Harrogate Bus Company's national awards success after partnership with Harrogate BID to support businesses

Transdev’s team celebrate receiving two gold and three silver accolades at the UK Bus Awards. Pictured from left: BBC News presenter and awards host Jane Hill; from Transdev, CEO Alex Hornby, Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti, and Commercial Director Paul Turner; and Caroline Ward from industry group Women in Transport, who presented the Culture Change award.

The team at Harrogate Bus Company are celebrating after its parent company Transdev scored a golden double win at the UK bus industry’s biggest celebration of innovation and excellence.

At a prestigious ceremony in London, Yorkshire-based Transdev took the top gold accolade in two of the most closely-contested categories – the Culture Change award and the Buses for Pleasure prize.

The UK Bus Awards has celebrated the industry’s highest performers for 25 years, with over 450 awards presented in that time to winners throughout the country.

The Culture Change award recognises The Transdev Spirit, the bus firm’s company-wide strategy underpinning its team communications, training, and development, including its 2022 recruitment drive through its network of four Academy centres across the region

Meanwhile, the Buses for Pleasure prize was also given to Transdev for its ‘Greetings from Yorkshire’ strategic marketing campaign, aimed at changing outdated perceptions of bus travel and wooing sceptical car drivers and leisure customers onto its smart branded buses.

Transdev also won three silver UK Bus Awards, including:

Transdev’s partnership with Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) to boost footfall for Harrogate firms via ‘Jubilee Freeway’ – offering free journeys on all four Jubilee Holiday dates in June – won the silver Partnering for Delivery award.

Harrogate Bus Company boss and Transdev chief executive Alex Hornby said: “All 1,400 of our amazing people have the right to these awards – I’m absolutely delighted and very proud of every one of them.

"I’m especially pleased that the awards judges have recognised The Transdev Spirit, which sums up our way of working – we talk, we listen and we make amazing things happen.

“All the team at The Academy, our network of people development centres, have worked flat out this year as we respond to an industry-wide shortage of bus drivers with a compelling offer focused on those who’ve successfully changed career to attract new people to join our teams.

“We’ve built a national reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative and successful transport operators and, despite unprecedented challenges, we’ve placed our customers at the heart of all we do.”