Transdev in Yorkshire in northern England is welcoming West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s proposals for a partnership with bus firms to deliver speedy improvements for customers.
Plans published on June 17, 2021 set out how an Enhanced Partnership will deliver a more flexible bus network with better accessibility, more services and timetables closely aligned to the needs of customers. The proposals have been discussed by members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
WYCA’s proposals also set out a route toward bus franchising, but the Combined Authority says Government timescales mean that the earliest date an operational franchise could begin is almost four years away, in April 2025.
Before then, the Combined Authority is to discuss plans to use a share of £3 billion in Government funding to support bus services during recovery from the pandemic to create an Enhanced Partnership three years sooner, by April 2022 – and that’s being seen by Transdev as a positive opportunity to work closely with WYCA and build on its own award-winning success to the benefit of bus customers.
Transdev points to its success in growing numbers choosing and using its buses, as a key player in the success of the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance, which brings together the Combined Authority and bus operators including Transdev, First and Arriva, plus its predecessor, the Bus 18 Partnership.
We’re proud of what has been achieved already, from booming customer growth on the 36, our flagship route between Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon, reaching 21% prior to the pandemic – and our continued multi-million-pound investment in new, high-spec buses.
The way we do business has been hailed as best practice in the Government’s National Bus Strategy, and our team’s efforts have been rewarded by 10 industry awards in the past five years. All our front-line buses in West Yorkshire feature Wi-Fi and USB charging, and meet or exceed Clean Air Zone targets. Buses run until midnight across the network and usually until 3am on certain routes. Meanwhile, we have fully rolled out contactless payments and tap and cap ticketing on all our buses across Yorkshire.
We’ve shown we know how to grow our bus network and attract new customers – and we’re investing now to deliver real improvements where they’re needed most. Following our acquisition this summer of Yorkshire Tiger and its services, we’re planning to replace a fifth of its fleet with more high-spec, low emission buses in our first three months.
We see an Enhanced Partnership as a positive opportunity to deliver the improvements everyone wants, while achieving best value for taxpayers. We look forward to working with the Mayor and the Combined Authority to make it happen for West Yorkshire.
Alex Hornby, Transdev’s CEO in North England
Transdev states that 55% of its customers on key routes have access to a car but choose to use its buses instead – while the latest report from independent watchdog Transport Focus quotes Transdev’s subsidiary the Keighley Bus Company as having Yorkshire’s friendliest bus drivers and a 93% overall satisfaction rating.
Full details of all Transdev bus services in West Yorkshire and across the North are available online at: https://www.transdevbus.co.uk and on the free ‘Transdev Go’ mobile app.