Go-Ahead Nordic – a well-established company with a strong local foundation
The interesting alternative in an industry in need of development
Go-Ahead Nordic is the umbrella organisation for the Go-Ahead Group’s public transport operation in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. We work with bus and rail traffic.
Our focus is on contracts where we believe we can make a genuine contribution – and have a good chance of being successful. Consequently, our teams across the Nordics are constantly growing to adapt to the market. Our Nordic organisation has extensive know-how in rail and bus operations, and here we are strongly supported by our Group colleagues in the UK. They have tremendous experience and know-how of public transport. Go-Ahead runs the UK’s largest rail franchise. GTR – Govia Thameslink Railway, which accounts for nearly one in four passenger journeys nationwide. Go-Ahead London carries more passengers than any other bus operator in England.
In keen competition with various established companies, Go-Ahead Nordic won its first contract in 2018. It encompasses transport in Norway’s Transport Package South.
Content:
- Regional trains on Sörlandsbanen Oslo–Stavanger
- Local trains on Arendalsbanen
- Local trains on Jærbanen, in partnership with public transport company Kolumbus
- Contract period: December 2019 – December 2027, with a possible two-year extension
- Order value: NOK 5,800m, i.e. just over SEK 6,000m
The Go-Ahead Group – one of the UK’s largest rail operator
Go-Ahead Nordic is a part of the Go-Ahead Group, which has 27,000 employees, long-term owners and a raft of exciting contracts.
Go-Ahead runs the UK’s largest rail franchise, GTR – Govia Thameslink Railway, which accounts for nearly one in four passenger journeys nationwide and 23 % of all train journeys in the UK take place on Go-Ahead’s rail company. Go-Ahead London carries more passengers than any other bus operator in England. Every year we provide more than one billion passenger journeys every year worldwide.
The Group is also established in Australia, Ireland, Germany, Singapore and the Nordic region. Continued strong international growth is an explicit goal within Go-Ahead.
New Nordic player with extensive know-how
So here at Go-Ahead Nordic, we have a solid foundation in the Group with more than 30 years’ experience of public transport, development and public procurement. Within the group we work proactively to share experience, skills and resources, giving us a strong competitive edge.
Our business model
Our purpose is to be the local partner taking care of journeys that enhance the lives and wellbeing of our communities across the world. Delivered through our strategy:
Protect and grow the core
Win new bus and rail contracts
Develop for the future of transport
Reasons we’re successful
Approach
- Clear strategy
- Customer focused decision making
- Innovative and agile approach
- Long-term focus on sustainable outcomes
Resources and relationships
- Empowered people
- Expertise, experience and influence
- Strong relationships with strategic partners and stakeholders
- Investment in fleets and depots
Management
- Devolved structure
- Financial discipline
- Risk and appetite management
The Go-Ahead Group in figures
The Go-Ahead Group is founded in north-east England, 1987.
More than one billion passenger journeys a year.
23 % of all train journeys in the UK take place on Go-Ahead’s various rail companies.
More than 27,000 employees.
2 million bus journeys a day in the UK, on 4,700 buses.
2022 Go-Ahead was awarded "The most admired transport company" and received the highest marks in 7 of the 13 categories.
A long-term investment
Go-Ahead Nordic is part of an international group, with all the experience and resources that entails. Even so we are always local on each particular market, and our local organisation makes decisions based on local conditions. This means extensive authority and far-reaching responsibility. Our local decision-making power also lays the foundation for our employees’ unusually strong involvement in the operation. This, along with all the experience and knowledge of our British colleagues, ensures sensible, well-considered decisions.
Another aspect of our corporate culture is the long-term approach: we want to build strong partnerships rather than just a client/supplier relationship. Clearly defined shared goals make it far easier to do the right thing – and to monitor how well we are achieving our mission.
We have worked according to this philosophy in the UK for many years. There, we are a well-reputed company in an industry that has a great need for development. That’s why we place such great importance on cultivating curiosity and a pioneering spirit in all employees – along with a management style based on trust, a coaching attitude and far-reaching personal responsibility.
Our work approach also means that most of the employees involved in developing and winning new business then run the operation as the time to start services draws near. Experience has shown us that this produces the best results.
Intensive efforts with bids across the Nordics
The Go-Ahead Group has an explicit goal to grow through new contracts on the Nordic market. The entire Nordic public transport market is in a period of expansion, with various procurement bids in progress and new working methods. This makes the Nordic public transport market very interesting to us at Go-Ahead Nordic.
Several very interesting procurements will come in the near future, which means that we follow developments closely, carry out tenders and introduce ourselves in the industry. We have also established contact with a number of partners throughout the Nordic region.
Our offerings always focus on our passengers
The services in Norway are Go-Ahead Nordic’s first opportunity to showcase its concept in the Nordic region. It involves newly renovated trains, an innovative information solution both for our employees and passengers, as well as a unique service concept for a better travelling experience.
We have a local organisation in place in Norway, called Go-Ahead Norge AS. This means that we can adapt our conduct to local conditions, and take advantage of local interests along the various routes.
It feels incredibly inspiring to be involved in creating the public transport of the future, with the customer’s experience in focus. I’m very grateful to have the privilege to work in such a great team with all their caring and dedication. We’re highly driven, can-do people, but we also take care of each other. Basically, I love going to work! And that feels great
Jessica Östergren
Strategy & Insight Manager, Go-Ahead Nordic
Organisation
Our organisation is very much values-led. We care a lot about our culture and ensure that everything we do starts from our core values – this is how you build a successful organisation, one where every employee can grow and develop with their work tasks. This is why we also focus on providing an empowering corporate culture, founded on initiative and responsibility. We place great emphasis on our processes, which ultimately lead to satisfied customers. Throughout our organisation, we work with an interdisciplinary, processed-based approach.
This enables us to make sure we make sound decisions for our customers, and do not put our own internal interests first. This approach also enables us to better monitor and deal with change, new customer needs, new requirements and regulations.
Our industry is a traditional one in many ways, and we want to work for change, fresh thinking and new working methods. We are convinced we can succeed in this!
Our vision
Your journey. Our responsibility.
Here at Go-Ahead Nordic, we want to alter people’s perception of what it is like to travel sustainably and collectively. We are the interesting alternative in an industry in need of development We therefore tackle our assignments in innovative new ways: we see opportunities where others see limitations, and make decisions and take action while others are happy to wait and see.
Our method for achieving this is simple: we put the customer first. Always. We listen to our passengers, clients and business partners. We acquire skills, knowledge and proficiency, make adjustments and improve – in a continuous process of learning. We are analytical, agile and take action without unnecessary red tape.
Together with our passengers, employees, customers, clients and business partners, we want to create a brand new kind of public transport – and thereby achieve our vision. Your journey. Our responsibility.
Our core values
Our core values mean a lot to us. They advise and support us in our everyday, and serve as a gauge of what is right and fair. We always ask ourselves: are our actions in line with our values?
Trustworthy
We are reliable and keep our promises, in our contact with customers, business partners and society at large. We do our utmost to live up to and exceed our own expectations and those of others – whether this relates to keeping to timetables, maintaining our level of service or meeting specific needs. We strive to be local, with a local organisation that makes wise decisions.
Energetic
We push and we are proactive – we want to achieve something! We don’t wait for development, we drive it. We actively participate in the social debate, and always strive for improvement. This is why we are on the leading edge when it comes to creating the public transport of the future. We listen, act and implement; we are all doers. We constantly find new ways of dealing with old problems and truths.
Relationship-building
We build relations – it’s in our DNA. We create new contacts and meetings between people and places. And we can only do this if we nurture our relations with our customers and business partners. We build joint business and projects with other players. We aim for dialogue and development; we are strongest in positive collaboration; in meetings, we want to be perceived as business-like and easy to deal with.
Transparent
We communicate in an open, honest way through clear communication, inclusive leadership and active employeeship in order to solve challenges and learn from each other. Our approach is characterised by understanding, consideration and transparency, and we listen to and learn from each other in order to grow by sharing our successes and setbacks – as individuals and as a company.
Our service promise
We are here for you
We have high service ambitions, and always aim to provide a service or product we can be proud of. We see the world through slightly different glasses to other public transport companies – we are all public transport heroes! Our customers deserve to feel they are in control of their time and their entire journey. This is why it’s so important to us to allow all our employees to make decisions and take control. All so that we can do that little bit extra, go that extra mile. To be there, to take responsibility for our customers’ journey – even though it’s just a Tuesday like any other.