First Bus announces appointment of general manager for Rochdale business
First Bus has promoted Paul Townley to the newly created role of General Manager of its Rochdale business.
The appointment comes as the bus operator continues preparations to begin running services in the Bee Network from March next year.
Paul takes up his new position from the beginning of November and will report to Zoe Hands, Managing Director of First Bus Manchester, Midlands and South Yorkshire.
He will lead a management team at the Rochdale depot and be responsible for overseeing all aspects of its operations, engineering, commercial and support functions.
Paul will also manage regular engagement with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the delivery of franchise commitments.
He said: “This is an exciting time to be involved from the start in a fresh challenge as the way bus services operate in Greater Manchester changes.
“First Bus is getting ready to make its mark in the Bee Network and I’m looking forward to helping build our team as we prepare to deliver excellent bus services in Rochdale and the wider community.”
Paul joined First Bus in 2010 and has held various roles in its Greater Manchester operations before moving into the commercial team for the expanded Manchester, Midlands and South Yorkshire business unit.
First Bus together with TfGM has already placed an order for 17 Strata Plus single-decker buses for its Rochdale operations which are being made by local manufacturer, Mellor.
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Notes to editors
Media enquiries to Richard Harrison, PR Manager 07973 668116 richard.m.harrison@firstbus.co.uk
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is an equal opportunities employer and a division of FirstGroup.