Veolia Transdev Harrogate and District has relaunched its entire fleet for a popular route after a £1m redesign.
The Veolia Transdev UK-owned division officially launched its refitted fleet with a route 36 double decker at Harewood House, one of the tourism destinations along the route, after a passenger consultation.
The fleet consists of 14 Volvo B7TL double-decker vehicles with a Wright Eclipse Gemini body and a B7RLE single deck vehicle with a Wright Eclipse Urban body. Transdev is in the process of rebuilding the rest of the entire fleet, fitting new engines, gearboxes, rear axles, a new heating system and completely refurbished interiors, as well as reducing the number of seats and putting single seats on the top deck.
Transdev originally spent over £2m on 12 new vehicles for the same route in 2004. Four replacement buses will be used while others are refitted and work is expected to be finished by September.
Veolia Transdev marketing director Nigel Eggleton said: “It was a really important consultation for us and what people told us had a big effect on our thinking.
“In the end we decided it was better for us to create our own bus design incorporating all the ideas that proved a success with the passengers.”
He added: “Rebuilding the buses isn’t a cheap option. We have spent £80,000 on each vehicle – that’s nearly half the cost of a brand new bus. However, we know when we have done the work, the buses are like new and more importantly they are exactly what we and our passengers want.”
