The Harrogate Bus Company’s drivers named Team of the Year at Transdev’s annual awards
The team behind the wheel on Harrogate’s amazing 36 bus service are celebrating success after being named as the award-winning champions of the North.
From bus firm Transdev’s 980 drivers on both sides of the Pennines, it was the team who take the wheel every day on service 36, linking Harrogate with Leeds and Ripon, who emerged victorious as winners of the company’s Team of the Year prize.
Chris Taylor, one of the 36’s Driving Team, said:
It’s our 97% customer approval rating that I’m most proud of, and I think helped us secure the win.
A busy year with significant road closures alongside the UCI 2019 cycling event has been a challenge for us, but we’ve pulled through and performed well under pressure and I’m really proud of the team.
Awards judges praised the Starbeck-based bus drivers’ professional response to major roadworks in Leeds – and how they provided a first-class service to thousands of extra customers attracted to Harrogate in September 2019 when the town hosted cycling’s UCI Road World Championships.
The 36’s dedicated and highly skilled drivers regularly take congested roads in their stride, especially on the A61 between Harrogate and Leeds where the service runs up to every 10 minutes in response to rising demand, as customers continue to switch to the bus from delayed and cancelled trains.
Transdev CEO Alex Hornby said:
Customer numbers continue to grow on the 36, and that’s because they are so well looked after by our amazing driving team. They’re friendly, smart and reliable, and have gone the extra mile to deal with the difficulties of major roadworks in Leeds, as well as the challenges – and thousands of extra customers – during the UCI world cycling event in Harrogate.
In a company with over 1,250 people, teamwork is key to delivering a great service every day. The Team of the Year award recognises how great individual talents come together to create exceptional results, and our own Team 36 are certainly worthy winners.
Our business is about people serving people, and we believe in three things – employing people who are happy to work with us, serving people who are proud to be our customers, and creating a business which is innovative and successful. Our Amazing Awards celebrate the pride and passion of the teams and individuals who deliver a high-quality service for our customers, every day.
Presented at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, Transdev’s Amazing Awards were attended by over 130 nominees and partners – each shortlisted from a total of 1,250 people who keep the wheels turning safely each day from Preston in Lancashire to the Yorkshire Coast.
Comedy star Ted Robbins, famed as villainous Den Perry from Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights and for roles in Holby City, Doctors, Brookside and Coronation Street, guest hosted the event alongside Master of Ceremonies and Yorkshire’s favourite newsreader, BBC Look North’s Harry Gration.
