First Bus gets to work on enhancing Rochdale bus depot
- £750,000 investment in depot
- Team of more than 120 drivers now in place
- Depot to join Bee Network on Sunday 24 March
Work is underway to enhance Rochdale bus depot which will be operated by First Bus.
The bus company is preparing to take responsibility for running Rochdale services in the Bee Network from Sunday 24 March and has begun significant improvements to the former Transdev site on Corporation Street.
Some £750,000 is being invested in the depot with a focus on enhanced engineering facilities, including a new double height workshop bay for vehicle repair and maintenance. The yard area will also be improved to provide better space for operations.
Paul Townley, General Manager, said: “We are delighted to get started on these major improvements which will create an excellent working environment.
“Our team of drivers, engineers and supervisors is all in place together with an experienced management team and we will be ready to go on the 24 March.”
The Rochdale workforce includes around 95 drivers that will transfer to First Bus from Transdev.
Paul added: “We will soon be welcoming many new colleagues who will add valuable knowledge. This new depot is creating high-skilled, well paid jobs locally and regionally and as we continue to invest in the Rochdale area, First Bus is determined to help build the economy and link key communities as we support the latest phase of the Bee Network.”
When the depot joins the Bee Network, First Bus will operate more than 30 routes in the Rochdale and Bury area together with six school services using a fleet of over 65 buses and capacity to expand this to 90 vehicles.
Picture captions:
Rochdale depot works 1 & 3: Paul Townley (left) with Operations Manager Mike McGowan see the start to a £750,000 enhancement of Rochdale bus depot.
Rochdale depot works 2 & 4: Paul Townley (right) with Operations Manager Mike McGowan see the start to a £750,000 enhancement of Rochdale bus depot.
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Notes to editors
Media enquiries to Richard Harrison, PR Manager, First Bus North & West Yorkshire 07973 668116 richard.m.harrison@firstbus.co.uk
About First Bus
At First Bus, we are on a mission to grow bus usage. We will get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto bus.
We are one of the UK’s largest bus operators, delivering over a million passenger journeys every day for the communities we serve.
Transforming our business for the better, we are putting our people and customers at the heart of all we do.
We are all about making journeys easier for our customers, which is why we were the first national bus operator to rollout Tap On, Tap Off payment technology across our entire UK fleet of 4500 buses. Our First Bus app has also been voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. By March 2024, 15% of our will fleet will comprise Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs).
We are passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we are helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys with access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions and Ensignbus.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup. Find more information on First Bus here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/