Just over one year on from the takeover of Yorkshire Tiger, Transdev has invested £2.5 million in its new Team Pennine operation, with the opening of a refurbished Elland depot being its latest development
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has officially opened the revitalised Calderdale base for Transdev operator Team Pennine, as it looks forward to its second year after taking over Arriva’s Yorkshire Tiger business.
Having invested a total of £2.5 million in the first year, and helped by the hard work of its 140 staff, Transdev says it has achieved an amazing turnaround in business performance since it took over its struggling predecessor in August 2021, and has seen passenger numbers return to 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
A full refurbishment of Team Pennine’s depot in Elland has expanded facilities to include an ‘Academy’ training centre and customer service hub, plus an operational base for its expanding network of routes serving Calderdale – including several provided in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The Mayor said: “We have ambitious plans for buses in West Yorkshire, with reduced fares and new services key to this. But we need to see that ambition matched by the bus operators, which is why I’m delighted to see Transdev investing in its people and facilities at these depots, and in the local network more broadly. I look forward to working with them to encourage more people back onto our vital bus services.”
After unveiling a commemorative plaque to open the new depot, the Mayor toured its new Academy training centre and customer service hub set up to ensure travel information and advice is readily available to customers.
Transdev CEO Alex Hornby added: “This is a proud moment for everyone at Team Pennine as this revitalised base for our Calderdale routes is opened by the Mayor, following our introduction as partners of cheaper fares across West Yorkshire for single journey and all-day travel. We value the importance of working in partnership here at Team Pennine, and we believe our shared road ahead will lead to a bright future for buses in this region.
“In Team Pennine’s first year, we’ve invested almost £1 million to deliver Halifax’s first new buses for seven years for our ‘Calder Country’ branded route network in and around the town. And there’s more to come – for us, the first twelve months are only the beginning.
“Our new Academy training centre offers industry-leading facilities to new bus drivers, at a time when we are stepping up recruitment and creating jobs for local people – while our customer service hub will be our first point of contact for customer enquiries, benefiting from the knowledge that comes from being based right here in Calderdale.
“Right from day one, our colleagues here in Elland and at our Waterloo depot in Huddersfield welcomed us with open arms, just as keenly as we welcomed them. Drivers, cleaners, engineers, and duty managers make amazing things happen for our customers each day, and I couldn’t be prouder of every single one of them.”
