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Winner of Go-Ahead London's 500 Challenge competition for 2011 announced
05 October 2011
The winner of the 2011 MiX Telematics-sponsored 500 Challenge, a competition organised by Go-Ahead London to encourage, recognise and reward improved driving standards, has been announced. Following a closely contested 'eco-drive' between Go-Ahead London's 20 top drivers at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, driver Craig Honeyman from the company's Belvedere Garage emerged as overall victor to secure the contest's top prize of a brand new Fiat 500.
Commenting on his victory Craig said: "I'm over the moon. I came here feeling I could win – I know I can drive economically – so it was down to me to show I could put my skills into practice. I've only been driving for a year and I find the RIBAS system has definitely helped me improve. It regulates your driving. Also, in the build-up to the 500 Challenge, you know that if you exceed the set parameters you will be penalised, so it makes sense to focus on driving as economically as possible at all times."
Conceived as means to enhance operating performance by engaging and capturing the imagination of the company's 4,500 drivers, the 500 Challenge forms part of larger initiative known as the Go Green programme, which was launched in conjunction with the introduction of MiX Telematics' Fleet Manager solutions to the 1,500-strong Go Ahead London fleet in 2009. Since then, the initiative has delivered on-going and sustained success, including an 12 percent overall improvement in fuel efficiency. Consequently, a further 200 systems have been added to new vehicles introduced by Go Ahead London.
"Almost three years on and the MiX Telematics system is still delivering excellent results," says Go Ahead London Managing Director John Trayner. "The introduction of the technology, backed by comprehensive training and the 500 Challenge, has been an integral part of our Go Green programme as it has enabled our drivers to optimise their own individual driving style and sustain the improvement in the longer term.
"Moreover, since beginning the project we have gone on to identify additional ways of using the data to our advantage and now anticipate seeing further benefits in the future."
With each of Go Ahead's operating companies of London General, London Central, Blue Triangle and Docklands Buses represented, the finalists came together at Millbrook where the Proving Ground's experts evaluated the performance of each in a specially-designed Eco Challenge.
