Newcastle depot celebrates ten years

Stagecoach North East’s Walkergate depot in Newcastle is celebrating ten years since opening. The site is home to 105 buses, including 26 hybrids, which carry an average of 20m passengers a year across Newcastle covering almost 5m miles. Throughout the ten year period the depot’s vehicles have been completely replaced at least once and they have used over 7m gallons of fuel. There are also 320 staff employed at the site. Megabus also operates from the depot.

Walkergate’s Operations Manager, David Wakefield, said, ‘From operating horse drawn carriages from the old Byker site many years ago, the Walkergate depot has continued the heritage of offering excellent public transport in Newcastle. The past ten years have been fantastic, as we continued to provide an outstanding service to the residents of Newcastle. We’re proud to provide this service. In addition, we’re a key employer for the area, with our hundreds of staff staying with the company for an average of 12 years, some even 40 years; which is much higher than the national average. Throughout the ten years the depot has developed and evolved, as we’ve became more green, modern and efficient. This includes new energy saving devices, a fully low floor accessible fleet of buses, CCTV on all buses and a fleet of hybrid buses recognisable by their green shells.’