By Joshua Robinson –
Yorkshire-based bus operator, Transdev, are celebrating a golden double win at the UK bus industry’s biggest award event for innovation and excellence.
The UK Bus Awards has celebrated the industry’s highest performers for the past 25 years, and has awarded over 450 awards in that time to winners across the country.
At a ceremony in London, Transdev took the gold accolade in two of the categories: the Cultural Change award, and the Buses for Pleasure prize.
The Cultural Change award recognises The Transdev Spirit, the bus firm’s company-wide strategy underpinning the team’s communication, training and development, including the 2022 recruitment drive through Transdev’s network of for Academy centres across the region.
Transdev CEO, Alex Hornby, said: “All 1,400 of our amazing people have the right to these awards – I’m absolutely delighted and very proud of every one of them.”
“I’m especially pleased that the awards judges have recognised The Transdev Spirit, which sums up our way of working – we talk, we listen and we make amazing things happen.”
Hornby stated: “All the team at The Academy, our network of people development centres, have worked flat out this year as we respond to an industry-wide shortage of bus drivers with a compelling offer focused on those who’ve successfully changed career to attract new people to join our teams. As our posters say: ‘We Did It, So Can You.’”
The Buses for Pleasure prize was awarded to Transdev for their ‘Greetings from Yorkshire’ strategic marketing campaign, aimed at changing perceptions of bus travel for car drivers and leisure customers.
Transdev also won three silver UK Bus Awards, including:
- A Marketing prize for their ongoing transformation of Team Pennine, which celebrated its first birthday in August. The award judges recognised the work of 140 staff based at operating centres in Huddersfield and Halifax, supported by a £2.5 million investment in new and better buses.
- The Partnering for Delivery award, for Transdev’s partnership with Harrogate BID, the Business Improvement District supporting local firms, to deliver ‘Jubilee Freeway’ – free journeys on all four Jubilee Holiday dates in June.
- Supporting the Customer Experience category, for Transdev’s ‘Sky Class’ premium specification developed for nineteen British-built buses now in service across the region, including the X98/X99 routes linking Wetherby and Leeds.
Hornby further stated: “The UK Bus Awards are all about celebrating the talent, pride, and expertise across our entire industry.”
“We’ve built a national reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative and successful transport operators, and throughout the unprecedented challenges of the last few years we’ve placed our customers at the heart of all we do.”
“We’re very lucky to have such a talented team of people who absolutely deserve this recognition as the nation’s finest.”
The UK Bus Awards are independently judged by five expert panels, including senior industry stakeholders from diverse functions and a wide variety of organisations.
Transdev has operating centres in Harrogate, York, Malton, Bradford, Keighley, Halifax, and Huddersfield. The company also has Lancashire and Greater Manchester operations based in Blackburn, Rochdale, and Burnely.