GPN Sweden – Merresor, has at the core of its belief that group transportation is both more climate and cost-effective means of transport. In addition, they use eco-friendly fuels and smart, future-driven solutions into the mix, enabling them to offer personalized transport solutions that leave a minimal impression on the environment.
Merresor is constantly actively working towards the reduction of carbon footprint through SMART driving whereas at the same time improving continuously operations in key environmental areas: fuel consumption, renewable fuels and energy use. All vehicles run on fossil-free fuels (e.g. HVO, RME, electricity).
Moreover, the Transdev Group – who is an advanced member of the UN Global Compact – is signed up to Fossilfritt Sverige, which has a goal of being fossil-free by 2030.
GPN Germany – Eberhardt Reisen started in 2014 with various environment activities outlined below
In 2014 they changed all old bulbs to LED lights in their head office and garage.
In the same year, they were the first bus company in their area which brought to use EURO6 busses. Since 2014 and until today their fleet has 95 % of EURO6 engines and the whole fleet is equipped with a fuel-saving system.
Additionally, they use a telematics system in their busses and coaches to reduce fuel consumption, wear of parts and reduce costs.
In 2016 they have installed a second solar system on the roof of their garage with a power of 80 kW.
Since then the system has a total power of 140 kW.
In 2019 they have changed their IT infrastructure from servers to a cloud system. No servers are needed anymore, which reduces electricity costs and they exchanged old computers and displays for new, more energy-saving equipment.
GPN Ireland – EI Travel Group has also adopted a series of sustainable and environmentally-friendly activities that include :
Installation of solar panels which give 11kW electricity on their roofs and this powers all their day time electricity.
Installation of a rainwater harvester for collecting water which is used for washing the coaches
Changing all exterior and interior lights to LED’s and the exterior ones to also have motion sensors so they only come on for a set period when someone is in the yard rather than on all night.
Double insulating all the walls in offices and garages
Replacing windows in garage and offices with double glazing
Replacing heat pumps for eco-friendly versions
Upgrading their telematics systems on coaches to give real-time information on the driving habits of each driver which we can then show their idling times, their braking, cornering etc so this will bring efficiencies and reduce diesel on the coaches.
Installation of new drainage around the diesel tank area as we believe some leakage was seeping into the water table.
Creating an HR policy on sustainability for all staff to understand the WHY behind the changes that are being made.
Introducing a Leave No Trace module in training for all drivers and guides.
Introducing a paperless driver check in the morning where it is done on an app on the driver’s phone and automatically uploaded for our transport manager to see.
Becoming a patron of “The Irish Native Trust” where they donate €1 from each of their day tour bookings to this charity. This charity plants native Irish trees all over the country every year and encourages the changing of land to plant our native trees.
Over the years, Grey’s of Ely member of CoachMarque – which is GPN UK – has implemented several low energy or environmentally responsible measures, most of which are listed below.
Building rainwater harvesting with capacity for 4,000litres to wash our vehicles with. Continuous investment in low carbon EuroVI vehicles.
Engineering Technicians that live greater than 20 miles from the depot given electric cars to get to work.
Removal of all paper-based roistering, work tickets, driver defect reporting – this is all now done electronically via portal and app.
All waste tyres are sent for remoulding or recycling.
Onsite fuel storage changed from below ground to overground to ensure no leaching into soil or watercourse.
Extensive vehicle telematics that automatically reports on vehicle idling directly to the driver reducing idle times by up to 800%.
All building lights both internal and external changed to LED and motion-activated.
Timber insulated wall cladding to the office area to absorb heat and sound to reduce heating requirements.
GPN Switzerland – Marti has set several environmental standards such as:
· Running a fleet of coaches and minibuses which all correspond to the Euro-6 emission standard.
· Implementing driver training for fuel economy.
· Planning routings to avoid unnecessary kilometres, emission and noise.
· The heating of offices runs with ground-water and have a 372kW-Photovoltaik solar system installed on their premises.
GPN France – Saybus and the REUNIR network, have been investing in the energy transition and clean transportation for years. They have been implementing eco-mobility solutions in the network by investing in organic CNG vehicles, electric vehicles and creating working groups on hydrogen.
Their know-how in this field and their technologies include :
✅ CNG vehicles
✅ 100% electric and autonomous shuttle
✅ 100% electric vehicle
✅ Hybrid vehicle
✅ « Cassiopée » the REUNIR eco-driving training tool
✅ « Vélunir » bicycle solution
🕓 Hydrogen vehicles
Moreover, on their operating sites, they have created processes for recycling waste, waste sorting, oil treatment, etc. with the first High Quality built in the region of Paris and Brittany. These sites were built with recycled materials, treat and recycle rainwater for coach cleaning and have installed solar and wind panels to reduce dependency on electricity produced by nuclear power plants.
GPN Lithuania – Ollex is a transportation leader within the Baltic states and has put significant effort towards being a more sustainable business. The first thing that Ollex has been doing is making sure that all the busses that are used meet European ecological standards.
To minimize the levels of emission, the company is using new buses that are more energy-efficient and in the meantime, when planning trips for different clients, the team tries to create the most efficient trip so that the bus would travel further distances with less fuel.
GPN India – Prasanna Purple is a company committed to ensuring its activities are focused on a clean and green environment, free of pollution.
A major Green Project implemented in this direction is the Purple City Bus providing multiple benefits that include:
Easing the traffic congestion – 1 bus is equal to 10 cars
Using CNG buses that are even more environmentally friendly
Safety on the road as driving a bus is 79 times safer than an automobile
Cost-effectiveness – based on an APTA study, using public transportation can reduce household expenses significantly
Improvement of air quality through the use of public transportation means less pollution emitted in comparison to single-passenger automobiles.
Offers independence to citizens that do not own a private vehicle
GPN India – Prasanna Purple has also been a pioneer in India operating India’s first inter-city electric bus service taking a leadership position to acquire and start India’s first inter-city electric super-luxury bus service for the Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai route.
For this routing (between Pune and Mumbai) a newly-commissioned pure electric 43-seater bus that has a length of 12 m and is a 2×2 luxury coach will run ensuring a comfortable journey for its passengers whether travelling for business or leisure. Some of the features of this bus include entertainment facilities, ample luggage space, in-built USB charges and comfortable seats. Moreover, Prasanna Purple has set up a charging station for the bus at Pune and Mumbai thus enabling the bus – once fully charged for two hours – to travel up to 300 km at a top speed of 100 km per hour.
The launch of this routing with an electric bus has been triggered by the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) announced by the Government of India which aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting electric vehicles in the country.
Given the fact that electric buses promise zero tailpipe emissions and a reduction in air pollution, this is a very important initiative of Prasanna Purple especially considering the major amount of diesel consumption of the transport sector in India which accounts for about 70% of the sale of diesel whereas 9.55% of that accounts for buses. The expectation is for electric vehicles to be adopted by the entire nation by 2030 as a future way of transportation with the electric bus playing a major role in this development.