.Who we are? [an introduction to our competencies]SUSTRACO (The Sustainable Transport Company), based in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Hong Kong and Iran. We are a member of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and have been involved with working groups regarding climate change. We promote, develop and install sustainable, environmentally-sound public transport systems utilising Ultra Light Rail and other technologies. We provide intelligent, cost-effective answers to the movement of people and goods both within the urban and rural environment. SUSTRACO is probably one of the most experienced organisations in this field Worldwide. We have tailored our services to meet the needs of developed and developing countries alike by providing solutions dependent on customers’ needs and funding.SUSTRACO is an independent company and has the ability to investigate the marketplace. We work in conjunction with companies globally, that have developed or are developing, cost-effective, innovative, sustainable and environmentally-sound solutions to the increasing problems associated with road traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and energy security. Visit ourservicespage to see how we can help you achieve your own goals.James Skinner, MA (Oxon), Chairperson is an environmental economist with wide international experience, especially in Africa and the Middle East. He owns two companies (Sustraco Ltd and Bristol Electric Railbus Ltd – BER) He is also a director of AgGrowGas Ltd, a new company specialising in the installation and operation of low-cost, flexible-capacity, Anaerobic Digestion plants for the production of biomethane from organic wastes. James is a Trustee of the Organic Research Centre and the New Economics Foundation. Colin Jefferson, PhD, CEng, MIEE, Technical Director is a chartered electrical engineer and has over the past 20 years specialised in the design of hybrid power systems for urban transit vehicles. He is responsible for the research and development activities of the company, which have included, a project funded by The Carbon Trust, to demonstrate the economic and technical feasibility of a zero emission, energy efficient, fuel cell hybrid light rail vehicle for urban transit operations. From 1997 to 2001 he worked on a European Project to develop a hybrid power system for a 30t light rail vehicle. He had particular responsibility for potential end-user liaison. This gave him significant insight into the needs of public transport operators throughout Europe. The vehicle was successfully demonstrated in Alsace in 2001. Renshaw Watts, FRICS, Director (Real estate/project co-ordination), Before becoming a Director of Sustraco and BER, Renshaw was a Director at Prudential Property Investment Managers Limited, one of the UKs largest institutional property investors. He is currently founder and director of Revera Limited, offering comprehensive property consulting advice on behalf of a portfolio of established organisations. Clients include: Swiss Re Life & Health, Mercantile & General Reinsurance Company Limited, Prudential Limited and CityReach International, together with a number of private and other corporate clients. Clive Hinchcliffe, AIRO, Business Development Manager (Europe) has in excess of 30 years’ experience acquired in the operationalisation of transport systems and railway management with London Transport. Clive is an Associate of the Institute of Railway Operators. He received a commendation for his work undertaken as part The Safety-on-the-Track Project. His involvement enabled him to make use, develop and apply, training programmes in LFPs. Using participatory approaches, working with key stakeholder groups within the industry and communities to plan acceptable solutions (both technical and organisational) at project implementation stage. Working in a safety related culture, he was also commended for his risk assessment skills and his personal recommendations for one of the Underground’s tunnel strengthening projects. Clive has acquired station, train and service control management experience following the introduction of a new management structure within one of the Underground’s Business Units. He founded Passenger Transit Systems (PTS) in 1994 to develop and promote the introduction of sustainable transport systems. PTS became part of a network of organisations working in partnership under the auspices of Sustraco. In his current role as Sustraco Business Development Manager (Europe), he represents the company’s interests with the EU, UITP and the many NGOs based in Brussels. Robin Wolfendale, Technology Consultant, Associate Since 1997, Robin has been actively engaged both as a principal and as a consultant in the development and project management of innovative technologies with a focus on rail and civil engineering. Clients have included Halcrow, Mott MacDonald, Balfour Beatty, Huntsman Chemicals and GrantRail. Projects completed include the development and proving of non-metallic reinforcement for reinforced concrete construction [working alongside Halcrow] including the establishment of a processing plant for its manufacture in the Middle East and the development of an innovative railway track system using advanced polymeric materials in collaboration with Balfour Beatty Rail Limited [one of the largest railway construction and maintenance companies in the world]. He was also appointed Project Director for the Centre for Environmental Research and Technology Transfer, a government funded project which aims to leverage out environmental technologies from Universities and into SMEs. In 2002, he secured a UK DTI SMART Award to fund the development of an assembled Embedded Rail system for cost-effective track construction. This system has now secured grant of a patent and has been applied in the UK and Italy. A further development of this system has also been installed in South Africa. More recently, Robin has been retained as Business Development Manager for ALH Rail Coatings with the remit to broaden the application of advanced polymeric materials to railway track construction in particular for embedded rail. ALH Rail Coatings Limited is a joint venture between GrantRail Limited (a VolkerWessels company) and Dow Hyperlast (part of the Dow Chemical Company).Robert Chard (Bob), Associate MA, BA, M.Phil, Dip Town Planing, MRTPI, has over 40 years experience working as a town planner both in the UK and overseas. For the last 20 years, he has worked mainly on major transport infrastructure developments in London and South East England with particular responsibilities for town planning and environmental aspects or project development and evaluation. He has particular expertise in evaluation and consents’ procedures for railway, light rail and bus-way projects; planning, transport legislation, government policies and advice to project promoters. Between 1997 and 2007, he worked as a Principal Transport Planner for the London Borough of Greenwich where he had special responsibility for the management and co-ordination of the Council’s responses and inputs to proposals for 10 major transport infrastructure projects which involve over £2 billion of investment in new transport infrastructure in the Borough. Between 1989 and 1996, he was town planning and consents adviser to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project. Bob is also an Associate of Temple Group town planning and environmental consultants.Rob Borland, Professional Consulting Engineer and Associate.MScRob is an environmentalist with 20 years’ experience in research in engineering combined with a thorough understanding of ecosystems, the environment and how engineering, technology and nature can be synergised. Originally from Zimbabwe, Rob came over to the UK in the late eighties to study agricultural engineering. He contributed significantly to the invention, design and development of a water driven irrigation rig and to the world's first custom designed and built zero-tillage drill (direct drill). Whilst undertaking his MSc in Research in Engineering, he invented and patented a new type of zero-tillage planter, after which he worked for JCB Excavators as a development engineer on a number of projects overseeing the design and development of the JCB Miniscopic (a new, innovative mini telescopic handler, from a clean sheet of paper). Rob now runs his own engineering design and development company called BHE Solutions Ltd specialised in sustainable design, consulting, teaching and training, development engineering and project management. He is also working on getting the zero-tillage planter into the market whilst acting as the business director for AgGrowGas Ltd (specialised in the installation and operation of low cost, flexible-capacity, anaerobic digestion plants).Visit our services page to see how we can help you achieve your goals. Registered Office: Ashgrove Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6LYCompany number: 3531943
.
Who we are? [an introduction to our competencies]
SUSTRACO (The Sustainable Transport Company),
based in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Hong Kong and
Iran. We are a member of the International Association of
Public Transport (UITP) and have been involved with
working groups regarding climate change.
We promote, develop and install sustainable,
environmentally-sound public transport systems utilising
Ultra Light Rail and other technologies. We provide
intelligent, cost-effective answers to the movement of
people and goods both within the urban and rural
environment. SUSTRACO is probably one of the most
experienced organisations in this field Worldwide. We
have tailored our services to meet the needs of
developed and developing countries alike by providing
solutions dependent on customers’ needs and funding.
SUSTRACO is an independent company and has the
ability to investigate the marketplace. We work in
conjunction with companies globally, that have
developed or are developing, cost-effective, innovative,
sustainable and environmentally-sound solutions to the
increasing problems associated with road traffic
congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and energy
security. Visit our services page to see how we can help
you achieve your own goals.
James Skinner, MA (Oxon), Chairperson is an environmental economist with wide international experience, especially in Africa and the Middle
East. He owns two companies (Sustraco Ltd and Bristol Electric Railbus Ltd – BER) He is also a director of AgGrowGas Ltd, a new company
specialising in the installation and operation of low-cost, flexible-capacity, Anaerobic Digestion plants for the production of biomethane from
organic wastes. James is a Trustee of the Organic Research Centre and the New Economics Foundation.
Colin Jefferson, PhD, CEng, MIEE, Technical Director is a chartered electrical engineer and has over the past 20 years specialised in the design of
hybrid power systems for urban transit vehicles. He is responsible for the research and development activities of the company, which have
included, a project funded by The Carbon Trust, to demonstrate the economic and technical feasibility of a zero emission, energy efficient, fuel
cell hybrid light rail vehicle for urban transit operations. From 1997 to 2001 he worked on a European Project to develop a hybrid power
system for a 30t light rail vehicle. He had particular responsibility for potential end-user liaison. This gave him significant insight into the needs
of public transport operators throughout Europe. The vehicle was successfully demonstrated in Alsace in 2001.
Renshaw Watts, FRICS, Director (Real estate/project co-ordination), Before becoming a Director of Sustraco and BER, Renshaw was a
Director at Prudential Property Investment Managers Limited, one of the UKs largest institutional property investors. He is currently founder
and director of Revera Limited, offering comprehensive property consulting advice on behalf of a portfolio of established organisations. Clients
include: Swiss Re Life & Health, Mercantile & General Reinsurance Company Limited, Prudential Limited and CityReach International, together
with a number of private and other corporate clients.
Clive Hinchcliffe, AIRO, Business Development Manager (Europe) has in excess of 30 years’ experience acquired in the operationalisation of
transport systems and railway management with London Transport. Clive is an Associate of the Institute of Railway Operators. He received a
commendation for his work undertaken as part The Safety-on-the-Track Project. His involvement enabled him to make use, develop and apply,
training programmes in LFPs. Using participatory approaches, working with key stakeholder groups within the industry and communities to
plan acceptable solutions (both technical and organisational) at project implementation stage. Working in a safety related culture, he was also
commended for his risk assessment skills and his personal recommendations for one of the Underground’s tunnel strengthening projects. Clive
has acquired station, train and service control management experience following the introduction of a new management structure within one of
the Underground’s Business Units. He founded Passenger Transit Systems (PTS) in 1994 to develop and promote the introduction of
sustainable transport systems. PTS became part of a network of organisations working in partnership under the auspices of Sustraco. In his
current role as Sustraco Business Development Manager (Europe), he represents the company’s interests with the EU, UITP and the many
NGOs based in Brussels.
Robin Wolfendale, Technology Consultant, Associate
Since 1997, Robin has been actively engaged both as a principal and as a consultant in the development and project management of
innovative technologies with a focus on rail and civil engineering. Clients have included Halcrow, Mott MacDonald, Balfour Beatty, Huntsman
Chemicals and GrantRail. Projects completed include the development and proving of non-metallic reinforcement for reinforced concrete
construction [working alongside Halcrow] including the establishment of a processing plant for its manufacture in the Middle East and the
development of an innovative railway track system using advanced polymeric materials in collaboration with Balfour Beatty Rail Limited [one of
the largest railway construction and maintenance companies in the world]. He was also appointed Project Director for the Centre for
Environmental Research and Technology Transfer, a government funded project which aims to leverage out environmental technologies from
Universities and into SMEs. In 2002, he secured a UK DTI SMART Award to fund the development of an assembled Embedded Rail system for
cost-effective track construction. This system has now secured grant of a patent and has been applied in the UK and Italy. A further
development of this system has also been installed in South Africa. More recently, Robin has been retained as Business Development
Manager for ALH Rail Coatings with the remit to broaden the application of advanced polymeric materials to railway track construction in
particular for embedded rail. ALH Rail Coatings Limited is a joint venture between GrantRail Limited (a VolkerWessels company) and Dow
Hyperlast (part of the Dow Chemical Company).
Robert Chard (Bob), Associate MA, BA, M.Phil, Dip Town Planing, MRTPI, has over 40 years experience working as a town planner both in the UK and overseas.
For the last 20 years, he has worked mainly on major transport infrastructure developments in London and South East England with particular
responsibilities for town planning and environmental aspects or project development and evaluation. He has particular expertise in evaluation
and consents’ procedures for railway, light rail and bus-way projects; planning, transport legislation, government policies and advice to project
promoters. Between 1997 and 2007, he worked as a Principal Transport Planner for the London Borough of Greenwich where he had special
responsibility for the management and co-ordination of the Council’s responses and inputs to proposals for 10 major transport infrastructure
projects which involve over £2 billion of investment in new transport infrastructure in the Borough. Between 1989 and 1996, he was town
planning and consents adviser to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project. Bob is also an Associate of Temple Group town planning and
environmental consultants.
Rob Borland, Professional Consulting Engineer and Associate. MSc
Rob is an environmentalist with 20 years’ experience in research in engineering combined with a thorough understanding of ecosystems, the
environment and how engineering, technology and nature can be synergised. Originally from Zimbabwe, Rob came over to the UK in the late
eighties to study agricultural engineering. He contributed significantly to the invention, design and development of a water driven irrigation rig
and to the world's first custom designed and built zero-tillage drill (direct drill). Whilst undertaking his MSc in Research in Engineering, he
invented and patented a new type of zero-tillage planter, after which he worked for JCB Excavators as a development engineer on a number of
projects overseeing the design and development of the JCB Miniscopic (a new, innovative mini telescopic handler, from a clean sheet of
paper). Rob now runs his own engineering design and development company called BHE Solutions Ltd specialised in sustainable design,
consulting, teaching and training, development engineering and project management. He is also working on getting the zero-tillage planter into
the market whilst acting as the business director for AgGrowGas Ltd (specialised in the installation and operation of low cost, flexible-capacity,
anaerobic digestion plants).
Visit our services page to see how we can help you achieve your goals.
Registered Office: Ashgrove Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6LY
Company number: 3531943
