The raise in the price of fuel is having a negative effect on most of the population, forcing them to leave their cars at home and take public transport in a bid to save money.This has of course had a positive effect on public transport, whereby one company in particular, Go-Ahead, have advised that the numbers of people using their buses has increased in the north by 7.2 per cent, and their rail groups in the south such as London Midland rail, have increased by 5.8 per cent.
As a business, Go-Ahead are targeting the right market of people, as they concentrate on the urban areas for their bus services, and this helps massively as these are the areas that are not only affected by fuel prices but are also being asked to pay high parking fees and congestion charges.
The business itself is a large company that has over 22 thousand employees up and down the country, and has on the road aprox 3,800 buses in the UK. In addition to this they also have a yellow bus project running in the US.
In relation to the energy rises, it is easy to think that Go-Ahead too would have been affected, especially when they are using about 115 million litres of fuel in the space of a year. However, because the company ‘hedges’ all their fuel purchases, they have managed to gain a supply at 41p a litre for the whole of this financial year.
Due to their money-saving efficiencies, this has meant that overall revenue is on the increase, which in Go-Ahead’s eyes is a positive start to the year.