Transdev’s York & Country division will take over services from the Yorkshire independent in January
Transdev has signed an agreement to buy buses and routes from one of Yorkshire’s longest-established bus and coach operators, Reliance Motor Services. The deal, completed for an undisclosed sum, will see buses and routes changing hands on Sunday 19 January. From the same date, many of Reliance’s bus drivers will join Transdev’s York & Country team, based at its new depot at Rawcliffe in York, which opened in March of this year.
The agreement involves Transdev’s York & Country subsidiary acquiring 11 buses from Reliance Motor Services, which has been based at Sutton on the Forest, north of York, for 94 years, as well as its core network of bus routes serving Easingwold, Thirsk and Helmsley plus several villages north of York.
No jobs will be lost as a result of the agreement, and Transdev and Reliance say they are committed to working together to ensure a smooth and effective transition for customers and colleagues. Reliance routes which will become part of Transdev’s York & Country network routes 30, 30X, 30XS and 30SE, 31, which York & Country will continue to operate jointly route with East Yorkshire Buses, 40, Dalesbus 74, and school routes 155R and 162R. Other dedicated school and college bus services operated by Reliance under contract to North Yorkshire Council will remain with that operator.
Timetables on the affected routes will remain similar to now, with minor revisions to early morning and evening journeys which currently start from, or terminate at, Reliance’s depot in Sutton on the Forest. Buses acquired from Reliance as part of the agreement will be repainted into the blue colours of York & Country in due course, the operator says.
Transdev Managing Director Henri Rohard said: “We are delighted to be looking forward to expanding our network of routes to the north of York, while welcoming new colleagues to our York & Country operation. This agreement demonstrates Transdev’s long-term commitment to develop our business here in the north of England. Reliance is a long-established operator with a proud record of customer service, and we will seek to build on this – with all the resources of our green bus depot at Rawcliffe in York.
“Together with our new driving colleagues, we’re looking forward to serving our new customers and further strengthening our positive relationship with our local authority partners in York and North Yorkshire. We are people serving people, and this agreement presents an exciting opportunity for us to work together to attract more customers to our newly expanded network.”
Reliance Motor Services co-owner Gary Newby said: “While we are sorry to say farewell to our loyal customers on the routes which will see a change of operator, and to several of our drivers, we know they will be in the best hands. Transdev has invested significantly in an impressive new depot in York and has a strong track record of delivering for its customers.
“We thank all those who have travelled with us over the years, and our team of drivers, whose hard work and dedication to customer care is reflected in Reliance’s excellent reputation for quality and reliability.”
Season tickets issued by Reliance will also continue to be accepted on its former routes for a time following the change, with further announcements expected ahead of the same date.
