A former member of the Go-Ahead graduate scheme has been appointed as Reading Buses new Engineering Manager.
It was Sam Nolan’s dissertation on the effectiveness of hybrid vehicles that so impressed the Go-Ahead Group that he was put forward for their engineering based management graduate scheme.
Sam, 30, who gained a BEng in Mechanical Engineering at Oxford Brookes University, joined the Go-Ahead Group in 2013, spending his first year gaining experience with their different operating companies in London, Newcastle, the South Coast and Oxford.
One of the highlights of his training was looking at a new policy for fuel effectiveness between vehicle types and a group policy for changing wheels. His work on this policy resulted in wheels across the entire group being fitted and maintained to the same standard in 2014.
For the last three months he was self-employed, working for Go-Ahead in Dublin where they had set up a new bus garage. This involved putting procedures in place to assist the chief engineer with project work, budget forecasts and money saving policies.
He plans to utilise the knowledge and skills he has gained to the benefit of Reading Buses and its customers. “As part of my role I will be focusing on what is best for our customers, trying to make sure they receive the best possible service, particularly the morning service,” said Sam.
“I shall be trying to implement more effective planning as well as improving preventive maintenance – so maintaining the vehicles to a high standard to ensure they don’t break down. I also want to increase efficiency and also reduce the amount of time buses are spent off the road.”
Reading Buses currently has a fleet of over 200 double deck and single deck buses and employs a total engineering staff of 45.
Sam, who is married and lives in Oxford, is commuting to Reading using bicycle and train. His hobby is 10k obstacle course races.