National Express Accessible Transport celebrates its first birthday
Some of the NEAT team
National Express Accessible Transport (NEAT) is celebrating an exciting milestone this week as it marks its first 12 months in operation.
On 1 August 2019, NEAT officially became part of National Express Group, securing hundreds of jobs across the West Midlands and saving vital transport services for those in the community that need it most.
The leading transport operator immediately set about making changes to turn a good service into a great service, delivering a number of improvements along the way. And with NEAT now celebrating its first birthday it is showing no sign of stopping.
Vinay Parmar, Managing Director of National Express Accessible Transport, said:
“I’m incredibly proud of what NEAT has achieved in its first year. Right from the beginning we’ve been absolutely determined to raise the bar on the service and standards for our customers and our staff - and the feedback has been incredible.
“We’ve invested in our people, in our vehicles and in digital technology to help drive up standards and transform the delivery of accessible transport services for the most vulnerable members of society.
“The recent pandemic has been difficult for the whole country, including us here at NEAT, however I take great pride from how we worked closely with our partners and found new ways to serve our community.
“With many of our customers not travelling and with schools mostly closed, we quickly repurposed our fleet and drivers to support with the delivery of food parcels for Birmingham residents that were shielding and provided free staff shuttle services for frontline NHS workers across the West Midlands.
“To mark our first birthday celebrations I would like to thank teams right across our business, and of course the customers and partners we’ve worked with over the last 12 months. The support has been fantastic and I look forward to continuing our work together in what is a very exciting future in the accessible transport market.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
"I'd like to congratulate NEAT on a strong first year and for making a real difference to accessible transport across the region.
“During the coronavirus pandemic we worked very closely with the NEAT team to use their vehicles as shuttle services for NHS workers – and how brilliant that more than 10,000 journeys were made on these services.
“This was a brilliant achievement and a great way to cap off NEAT’s first year in the region.”
National Express Accessible Transport operates TfWM’s Ring and Ride door-to-door transport service for more than 20,800 registered users across the West Midlands. The service is available for anybody who is unable to use conventional public transport due to mobility issues or social isolation. Those wishing to use the Ring and Ride service can register at www.ringandride.org.
NEAT also operates home-to-school contracts, providing specialist transport provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities on behalf of several local authorities.