Keith Middleton, Transport Managing Director, discusses the role Bidvest Noonan plays in providing a seamless, safe, and enjoyable experience for rail passengers.
Bidvest Noonan’s deep expertise, award-winning innovation, highly engaged teams, and commitment to sustainability are what make the company a trusted partner for thousands of customers across the UK and Ireland.
It has over 25 years’ experience in the transport sector, working with some of the largest rail and bus operators, providing security, cleaning, and support services, with its work impacting more than 14 million commuters and over 1.5 billion journeys every year.
“We help our clients to provide safe and comfortable environments for their passengers,” explained Keith Middleton, Transport MD at Bidvest Noonan. “Don’t take my word for it, come and talk to some of my customers.
“What you will get from Bidvest Noonan is the whole team dedicated to you, staying connected, staying in contact, and making sure that we are delivering what we said we would. We will bring new ideas to the table, we will bring innovations because we are doing that all of the time, and overall we will ensure great results.”
Bidvest Noonan efficiently cleans more than 10,000 vehicles across rail, light rail, and bus operations every day, never compromising on standards but ensuring the fastest turnaround times possible. When it comes to security, its employees are passionate about keeping people safe as they travel, and ensuring that goods are protected in transit.
Among its rail customers are many of the leading companies in the sector.
“It’s a family feel among the team, and we all care about doing a first-class job,” said Keith Middleton. “In this world of big businesses, none of our customers feel overlooked. At the end of the day, we are a large business in the transport sector, but every single one of my customers has a direct line to me.
“This year, our senior executives aim to meet all of our customers to hear directly from them. We have also got an excellent customer experience team who speak to customers independently to ensure we are doing a great job. These initiatives help to foster a more open-style relationship that also allows us to talk about other things and come up with other solutions.”
Innovation in transport solutions
To provide the best possible experience for customers and their passengers in the transport sector, Bidvest Noonan continuously invests in technology and systems to ensure it remains at the forefront.
A particular area of success is its efforts in keeping customers informed, investing in technology to provide real-time data and a bespoke 24/7 performance measurement solution. This allows reporting, auditing, tracking, monitoring, and risk identification to be easily managed.
“We’ve got Bidvest Noonan Task, which gives customers the data they are looking for, and enables us to capture in real-time the cleaning that is going on, or the security work we are doing,” said Keith. “For some customers, we have created a map so customers, at any time, can see the last time somewhere was visited, giving them real-time information.”
“What is pleasing though is the amount of times I go to a site and they’ve been trialling a piece of equipment or a new chemical. The team just do that naturally, and although in some cases those trials might not go anywhere, if you don’t do it, you won’t find out what is right for the market.”
One example of success has been with Go-Ahead London, in collaboration with Chela, in the development of a range of powerful plant-based cleaning agents for vehicle cleaning, depot cleaning, and facility cleaning. It was recognised in 2023 Green Apple Award, run by The Green Organisation, an international, independent environment group promoting best practice.
“We’re currently working with that supplier to build that portfolio of products out to bring to the market,” he said. “We are constantly trialling different chemicals to find the best solution for customers, while at the same time also offering them the best value.”
“There are also many other things we are working on, whether it is a new piece of equipment or a slightly different way of doing things, we always have our finger on the pulse. We recently invested in specialist vehicles that are fully equipped, ensuring our teams have everything needed to perform deep cleans. We are making significant investments into these new ways of working that ultimately enable us to work better and to do more than ever before.”
“The progress is driven by our innovation team and innovation centre, which is constantly trialling new products. For example, we recently brought in digital twin technology, with Bidvest Noonan purchasing cameras to map buses, trams, trains, or platforms and overlaying training instructions and health and safety information.”
“This is particularly useful when looking at different fleets that we are cleaning and taking new trainees through the different elements of this on a computer screen,” he said. “They still have to go and do the live environment training as well, but it is another step forward and an innovation that is going to bring to life the importance of what our teams do every day. Another thing for me is how I can use that to benefit the health and safety message in that environment. That is something I’ve really focused on in recent months, ensuring it is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.”
Operating in an ethical and socially responsible manner
Bidvest Noonan embeds sustainability into every facet of its business and is working with clients to maximise its environmental performance and protect the planet.
“We are working hard with our colleagues and supply chain partners to reduce our impact on the environment, from removing single-use plastics and minimising the waste we generate to embracing technological change,” added Keith.
Recently, the company announced the completion of its first comprehensive carbon footprint assessment, which adheres to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the Science-Based Targets initiative standards. The process involved a detailed analysis of emissions from the supply chain, employee commuting, and operations, with the company engaging with suppliers and various departments to identify key impact areas and opportunities for emission reductions.
“Sustainability is a key factor in our decisions and something we are passionate about,” explained Keith. “We have an electric-first policy in our business, many of our team members have transitioned to electric vehicles, and we are continuing to roll them out. By empowering our people and collaborating with our supply chain, we significantly reduce our carbon footprint. The progress we are making is important to both us and our customers.”