner.

&nbsp;The event showcases the event industry and we will be engaging with industry professionals to show how our managed transport solutions can help make events a real success.

&nbsp;We look forward to seeing everyone there!

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We're on the road!

Here at First Travel Solutions, we’re focused on providing services that have sustainability at their core.

The vital role of public transport has never been clearer in helping to address the challenges of climate change. 

In April 2021, our parent company, FirstGroup became the first bus and rail operator in the UK to formally commit to setting an ambitious, science-based target aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C and to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

And what does that mean?&nbsp; 

As a group, FirstGroup has made several commitments including:

<ul>
	<li>No more diesel buses purchased after 2022</li>
	<li>Encouraging the switch from private car journeys to our array of travel solutions</li>
	<li>To support accessibility and inclusion to enable people to make the switch to low-carbon travel</li>
</ul>

Being a division of FirstGroup, we’re at the heart of the drive to make travel more sustainable.

With a recent article suggesting that business travel will become ‘more purposeful’, you may find that you are having to justify the carbon cost of any travel that is involved with your meeting or event.

How can we help?

There’s much talk about running sustainable meetings and events at the moment and having properly managed transport for your meeting or event is an easy win - FTS can help organise all your travels needs meaning removing more cars off the road and switching people to coaches to get instant carbon savings.&nbsp; You might be thinking – a diesel coach?!&nbsp; But with advances in super-efficient engines, diesel is a lot better than it used to be!&nbsp; Clearly new sources of power such as hybrid, full electric and hydrogen are all future possibilities which are being trialled at the present time.&nbsp; Each presents its own challenges in terms of supply chain logistics to take over from diesel, so this can’t happen overnight.&nbsp;

Easily put:

<img alt="Picture of graph showing green transport options" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32ea11e4-58e3-4964-97e5-a44aeb2a0147" height="238" src="http://admin.firsttravelsolutions.com/sites/default/files/public/inline-images/Picture%201.jpg" width="426" /> 
(Graphic courtesy of <a href="https://www.cpt-uk.org/">Confederation of Passenger Transport</a>)

Next time you’re wondering how you can make your next meeting or event more sustainable and greener – just give us a call we’d love to help!

Call us on 0345 528 0270 or drop us an email at <a href="mailto:travel.solutions@firstbus.co.uk" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">travel.solutions@firstbus.co.uk</a>

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