Mayor opens revitalised Team Pennine centre
Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, has officially opened a revitalised Calderdale base for Transdev-owned Team Pennine.
A full refurbishment of Team Pennine’s depot in Elland has expanded facilities to include an Academy training centre and customer service hub, plus an operational base for its expanding network of routes serving Calderdale – including several provided in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Since taking over Yorkshire Tiger in August 2021 and rebranding the operation as Team Pennine, Transdev has invested £2.5 million in year one and acknowledges the hard work by Team Pennine’s 140 people. The operation has achieved an amazing turnaround in business performance since Transdev took it over from Yorkshire Tiger in August 2021. It reports customer numbers are now back to over 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
After unveiling a commemorative plaque to open the Elland depot, the Mayor toured Team Pennine’s new Academy training centre, and its customer service hub set up to ensure travel information and advice is readily available to customers.
“We have ambitious plans for buses in West Yorkshire, with reduced fares and new services key to this” – Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire
Tracy Brabin said: “We have ambitious plans for buses in West Yorkshire, with reduced fares and new services key to this.
“But we need to see that ambition matched by the bus operators, which is why I’m delighted to see Transdev investing in its people and facilities at these depots, and in the local network more broadly.
“I look forward to working with them to encourage more people back onto our vital bus services.”
“Our new Academy training centre offers industry-leading facilities to new bus drivers, at a time when we are stepping up recruitment and creating jobs for local people” – Transdev CEO Alex Hornby
Transdev CEO, Alex Hornby, said: “This is a proud moment for everyone at Team Pennine as this revitalised base for our Calderdale routes is opened by the Mayor, following our introduction as partners of cheaper fares across West Yorkshire for single journey and all-day travel.
“We value the importance of working in partnership here at Team Pennine, and we believe our shared road ahead will lead to a bright future for buses in this region.
“In Team Pennine’s first year, we’ve invested almost £1 million to deliver Halifax’s first new buses for seven years for our ‘Calder Country’ branded route network in and around the town. And there’s more to come – for us, the first twelve months are only the beginning.
“Our new Academy training centre offers industry-leading facilities to new bus drivers, at a time when we are stepping up recruitment and creating jobs for local people – while our customer service hub will be our first point of contact for customer enquiries, benefiting from the knowledge that comes from being based right here in Calderdale.
“Right from day one, our colleagues here in Elland and at our Waterloo depot in Huddersfield welcomed us with open arms, just as keenly as we welcomed them. Drivers, cleaners, engineers, and duty managers make amazing things happen for our customers each day, and I couldn’t be prouder of every single one of them.”