26 April 2010

Safety (and the environment) first for Lucketts

Enough fuel for 10 full-size coaches to drive the length of the equator will be saved by Lucketts Travel in the next year alone as a result of its new specialist driver training.

The award-winning coach company launched Safe and Efficient Driving (SAFED) training, which all its 150 drivers will have completed in the next few months, to make coach travel in the south an even safer and more environmentally-friendly option.

The SAFED course is an intensive seven-hour programme which begins and ends with drivers taking a Lucketts coach out on a designated route to compare fuel consumption before and after formal training.

With an average of 10% less CO2 emissions on the second drive of the day, Lucketts drivers are cutting the carbon footprint by twice as much as SAFED training sets to achieve.

The other main benefits of the Department of Transport backed training scheme is to reduce the risk of accidents and provide passengers with a safer and smoother journey.

Lucketts training manager and qualified SAFED instructor Ian Hills said: “The results so far, from the 30 or so drivers that have already completed the course, have been fantastic so we’re eager to get the remaining drivers started on the programme.

“At the beginning of the course everyone just expects me to tell them to drive slower but it’s actually more about thinking ahead than speed. What surprises the drivers is that they complete the designated route at the end of the training in practically the same time as they did on the first run.

“I’ve even had drivers come back thanking me for the improvement in their miles per gallon in their own cars which is great as it means we’re cutting CO2 emissions across the board.”

Paul Barringer, Lucketts sales director, added: “We always strive to provide our passengers with the safest and most comfortable journey so this specialist training is another way of going that extra mile for customers.”

Operating from its depot in Broadcut, Fareham, Lucketts is the leading coach provider for the south east and holds the Coach Tourism title of Best UK Holiday Programme.