Transdev has launched its new depot in York. Located near the Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride site on the north west corner of York, it sees the operator vacate its Fulford Road facility at the south west of the city.

Paul Turner, Commercial Director at Transdev Blazefield, told B&CB at the launch the company has been operating on the site for over a year, while works were ongoing to put together the purpose-built facility. It had been previously used as a storage area for York Pullman.

Transdev has had a building in the centre of the section of hard standing pulled down and a new, purpose-built workshop and offices constructed. As well as the buildings, it includes a large section of land for parking vehicles. Based out of it are some of the operator’s Coastliner services, York City Sightseeing and York and Country services. There is space for around 30 buses, with 25 currently based there. Employees based at the site number approximately 50.

The workshop inside the depot features all-new garage equipment, the majority of which was provided by Totalkare. It has a vehicle ramp and wire-free lifting columns for getting beneath buses. Other equipment includes a brake tester and headlight tester, as well as air pumps available on reels throughout the site and numerous power points. The aim has been to make it as wire-free as possible.

The workshop is managed using Freeway’s digital system. Drivers are given the Tranzaura app that allows them to report faults on vehicles while out on the road, even allowing them to send a photo through of the defect or damage. These faults are sent through to the technicians in the workshop, who can then prepare any parts needed ready for when the vehicle returns to the depot. The digital solution also shows work allocations on a screen in the site.

The facility has been built with future fleet electrification in mind, with cables in place ready to upgrade it with the necessary infrastructure. This may prove useful considering the operator has a bid in place with York City Council for ZEBRA 2 funding for electric buses.

Furthering the site’s green credentials are the solar panels on the roof, which generate enough electricity for the depot to make more power than it uses at times.

“It is probably the greenest depot I know,” said Henri Rohard, Transdev Blazefield MD, during the launch. “It offers much better conditions; it’s fully accessible and modern, green and staff friendly.”

The heating system automatically switches off when doors open and fans in the ceiling of the workshop help maintain a pleasant environment in an efficient manner. The heat is generated on-site using waste oil.

Great attention has been paid to ensuring a comfortable and clean environment for staff throughout the depot. All of the interior design work was created in-house. As well as offices, the site has a kitchen and staff break area, a meeting room and even a medical room, which can be used by a doctor that makes regular visits to the depot. There are shower facilities for staff and a washing machine.

The site is located next to York’s Rawcliffe Bar Park&Ride site. The operator does not run any of the city’s P&R services, but this new depot could be seen as providing an ideal base for such an operation.

Testing time

Transdev had two electric bus demonstrators at its new Rawcliffe depot during the launch: a Yutong U11DD double-decker and an Alexander Dennis Enviro 100EV. They were positioned near three examples of its existing fleet: a Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B9TL in Pride colours, a City Siteseeing-branded Enviro400 and an Enviro200 MMC.

The Yutong electric ‘decker was destined for trial in service in Harrogate, while the Enviro100EV was due for testing in York. The smaller vehicle is considered ideal for the sometimes-tight streets of the historic city.