Maxson Goh reports from Diamond Bus North West’s 10th anniversary stakeholder reception in Manchester
Rotala Group-owned bus operator Diamond Bus North West celebrated its 10th birthday on 20 March with a stakeholder reception at the prestigious Cloud23 bar in Manchester. Situated high above the city on the 23rd floor of the Beetham Tower in Deansgate, the venue offered panoramic views of the Manchester skyline. A word of caution for those with a fear of heights, though: I’d advise against walking to the far end of the room and looking down…
As guests strolled through Cloud23 with some light refreshments in hand, they were invited to explore a series of posters that chronicled the decade-long journey of Diamond Bus North West. The story began with its humble origins in Atherton, where a small and dedicated team laid the foundations for what would become today’s success story. The timeline showcased key milestones such as the acquisition of new depots that expanded the operator’s footprint across Greater Manchester. Another highlight was the introduction of new routes like the 575, which received distinctive route branding on modern buses. And of course, one of the most celebrated moments on display was Diamond Bus North West’s entry into the Bee Network franchising model. A stand-out feature of this foray was the launch of the network’s first ever Pride bus – a symbol of the company’s inclusivity and diversity.
Rotala Group Executive Director Bob Dunn commented: “Today we’re celebrating a remarkable milestone in the history of our business. This past decade has gone so quickly, but it’s been so eventful, from that first day in March 2015 when we acquired Green Triangle Buses in Atherton. Some of the people in this room were together with me at that point and have helped us all the way through. From that moment, we made a commitment to be the best we can be for the Greater Manchester public, and we would like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester for giving us its support.
“In 2017, we then ventured across to Eccles where we acquired a second business, Go Goodwins’ bus operations. And then we had to integrate two sides, two cultures, two sets of working conditions and try our best to modernise what we had. Moving on from that, 2019 saw another development. We went to Bolton, which was yet another coming together of, shall we say, three different cultures? We were operating a number of different types of vehicles and had around 600 staff in Bolton alone at that point. We started with over 130 inherited buses that we struggled to make reliable, and so in 2019 we also made the bold move of ordering 128 new Streetdecks from Wrightbus in Ballymena.”
A new system
The transition from a commercial to a franchised system under the Bee Network introduced significant uncertainty and unfamiliarity for all operators, including Diamond Bus North West. The new model no doubt required operators to adapt to new processes and navigate uncharted territory to meet the evolving demands of the franchising model.
Bob continued: “More recently we’ve been involved with the Bee Network tranches one, two and three. The mobilisation of tranche one was a completely new experience for us. In December 2022, we were notified of our success in tranche one, and then we went through to September 2023. And during that time, with a team of people involved, we learned a lot through the process, and we believe that we delivered what was needed.”
The present
“In tranche three, we bought some more vehicles from Alexander Dennis and Mellor for the Bee Network. It brings us great pride to a be a part of it, and to be the best we can be. I don’t work on ‘we should always be better than the competition’ because I think we can go much higher than that, and by being the best we can be, we can be creative, we can be different, and we can be straightforward. The key to our success has been the dedication and hard work of our staff, and as we look to the future, I’m optimistic that the next 10 years in Greater Manchester will be even more successful than the first.”
Bus driver Tony Williamson added: “I initially joined Diamond in Atherton over 10 years ago. Back then we were a small company, but the investment and transformation we have seen in recent years has been phenomenal. Along with the launch the Bee Network, being a bus driver really is a job to be proud of again.”
As the event concluded, attendees were presented with goodie bags, each containing a Diamond branded cupcake and a commemorative booklet, which highlighted the key milestones and achievements of Diamond Bus North West’s decade-long journey in Greater Manchester.
