09/12/2013 - Lucketts helps Arqiva reduce car journeys in Winchester
Staff transport deal follows a successful three-month trial.
Lucketts Travel Group has just signed an important new contract to provide a full time work place travel scheme for Arqiva. The deal follows a successful three-month trial.
Facing a need to reduce the number of cars arriving at its Hampshire HQ, Arqiva turned to the South Coast's leading coach travel company to help find a solution. The international communications company employs more than 2000 staff, with many of them based at the Crawley Court offices outside of Winchester. Parking space is at a premium so a new approach was required to reduce the number of cars on site.
Lucketts Travel Group already runs employee travel schemes for a number of important companies in Southern England. Fuel efficient modern coaches help to reduce the impact of staff travel on the local environment, reducing congestion and helping to deliver a less stressful journey to work.
The three month trial saw a 21 seat mini bus make regular return journeys from Winchester Railway Station to Arqiva's HQ five miles away. An iPad on board was used to record the number of passengers, with staff also inputting details of the type of transport they would have been using if the bus service wasn't available. Demand for the free travel scheme was high, so much so that when it was made permanent a larger 33 seat vehicle was purchased for the scheme.
Mark Ransome, project lead for the transformation at Crawley Court says, "I am really pleased to announce the new service, which will cater for our increased demand with a modern vehicle. Hopefully we can encourage more people to use the bus to help us improve our car parking situation, be greener and contribute to making Crawley Court a great place to work."
Visitors making their way to Arqiva's offices are also able to use the complimentary service, cutting the number of more expensive taxi journeys. The bus starts at seven in the morning, running throughout the day into the evening rush hour, with additional pick up and drop off points along the route on Stockbridge Road.
Paul Barringer, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Lucketts Travel Group said "Workplace travel schemes are an increasingly important part of our business, with companies across Southern England keen to cut the amount of congestion in and around their businesses. We knew that Lucketts Travel Group could help Arqiva reduce the number of cars arriving at its offices every day. The service is a more attractive option than using a car for a large number of office based staff, and is better for the environment too."
Lucketts Travel Group is a family firm, based in Fareham. It operates a fleet of more than 100 modern luxury coaches and has won numerous awards for the quality of its services.