Transdev offers £1 fares if you travel with grandparent

Bus company Transdev is offering young people journeys across the north for £1 — as long as they take a grandparent.

The company said its Go with Granny offer aimed to bridge the generation gap by encouraging older people to use their concessionary travel passes while taking grandchildren with them.

Transdev, which is the parent company of the Harrogate Bus Company, operates routes in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, giving families a chance to go on long day trips for just £1.

The offer is for one weekend only — on Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 — and applies to young people under 19.

The company said in a statement today that many people will struggle this summer to find the money to take their grandchildren on a day trip.

Transdev chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“We know everyone is trying to keep their spending down this summer, especially with energy bills due to rise again in October.

“At the same time, the school holidays often see grans — and grandads too — looking after the grandchildren while mum and dad are at work, and we don’t see why they should have to stay at home.

“By offering young people the chance to go with granny on the bus, we want to help bridge the generation gap and make sure everyone has the chance to enjoy an amazing two days filled with magical memories.”

A video featuring the deal can be found here.

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Starbeck dad says ‘unreliable’ buses are making daughter late for school

Starbeck dad Gordon Schallmo has criticised Transdev‘s “unreliable” Number 1 bus service, which he said is regularly making his daughter late for school.

Mr Schallmo’s 14-year-old daughter is a pupil at King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Each morning she gets the number 1 from Starbeck, which is one of the company’s busiest bus routes in the Harrogate district, running up to seven times an hour.

But well-documented staffing issues have forced the company to cancel services, sometimes at short notice.

Mr Schallmo said his daughter is currently late for school at least once a week after buses failed to turn up.

He said:

“Its hit and miss when they arrive. She’s often been left standing there.”

Can’t all fit on

The number 1 route is served by single-decker buses.

But with schoolchildren sharing the bus with rush-hour commuters, it means if a bus doesn’t turn up they can’t always all fit on the next one.

Mr Schallmo added:

“It’s not good when I have to run her in and call the school to say she will be late again because the bus hasn’t turned up.”

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Transdev has had difficulties hiring new bus drivers since the covid pandemic.

The company recently launched a campaign offering qualified drivers a £1,000 bonus if they joined.

Mr Schallmo said he was also frustrated to see the company recently increased the cost of a weekly ticket on the number 1 from £4.30 to £6 whilst offering a service his daughter can’t rely on.

He said:

“It’s getting beyond a joke. I know they have bus driver shortages but they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.

“What frustrates me is they don’t have an answer. It’s been terrible.”

Transdev’s response

Steve Ottley, general manager at The Harrogate Bus Company, which is a division of French firm Transdev, said:

“Firstly, it’s disappointing and we apologise that Mr Schallmo believes we haven’t given him an answer he would like but we would invite him and anyone else who may wish to, to engage with us via email to customer.services@transdevbus.co.uk or via many other contact points as found at harrogatebus.co.uk.

“We fully realise how frustrating it is for our customers on the occasions when we are unable to provide the high standard of service expected. We are doing a lot behind the scenes to respond to current industry-wide challenges around recruitment and retention of drivers — including by offering increased salaries to new and existing drivers, and by promoting opportunities to join us on the front of all our buses, on billboard advertising and via social media.

“This approach is already delivering positive results – we currently have 15 new colleagues preparing for new driving jobs in Harrogate at The Academy, our own in-house training facility in Starbeck.”

Mr Ottley also explained why the company has increased its prices:

“Everyone will be aware that the price of almost everything is rising at the moment, especially fuel and energy, and unfortunately, we are also not immune to these increased costs — price changes are a common factor across many businesses at the moment. Along with many other transport operators across the country, we have now reached a point where we need to ask our customers to share some of this with us.

“We have held prices down for a while now. This will be our first fares change since September 2019 – and our tickets are still good value, especially compared with other forms of transport, including the car.

“These changes will allow us to continue recovering from covid, increasing timetables back to pre-pandemic levels, investing and improving wage rates — all after almost three years of holding down fares. We’ve also taken this opportunity to simplify our ticket range where we can to make travel easier, while still offering flexibility to our regular customers.”

Parents describe ‘chaotic’ morning after Boroughbridge school bus cut

Parents of children at Boroughbridge High School have criticised Transdev after they claimed the bus company didn’t tell them a school route had been cut.

The V22 Vamooz service took children on the outskirts of Ripon to and from the school in Boroughbridge.

Vamooz is owned by Transdev, which operates several bus services in the Harrogate district, including the 36.

Two parents today told the Stray Ferret they were not told by Vamooz or Transdev that the service was being withdrawn, which meant children were left waiting this morning for a bus that never arrived. They called the situation “chaotic”.

Shanagh Brown’s 15-year-old daughter was unable to make it to school today from her home in Wormald Green.

Ms Brown said she had struggled to get any information about what alternative bus routes to the school there were for her daughter. She feared her child would have to catch a 36 bus into Ripon at 7.15am in order to get to school on time.

Ms Brown said:

“My daughter is upset, she’s just had Easter and wants to get back to school to start revising for her GCSES. 

“I found out from another parent that Transdev were withdrawing the service due to low passenger numbers.

“It’s a nightmare and I’m stressing out.”

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Philippa Graham’s 12-year-old son also goes to Boroughbridge High.

He has caught the V22 from Lead Lane for the past two years but returned home this morning after the bus never arrived.

Ms Graham said she was not aware the service had been cut, which she said led to a stressful day for her family.

“Our son came back home having gone to catch his bus and said ‘it’s not turned up mum’.”

“It’s utterly chaotic.”

‘No longer sustainable’

Vamooz’s website says children who normally catch the V22 are able to catch the 36 bus to Ripon from their usual stops before getting another bus, the 22, from Ripon Bus Station.

A Transdev spokesperson said bus passes for the V22 are valid on the 36 and 22. They said all school bus passengers were told that the service was being withdrawn.

They added:

“Less than 10 customers per day used this bus, which was obviously no longer sustainable, and each were contacted via email to make them aware of alternative buses they could use or take up the opportunity of a refund.”

Harrogate park and ride ‘still possible’ despite £116m funding failure

The councillor in charge of highways for North Yorkshire has said a park and ride pilot scheme for Harrogate remains possible despite a £116million funding bid rejection.

The Department for Transport yesterday awarded North Yorkshire County Council none of the £116million it bid for from the government’s Bus Back Better scheme. Much of the funding was earmarked to reduce congestion in Harrogate.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, said he was “very disappointed” with the rejection but parts of the county’s Bus Service Improvement Plan could still go ahead without government support.

Cllr Mackenzie said this included the park and ride, which is likely to operate from Pannal, although questions remained about how a permanent service would be funded.

“The park and ride trial was not part of this funding, and the pilot itself will use the 36 service so it won’t be particularly expensive to find out whether it works or not.

“I’m very anxious that this trial scheme still goes ahead irrespective of today’s result.”

Cllr Mackenzie also said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which is being trialled in Ripon, Bedale and Masham could be expanded.

He added:

“One of the things in our Bus Service Improvement Plan was to expand the on-demand response service, YorBus, and of course that pilot continues.

“If it continues to be successful, we will roll it out in other areas.

“We will also continue to work in close partnership with bus operators.”

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The Bus Service Improvement Plan included £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for bus services.

‘Plans didn’t lack ambition’

The government claimed areas that failed to get the cash had not shown “sufficient ambition”. In total, just 34 of 79 areas which applied were successful.

In Yorkshire, this included the West Yorkshire Combined Authority which submitted a bid for £168 million, but was given £70 million, while City of York Council wanted £48 million and got £17.4 million.

Cllr Mackenzie said he believed the plans for North Yorkshire were ambitious enough to win funding and that he was now keen to speak to government officials to understand their decision. He said:

“I don’t think our plans lacked ambition. They were worth £116 million over eight years – that doesn’t lack ambition or aspiration.

“Until such time we have spoken to ministers or senior civil servants, I can’t say exactly what was lacking from our submission.

“We knew the Bus Back Better budget had been severely curtailed… but I expected to get some money, not nothing at all, so I’m very disappointed.”

The county council and Harrogate Bus Company have been successful in a separate bid for £7.8 million to make the firm’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses.

The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with more than £12 million being invested by Transdev – the parent firm of Harrogate Bus Company.

It will see 20 single-decker and 19 double-decker buses bought over the next three years, as well as the supporting charging infrastructure.

 

£7.8 million awarded to help make Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet all-electric

Harrogate Bus Company and North Yorkshire County Council have been awarded £7.8 million as part of a joint bid to make the firm’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses.

The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with around £11.5 million being invested by Transdev – the French parent firm of Harrogate Bus Company.

It will see 20 single-decker and 19 double-decker buses provided over the next three years, as well as the supporting charging infrastructure.

All the new vehicles will have next stop announcements, USB power and free Wi-Fi.

The joint bid was originally made for more than £8 million, and the £7.8 million received will be used to improve vehicles on routes, including the high-profile 36 from Ripon through Harrogate to Leeds.

The money is coming from the government’s £200 million Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund, which is delivering almost 1,000 new buses across the country – including 221 in Yorkshire.

Criticism of Harrogate’s level of funding

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the successful bid signalled the authority’s intent to foster a more environmentally-friendly generation of public transport.

His comments follow repeated criticism against the county council over its high proportion of bids for travel-related funding being focused on Harrogate, due to the town being the largest centre of population.

When asked if other areas of the county would see similar schemes, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“Clearly we would be keen to convert all buses that are used in North Yorkshire eventually to electric.”

Earlier this month, Cllr Mackenzie also said he was “confident” that Harrogate would still be able to trial a park and ride service despite funding cuts to a separate government scheme.

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The Bus Back Better initiative is seen as key to the government’s “levelling up” agenda, but has seen its funding more than halved from £3 billion to £1.4 billion.

New bus lanes

North Yorkshire County Council has bid for £116 million from the scheme to fund its Bus Service Improvement Plan, which also includes new bus lanes, more cash support for services and other upgrades across the county.

However, Cllr Mackenzie previously said it was unlikely that the county council would get “anything near” the full amount it bid for. He added:

“Even if we get reduced funding – which is likely – I’m confident there will be money for the various interventions we want to make in Harrogate, including a pilot for a park and ride.”

The county council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan includes £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for bus services.

There is also an aim to increase the 12.1 million passenger journeys in North Yorkshire in the year to March 2019 to 14.3 million journeys by 2030.

Bus strategy ‘hollow’ without more money, says Harrogate Bus Company boss

The boss of Harrogate Bus Company has said the government’s Bus Back Better strategy to make services more affordable and reliable will be “hollow” without more funding.

Alex Hornby’s comments come after council officials warned North Yorkshire would not get “anything near” the £116million it bid for from the scheme, which promises to “transform” services but has seen its budget slashed from £3billion to £1.4billion.

Mr Hornby, who is chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company’s parent firm Transdev Blazefield, said the scheme will be “insufficient” to fund all proposed improvements across the country, including those planned for Harrogate. he said:

“We felt the plans for Harrogate were ambitious with new bus priority on the main bus routes to make buses faster and more reliable – things us and our customers want, and what we know will attract more people on board.

“These plans are not new – they have been waiting for funding since before the pandemic – and we hope North Yorkshire County Council will continue to seek funding.

“We have worked solidly with the county council on their enhanced partnership, but it’s a bit hollow without funding for enhancements.”

The council will next month enter into a new “enhanced partnership” with bus operators in order for North Yorkshire to get access to funding for its proposed £116million Bus Service Improvement Plan.

The plan asks for £23million to build more bus lanes, £74million for other infrastructure improvements and £14million for support for services.

There are also proposals for a simpler ticketing system and better information on journeys.

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However, council officials have warned it was “unlikely” that North Yorkshire would receive all of the £116million it bid for and that there was a possibility it could get no funding at all.

Harrogate congestion

They said any funding received would be prioritised to areas where they believe it is needed the most, including Harrogate, which has some of the best bus services in North Yorkshire but still suffers with the worst traffic congestion.

Included in the plans is a park and ride pilot scheme for Harrogate, and officials expressed confidence that enough cash could still come forward for this.

They also said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track journeys in Ripon, Masham and Bedale would also be high on the priority list for financial support.

Separately, council officials said they were also confident about another bid for £8million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.

If successful, Transdev would contribute £11.5million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.

A government decision on this bid is expected before the end of the month.

Mr Hornby said even without government funding, Harrogate Bus Company’s network has still improved in recent years as he also set out some of the areas that he believes should be prioritised for investment:

“New housing developers will help expand the network and we would encourage colleagues at North Yorkshire County Council to focus on improving the infrastructure and bus shelters, some of which are now well past their best.

“Our bus network in Harrogate has thrived without capital spending from the public sector thanks to our investment in the class-leading fleet on the 36, the first all-electric town network and in new and refreshed low emission buses elsewhere.”

Traffic disruption expected in Killinghall next week

Delays are expected in Killinghall next week when new electricity cables are laid for the village’s forthcoming Tesco Express.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed and buses and lorries will be prevented from turning in and out of Otley Road from Ripon Road.

The measures will allow Northern Powergrid to excavate a trench and install cables beneath the pavement outside the Tesco on Ripon Road.

Northern Powergrid has written to residents saying work is expected to last 10 days. The letter says:

“There will be a certain amount of disruption during the implementation of this work but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum.”

The letter adds the traffic lights will “inevitably lengthen journey times” and buses will be affected.

A barrier and temporary walkway will operate outside the Tesco for pedestrians.

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A spokesman for The Harrogate Bus Company, which is part of the French company Transdev, said:

“This will mean our service 24 will be diverted in the Killinghall area, while journeys on our 36 route may also experience some delays.

“Full details of alternative arrangements are being advertised to keep our customers informed, including on our Twitter feed ‘@harrogatebus’ and on the free to download Transdev Go mobile app.”

The Stray Ferret asked Tesco when the store was due to open. All it would say was “early 2022”.

Driver shortage causes bus cancellations in Harrogate district

A Harrogate district bus company has said a shortage of drivers has forced it to cancel “a small number” of services.

Transdev, which operates the Harrogate Bus Company, said in a statement today is has 95 trainee drivers waiting to get out on the roads.

It said the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which conducts tests, was taking three times longer than usual to confirm test dates and provide licences.

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Transdev has said it has been forced to cancel 0.8% of services for the Harrogate Bus Company as a result.

Delays to drive training is a national problem. The Confederation of Passenger Transport has warned that the delays have caused a shortage of 4,000 drivers.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev, said:

“We understand entirely how frustrating it is when journeys are cancelled, and it’s the last thing we want to do.

“Right now, we have 95 new colleagues at The Academy, our in-house driver training facility in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

“They just want to be out on the road serving our customers – but instead, they’re waiting over three times longer than usual to get licences

“Most of our buses are running as normal and we are attracting new drivers, so the current delays to licensing and testing are very frustrating.”

Transdev has asked the government to speed up the licence application process and free up the availability of theory and practical tests.

Night buses between Harrogate and Leeds set to return

Night buses linking Harrogate with Leeds and Knaresborough are to return in just over a week’s time.

Harrogate Bus Company, which is part of French company Transdev, will reintroduce late night services on Saturday nights on the 36 route linking Harrogate and Leeds on September 11. Covid has affected the service since last year.

Hourly services from Leeds to Harrogate will run on Saturday nights until 3.15am. The last bus from Harrogate to Leeds will run at 2.20am.

Night buses between Harrogate and Knaresborough will also return on Saturday nights, connecting with incoming 36 buses from Leeds at Harrogate bus station.

Rossett School bus services boosted

In another change, students using the bus to get to Harrogate’s Rossett School can get cheaper fares from Monday.

Until now, pupils have paid £14.50 a week to use designated North Yorkshire County Council school buses.

But the council services are now being integrated with the Harrogate Bus Company’s regular service network, meaning the company’s under-19 weekly ticket, which costs £9.60, will now be valid for all journeys on dedicated school buses between stops within Harrogate and Rossett School.

Pupils can also use this weekly ticket for regular buses as far afield as Wetherby, Knaresborough and Harewood.

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Steve Ottley, general manager of the Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“Our late night services will make it much easier – and cheaper – for our customers to enjoy all the nightlife of Leeds and Harrogate and then travel safely home by bus with us.

“Our changes to services to and from Rossett School are also great news for parents and students as they will save a third on the cost of travelling to and from school every week compared with the old school-only passes, with free travel seven days a week across Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby thrown in.”

Also from Monday next week, an extra school day-only bus on Harrogate Electrics route 2A will run at 8am from Bilton Community Centre to Harrogate – where the same bus becomes a number 6 bus, so students going to Rossett School can stay on board and get off at Wellfield Court for their school.

New times are also being introduced on dedicated school buses S2, S3 and 620H. Further details are available here.

Harrogate Bus Company completes trial of all-electric bus

Harrogate Bus Company has completed trials of the first ever all-electric bus with zero emission technology in the UK.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Ciatro was brought in for trials as part of the company’s plans to convert its entire fleet to zero-emission electric power.

It follows an ambitious bid made in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, which has requested nearly £20 million of government money to help replace the fleet.

The week-long trials have taken place on The Harrogate Bus Company’s popular route one linking Harrogate and Knaresborough and follow experience gained with two alternative electric single deck buses.

The silver E-Citaro trial bus tested in Harrogate is powered by high-performance water-cooled batteries which use up-to-the-minute technology to extend running time between charges and keep the bus on the road.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev. which owns the Harrogate Bus Company, said: 

“This exciting trial of the Mercedes-Benz E-Citaro marks the first time this new design has been tested in service in the UK, reflecting our ambition to deliver a zero-emission, high quality product for our customers across Harrogate and beyond.

“This is the third stage of our comparative trials of electric bus designs on one of our most popular routes, which will help us to make informed choices between options to invest in electric power. 

“We hope that alongside North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for government support, our own multi-million-pound investment will turn our vision of a completely zero-emission bus network powered by a fully electric bus fleet into reality.”

The bid to the Department for Transport would see 39 zero-emission buses introduced over the next three years.

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The buses come with next stop announcements, USB power and free wifi.

There would be an even split of single-decker and double-decker electric buses which would come with supporting charging infrastructure.

A decision from the government on the bid is expected in March next year.