Practical information

Led by: Keith Trail (Head of Coach Stations)

Our Coach Stations comprise 27 locations across the network, consisting of a combination of Coach Stations, ticketing travel outlets and roadside operations. These strategically selected locations enable us to manage a punctual and safe day to day operation, whilst delivering a high level of customer service and on the day ticket sales.

Within this portfolio NEL operates 7 direct managed standalone Coach Stations - Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Plymouth, Southampton and Leeds.

Here the responsibility for site maintenance and safety lies with the Coach Station Manager. We also occupy operational space for ticketing outlets at 17 sites nationwide, with the remainder being roadside operations within the London area. In the South East regions, we have strong contracted relationships with Airport operators at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Gatwick airports. The remaining operations are roadside at Liverpool Street, Stratford and King's Cross.

Key Department Priorities:

• Safety is our priority and we will ensure customers and colleagues travel/work in an environment underpinned by our Driving Out Harm Golden Rules.
• Achieve or exceed our financial targets for the year.

Led by: Chris Cotterill (Safety Team Leader)

The Safety and Environment team are responsible for managing the Health, Safety and Environment management systems within National Express. The management system supports the National Express Driving Out Harm and Target Zero initiatives that aim to reduce harm in our business and operational activities.

The Safety and Environment support partner operators through engagement with operators regarding accidents and incidents on the network, involving employees, passengers, members of the public and vehicles.

The Safety and Environment team also completes annual audits with partner operators against UK Coach Safety and Environment Standard 8.4 Competence Management – Coach Drivers to ensure that driver management arrangements are in place and any gaps identified can be rectified. 8.4 Safety Audit results are used to help support and improve Partner Operators performance.

The team also supports accident/incident investigations in co-operation with partner coach operators. This includes significant vehicle accidents, assaults and anti-social behaviour.

Key Department Priorities

• Conduct annual safety audits against UK Coach SMS Safety Standard 8.4 Competence Management – Coach Drivers.
• Publish the outcome of audits to operators.
• Analyse all audit data to flag issues or concerns and implement actions to address root cause issues.
• Support accident/incident investigation

Led by: Neil Collins (Head of Planning)

Network planning are responsible for the following core functions namely the design, creation, management and optimisation of NX scheduled services across the UK. Network Planning delivers Punctuality Reviews and timetables to achieve the NX Group Right Time Every Time (RTET) objectives.

Legal Compliance: Network Planning team are responsible for the registration of NX services with the Traffic Commissioners and Transport for London (TfL).

Short Notice Planning: We manage the operator communication bulletins of the large number of planned road and location closures affecting the NX network each day. These are circulated as either Operator Bulletins where roadworks and diversions are required and Network Bulletins where a stop location is affected and maybe closed, moved to a temporary location and are issued directly to all operators.

System management of NetPlan which is the sole core source of data for all the sales channels across NX. Location Maintenance: Each location (stop) sold by NX has associated data, which feeds NetPlan and uTrack to enable vehicle tracking.

Stakeholder Engagement: Significant interaction with TfL, VCS, local authorities, all the major UK airports, in addition to NX partner operators.

Key Department Priorities:

• Produce when required all Operator and Network Bulletins that are issued to all partner operators and internal NX departments and staff as necessary.
• Designing and maintaining the network (timetables, routes, connections) and responding to changes in customer demand, changes to traffic and highway changes.

Led by: Sarah East (Head of Operations)

The Service Delivery team comprises 5 Service Delivery Managers who monitor the performance of circa 30+ Partner Operators who deliver National Express Services based on Key Performance Indicators. Monthly Evaluation Tables are published.

The size of Partner Operators vary from two vehicles to 100+, some family-owned businesses, some part of larger transport organisations. Our partners are supplemented by ‘owned operations’.

Key Department Priorities:

• Ensure operators remain compliant to National Express 8.4 Competence. Ensure Approved Driver List is populated and data is kept up to date (e.g. licence checks, medicals, defensive driving assessments etc).
• Liaise with the safety team and support with providing guidance on policies and briefings. Promote a safe working culture amongst operators. Assist with accident investigations and reporting.
• Discuss KPIs with operators, holding regular performance meetings with Key stakeholders. Monitor driver speed data via Tourmaline and driving performance via Drivecam and coaching effectiveness of designated persons within the operator.
• Liaise with Engineering on mechanical and technical matters and support operators.

Led by: Alastair Coxon (Head of Contracts)

The Contracts Department are responsible for setting the cost and contractual framework that supports the National Express network. The team negotiates the cost of operation with each Partner Operator based on the expected standards of all National Express specialist functions which are embedded into the National Express Operators Agreement (the contract).

The team also gives support to National Express specialist functions (Engineering, Service Delivery, Service Quality, Safety, Learning & Development, Network Planning and Finance for example) where contractual standards are not being met by utilising performance clauses in the Operators Agreement to facilitate improvement in performance.

Key Department Priorities:

• Management of cost of Scheduled Coach Hire
• Support Specialist functions to ensure the performance of Partner Operators

Led by: Sean Bailey (Marketing Director)

The Marketing departments are responsible for vehicle brand/livery, marketing adverts and customer facing information.

• Brand/livery standards are set to ensure all vehicles are instantly recognisable as being National Express.
• Vehicle adverts are one of our best free assets (excluding install costs) for advertising to new and existing customers.
• Customer-facing information standards are set to ensure all information customers consume whilst onboard our vehicles meet legal and brand guidelines.
• We work with the vehicle manufacturers, partner operators and graphic fitting agencies to implement and maintain on-demand business requirements.

Key Department Priorities:

• Ensure marketing materials in all customer touch points is valid, in good condition and compliant with business requirements
• Action any occurrences of non-compliance via 3rd party suppliers
• Install vehicle wraps in accordance with business priorities

Led by: Jon Western (Service Quality Manager)

The Service Quality Department is responsible for setting the expected Customer Standards linked to the National Express fleet of vehicles and drivers. The team conducts audits to check compliance of those standards as well as a range of other standards linked to the areas of National Express Brand, Safety and Compliance requirements.

The Service Quality Department also conducts specific audits and surveys to provide further insight into specific areas of interest or concern to help identify the root cause of issues and to surface information to the right areas of the business to help drive improvements. Examples of such are Overt Driver Accessibility audits, Covid-19 specific audits and CCTV focus checks.

Audits typically take place at either the starting point or turnaround point and driver audits are conducted both overtly and covertly from any point across the network. The Service Quality Department is the point of contact for any audit appeal. To make an appeal contact the Service Quality Manager.

Completed audits and management of resulting actions are through AuditForm.

Key Department Priorities:

• Conduct Monthly audits against vehicle / driver criterion: *Other audits / Surveys are conducted on an ad hoc basis as required.
• Publish the outcome of audits to operators.
• Analyse all audit data to flag issues or concerns and implement actions to address root cause issues.
• Issue overdue actions reports to Operators highlighting items for priority attention.
• AuditForm is the name of the National Express audit system. It is used by the Service Quality Team to capture the audit information and used by the operators to monitor the outcome of the audits and update actions taken to resolve any areas of non-compliance.

Led by: Jodie Williams (Accessibility & Inclusion Manager)

Accessibility and Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. As a business we want to ensure that customers have equal access across the network, promoting accessible travel. Our Accessibility and Inclusion Manager wants to ensure that we offer a welcoming, inclusive and non-discriminatory service to all our customers. This function provides strategic guidance and support to colleagues and partners so they are legally compliant and can deliver good practice in relation to equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights legislation. Overlooking your disability, accessibility and equality obligations could mean that you or your drivers are breaking the law. Please use our Accessibility & Inclusion resource to support you in this very important area.

Our Accessibility & Inclusion Manager will also support our Learning and Development team to provide the right resources to train your people. Furthermore, they will translate equality legislation into practice to support you in ensuring yours and our organisation meets statutory requirements as defined by the Equality Act 2010 and Passenger Rights 2013.

We want to see a reduction in accessibility and inclusion complaints from customers, this includes any complaints regarding discrimination, victimisation or harassment as identified in the Equality Act 2010. We also want to increase the number of disabled passengers travelling with us and start to measure customer satisfaction from disabled customers. In support of this, we identify new processes, procedures and practices that will help improve accessibility and inclusion to our services.

Relevant areas of focus for your operations are:

• Maintenance and reliability of passenger lift
• LOLER certificate compliance
• Maintenance and reliability of removable seat for wheelchair users
• Effective Disability Awareness training for all your employees
• Mandatory and regular Driver training for use of passenger lift
• Mandatory and regular Driver training for safe and competent configuration of removable seat for wheelchair users
• Acknowledgment of assisted travel bookings (including customers who use wheelchairs)
• Delivery of assisted travel bookings
• Drivers trained and aware of what to do when a ‘turn-up-and-go’ wheelchair user travels, safe operation of vehicle lift and wheelchair fitment onboard.

Key Department Priorities:

• Operator compliance to all legal obligations (Equality Act, Passenger Rights, PSVAR 2000 etc)
• Welcoming and confident drivers who deliver a safe and consistent service to all our customers.
• Ensure minimal customer complaints and other forms of discrimination and working towards an increase in bookings and positive engagement from disabled customers.
• Safe and reliable use of all specified equipment (passenger lift, magic seat) on every vehicle by every driver

• Service Coach: Scheduled Coach
• Dupe Coach: Duplication Coach
• NX Livery: National Express branding on the Coach
• Non NX Livery: Non-National Express branding on the coach
• Stand by Customer:Customer who doesn't have ticket for the specific coach
• U-Track: Coach tracking system
• Traffilog:
• Tacho Card:
• Tacho-break: Legal break required for driver after driving for certain hours
• Mileage: Distance in Miles
• Depot: Garage where coaches are based
• Shunter Driver: Driver responsible for safe movement of Coach from one place to another
• Owned Operation: Depots/Operation directly owned by National Express
• Third Party Operation: Depots/Operation sub contracted to third party
• Connection: Customer connecting with more than 1 coaches when travelling from one place to another
• Mis-connection: Customer who have missed the connecting coach when travelling from one place to another
• MA: Mobility Assistance
• NCC: Network Control Center
• NEL:National Express Limited
• NEAT: National Express Accessible transport
• NETS:National Express Transport Solution
• VCS: Victoria Coach Station
• BCS: Birmingham Coach Station
• TFL: Transport for London
• MAG: Manchester Airport Group
• DFT: Department for Transport
• OCS: Operational Control System (System for coach operation)
• SMART/Travel CAT: System for ticket sales
• TVM: Ticket Vending Machine
• OBT: On Board Ticketing
• RTA: Road Traffic Accident
• ETA: Estimated time of Arrival
• ETD: Estimated time of Departure
• SHE: Safety, Health and Environment (Reporting system)
• PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
• DOH: Driving Out Harm
• PGI:Planned General Inspection
• GDPR: General Data Protection Rules
• RMS: Revenue Management System
• PDR: Personal Development Review
• I-Learn: E-learning system to complete online courses
• CSAT: Customer Satisfaction
• SIP:Safety Improvement Plan
• QI: Quick issue ticket

iLearn - https://nationalexpress.learning.uk.com/login/index.php

the Hub - https://nel.ota.thehub.co.uk:8443/apollo-commander/login.xhtml

uTrack - http://nx.utrack.com/dashboard/login.php

OCS - http://nxnhocsremotes/ocs/login/login.cfm

ECR - https://nxcoach.ecr.co.uk/login?h=/Reports/FlexReports

Intranet - https://sites.google.com/a/nationalexpress.com/nationalexpressgroup/

Workplace - https://work-22187880.workplace.com/login

SHE Portal - https://sheassure.net/nxcoach/Portal/Portal/Index

Report an Incident - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dymK55NQ0CY-Gpi1rqworVccvspGZ1SeHkz-yq6iKCI/viewform?ts=5bffd1b7&edit_requested=true

traffilog - https://uk.traffilog.com/application/index.htm

IT self service - https://nationalexpress.my.salesforce.com

SHEassure - https://login.sheassure.net/core/login?signin=a56d1a323e3ae21f0765bcfa4bcdf333

iCase - https://nationalexpress.icasework.com

iTrent - Employee Self Service - https://selfservice.nationalexpress.com/ce0540li_ess/ess/index.html#/login

My Staff Shop - https://nx.mystaffshop.co.uk

Extra Miles - https://www.rewardbanking.co.uk/nax/ext/login.asp