First Bus reveals Rochdale plans for investment and jobs
- £750,000 investment in depot to prepare for Bee Network
- Up to 50 new jobs created for drivers and engineers
First Bus has revealed plans for major investment in a Rochdale bus depot and the creation of up 50 jobs.
The bus operator is preparing to take responsibility for running Rochdale services in the Bee Network from March and has begun significant improvements to the former Transdev site on Corporation Street and launched a big recruitment campaign for drivers and engineers.
Some £750,000 will be 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.
The job opportunities are likely to mean more than 30 new drivers and 12 engineering roles alongside current employees of Transdev that will transfer to First Bus.
Paul Townley, General Manager, said: “We’re delighted to have agreed the lease of the site and are keen to get started on major improvements. The investment we are making will create an excellent working environment and we are already seeing strong interest in the vacancies available.”
He added: “This new depot supports high-skilled jobs locally and regionally. 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 becomes part of 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 60 buses and capacity to expand this to 90 vehicles.
Full details of the vacancies, pay rates and how to apply can be found by visiting https://careers.firstbus.co.uk/jobs/vacancy/find/results/
Picture captions:
Training bus 3: Paul Townley (right) with instructors Keith Fieldhouse (left) and Mark Thorpe test the training bus in Bee Network livery at Rochdale Interchange.
Training bus 4: Paul Townley flanked by instructors Mark Thorpe (left) and Keith Fieldhouse test the training bus in Bee Network livery at Rochdale Interchange.
Training bus 5&6: Paul Townley flanked by instructors Keith Fieldhouse (left) and Mark Thorpe test the training bus in Bee Network livery at Rochdale Interchange.
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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
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 also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is an equal opportunities employer and a division of FirstGroup.