First Bus appoints Zoe Hands as Managing Director of Manchester, Midlands & South Yorkshire business

First Bus has appointed Zoe Hands as Managing Director of its Manchester, Midlands and South Yorkshire business.

She boasts a strong career in the transport industry having spent the past 10 years in the rail sector, most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Merseyrail and prior to this held various directorships including in safety and sustainability, operations and engineering. 

Zoe Hands comes to First Bus with an enviable track record from Merseyrail, a joint venture between Transport UK and Serco, where she was accountable for all train service delivery and led the function as it broke numerous industry punctuality records. In January it was named the best rail company for customer service and second-best in transport by the Institute of Customer Service in a survey of close to 300 companies.

Most recently, Zoe spearheaded a new fleet transformation project which saw state-of-the-art rolling stock enter operation, including new trains fitted with the latest in innovative battery technology.

She said: “I'm joining First Bus as we drive the business forward for our customers in Manchester, the Midlands and South Yorkshire. We’ve much to build on with new developments in the Greater Manchester bus market, Leicester electrification well underway and good commercial progress in South Yorkshire.”

Zoe Hands joins at an exciting time of growth and development in the operator’s regions. In Greater Manchester it is engaged in bidding for the final Tranche 3 round of franchise contracts from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) which concludes in November.  While preparations are underway in Rochdale to take responsibility of bus services in March 2024 after First Bus was successful in securing the franchise from TfGM in a previous round of contract awards announced by the authority in June.

And in Leicester, its depot is set to be among the first outside London to be fully electric with charging infrastructure now complete and the first zero emission buses entering the fleet and beginning to operate in the city.

She will be supported by two senior directors in helping to secure the ambitions of First Bus in Greater Manchester. Mike Watson leaves his interim role as Managing Director of Midlands and South Yorkshire to lead on the mobilisation of Rochdale operations and exploring new contract opportunities. Ian Humphreys will step back from day-to-day management of Manchester operations and continue his role in the Tranche 3 bid process and discussions with TfGM.

“We have solid experience, strong capabilities and valuable bus sector experience in Mike and Ian and I will be working closely with them as they develop our activities,” she said.

Zoe Hands leads a business employing around 1,800 people with five depots operating a fleet of more than 850 buses.

“While delivering exceptional service for customers, my imperative will be to create a workspace where our people feel increasingly valued, empowered and safe. Somewhere where they can truly be the best version of themselves and thrive alongside the company and communities we serve,” she added.

"Our mission to connect communities, add social and economic value while being part of the solution to the climate crisis is something I deeply believe in and have dedicated my career to helping achieve."

Prior to rail, Zoe Hands spent many years in the aviation industry, principally at Heathrow Airport.

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