Transdev Blazefield

[David Verity]

West Yorkshire seems to be a well invested corner of the First empire. Yes, Halifax and Huddersfield do seem to average low on fleet age but IF Transdev decide to compete, I don’t see First sitting idly by.

Leeds is the only place in West Yorkshire where First are putting new buses in - the other areas get cascades from Leeds.

 

[cnjb8]

Leeds is the only place in West Yorkshire where First are putting new buses in - the other areas get cascades from Leeds.

Yes I know. Still doesn’t mean First will give up instantly IF (and it probably won’t) Team Pennine want to compete

 

[Ken H]

Yes I know. Still doesn’t mean First will give up instantly IF (and it probably won’t) Team Pennine want to compete

I think Transdev will go after expanding their business with tendered services, not with a 'bus war'. Its a strategy they have done well with in Lancashire.

 

[cnjb8]

I think Transdev will go after expanding their business with tendered services, not with a 'bus war'. Its a strategy they have done well with in lancashire.

I agree too. I was responding with what I said

 

[Dusty_Bin]

Is it from Ensignbus? (the Enviro 400?)

Taken out of use from Rosso

 

[SCH117X]

Team Pennine starts operating Sunday 25 July.

 

[David Verity]

Team Pennine starts operating Sunday 25 July.

I reported that a few weeks ago but was barred because l couldn’t confirm my source. So what is your source?

 

[Flange Squeal]

I reported that a few weeks ago but was barred because l couldn’t confirm my source. So what is your source?

This page on the Team Pennine website has a start date (highlighted in red in quote below from https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/_/teampennine)

A new name for buses in Kirklees and Calderdale – Team Pennine​

There’s a new name in local buses coming your way from Sunday 25 July.​

Team Pennine will take over the bus network currently run by Yorkshire Tiger. This new company is brought to you by Transdev, who run award-winning buses in other areas of West Yorkshire and across the north of England.

A new name, a new approach
The new brand symbolises our local, people-centric approach. After all, bus companies are all about the local people and places they serve. You – our customers – will be at the heart of our decision making going forward, and our colleagues based at our two depots at Elland and Waterloo will be the face of our business.

1 in 4 buses replaced straight away
We don’t intend to stand still. Between now and October, we intend to replace nearly 1 in 4 buses in the current fleet with newer, high-specification and low-emission buses. This includes the first set of new buses to run in Halifax for over six years.

And you’ll even notice some changes on Day One of our new company. From 25 July, a new-look fleet of buses - packed with all the latest features - will arrive on route 233 between Huddersfield and Denby Dale. We will update you more on this soon.

transformation is on the way
We will launch a transformation of the business that will help us achieve what we set out to achieve in our other local areas across the north – to bring you buses that people are proud to be seen on.

We will be hard at work improving standards and introducing the new brand quickly, but a number of the orange, former Yorkshire Tiger buses will remain as we get around to renewing and improving the whole fleet. Soon, the bold and bright Team Pennine buses will be a familiar sight on the streets of Halifax, Huddersfield and further afield across Kirklees and Calderdale. You won’t want to miss us.

It’s not just about buses, it’s about you
And you’ll see a few other changes reflecting our new approach to doing business in a better way for you, too – such as smart Team Pennine uniforms for our driving colleagues, printed timetables and guides for our routes, a relaunched app and website for easy journey planning and mobile tickets, and enhanced information at our bus stations and at key bus stops.

There will be no changes to tickets and you’ll be able to use your existing passes, just as you do now, as well as benefitting from the wider Transdev ticket range too.

Vacancies​

We've got a whole host of opportunities available at TeamPennine. We have ambitious plans to grow and we need the best people to help us. Find out more about how you can join an amazing new team at an awesome new company, with a £1,000 joining bonus, here.

Keep up-to-date with the latest​

All buses currently run by Yorkshire Tiger will pass to the new company, so it’ll be business as usual for most people whilst we carry out our improvements – but note that routes 231 and 232 between Huddersfield and Wakefield will be run by Arriva instead.

Follow us on Twitter @TeamPennine, or on our Facebook page here, for all the latest news ahead of us starting this summer.

We’ll also be updating this webpage with news, and before the takeover date will be adding maps, tickets, timetables and more helpful information. Do check back - and we look forward to seeing you on board very soon.

The Team Pennine Twitter account has posted news of a ‘Denby Darts’ brand, initially covering the 233 between Denby Dale and Huddersfield. It will be renumbered the D1 with minor morning retimings but largely unchanged and same fares. The images shows a two-tone pink Enviro with ‘Denby Darts’ logo consisting of the wording on three triangles (purple, pink and orange).

https://twitter.com/teampennine/status/1411601763938062336

From 25 July, there’ll be a new look and better buses for Denby Dale, Clayton West & Skelmanthorpe into Huddersfield…

Yorkshire Tiger 233 becomes #DenbyDarts D1. There will be minor time changes of a morning but other times, fares & routes stay the same.

More news this week.

 

[Ashly_Jethro]

The images shows a two-tone pink Dart with ‘Denby Darts’ logo consisting of the wording on three triangles (purple, pink and orange).

Vehicles will be 16 plate ADL E200s, the “dart” name was dropped in 2011. Which is a shame as having Dennis Darts running the Denby Darts would’ve been great

 

[cnjb8]

Vehicles will be 16 plate ADL E200s, the “dart” name was dropped in 2011. Which is a shame as having Dennis Darts running the Denby Darts would’ve been great

Some people do call the chassis on a E200 a Dart SLF 4. But that is incorrect as far as I know

 

[Flange Squeal]

Vehicles will be 16 plate ADL E200s, the “dart” name was dropped in 2011. Which is a shame as having Dennis Darts running the Denby Darts would’ve been great

Yes my apologies, I genuinely meant Enviro but had 'Dart' on the brain

 

[Ashly_Jethro]

Some people do call the chassis on a E200 a Dart SLF 4. But that is incorrect as far as I know

When they started making the E200s they did still hold the Dart name, as did the E400s hold the Trident name. But after a while the old names were dropped.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

"Denby Darts" sounds awful tbh, even worse than the broader "Team Pennine" brand. Tiger tried branding the HD8 routes too, which they gave up on within six months. I'm sure Transdev are a more professional organisation, but I get the feeling they're trying a "big bang" publicity push that won't be sustained... just like with Tiger.
Renumbering with a letter prefix might not have the "wow factor" that they think it will have either. In West Yorkshire letter prefixes mean one of three things: either a local village minibus for granny to go to the tea-room once a week; or an express bus that either only runs in the peak (and often doesn't turn up); or that runs frequently between larger population centres. Doing things differently might be a bit jarring, and the letter prefix thing seems like they're being different for the sake of it. To an extent I can understand (the Denby Dale routes have been passed around like the pox and had so many different numbers over the last 20 years that maybe something different is required) but more important is that the new operator sticks with it for longer than half a year before throwing in the towel.

What I'd really like to see is the 435 (Wakefield to Holmfirth) restored to hourly, with the pointless 436 variant (I know, let's avoid one of the bigger villages to save 5mins at best! ) dropped.

EDIT: This probably would have been better in the other thread on Transdev acquiring Tiger. Apologies.

 

[David Verity]

This page on the Team Pennine website has a start date (highlighted in red in quote below from https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/_/teampennine)



The Team Pennine Twitter account has posted news of a ‘Denby Darts’ brand, initially covering the 233 between Denby Dale and Huddersfield. It will be renumbered the D1 with minor morning retimings but largely unchanged and same fares. The images shows a two-tone pink Enviro with ‘Denby Darts’ logo consisting of the wording on three triangles (purple, pink and orange).

https://twitter.com/teampennine/status/1411601763938062336

Tiger had a real go at the Wakefield Road corridor out of Huddersfield with the Denby Dale services, and First responded with "HD Connect" Then Tiger lost interest and HD Connect branded buses can turn up just about anywhere. Maybe another chapter in that particular skirmish is about to begin.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Tiger had a real go at the Wakefield Road corridor out of Huddersfield with the Denby Dale services, and First responded with "HD Connect" Then Tiger lost interest and HD Connect branded buses can turn up just about anywhere. Maybe another chapter in that particular skirmish is about to begin.

That was another misstep by Tiger tbh. They advertised "up to six buses per hour*" or whatever it was on the sides of the buses, but the only place that frequency was possible was between Huddersfield town centre and Waterloo (or about 25% of the journey length of each service). Further out (where most passengers boarded as they were the only option) frequency was 3bph briefly before being cut to 2bph with the axing of the 80.
At least with the 231/232 going to Arriva there's less chance of irrelevant boasts weighed down by asterisks!

 

[Andyh82]

That was another misstep by Tiger tbh. They advertised "up to six buses per hour*" or whatever it was on the sides of the buses, but the only place that frequency was possible was between Huddersfield town centre and Waterloo (or about 25% of the journey length of each service). Further out (where most passengers boarded as they were the only option) frequency was 3bph briefly before being cut to 2bph with the axing of the 80.
At least with the 231/232 going to Arriva there's less chance of irrelevant boasts weighed down by asterisks!

I agree it did seem a strange thing to focus on the frequency only as far as Waterloo when as you say these are much longer services with lower frequencies along the vast majority of the routes

The branding lived longer as a ghostly outline on the Tempos as they quickly withdrew the 85 Waterloo/Lepton shorts that made up that frequency

 

[aswilliamsuk]

I think it has long become clear that Arriva isn't investing generally - rather paralysed by the parent DB dithering over what to do with it - and while it isn't ideal for yet another change of ownership for the Waterloo operation in particular, at least Transdev has a track record of investing, creating and using decent publicity, and actually trying for growth. They obviously see the Skelmanthorpe/Denby Dale corridor as ripe for growth, and it is quite a statement to do this from the first day of operation.

Clearly not everything is going to improve at once, but I'm intrigued to see how this pans out.

 

[Bwsbro]

784 is set to transfer from the Idle Depot to Keighley, and will operate as the 64 from the 26th July

As part of some improvements to our buses serving Ilkley, from 26 July there will be some timetable changes on the 62 and the 784 will become part of The Keighley Bus Company as new route 64.

• There will be some changes to the times of the 62 – these will usually depart from Keighley five minutes earlier than now and Ilkley five minutes later. This should improve our timekeeping.
• Bus 784 will become the 64 and there will be some changes to departure times from both Ilkley (changing to generally at :05 past the hour) and Skipton (at :42 past the hour) to make us more reliable – green bsues from The Keighley Bus Company will now be used as standard

https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/keighley/ilkleys-united-buses-keighley-or-skipton

 

[Ashly_Jethro]

784 is set to transfer from the Idle Depot to Keighley, and will operate as the 64 from the 26th July


https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/keighley/ilkleys-united-buses-keighley-or-skipton

I’m not sure why they didn’t run it out of Keighley anyway, as it was advertised by their media etc, and isn’t it on their licence? (I’m not too sure)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I think it has long become clear that Arriva isn't investing generally - rather paralysed by the parent DB dithering over what to do with it - and while it isn't ideal for yet another change of ownership for the Waterloo operation in particular, at least Transdev has a track record of investing, creating and using decent publicity, and actually trying for growth. They obviously see the Skelmanthorpe/Denby Dale corridor as ripe for growth, and it is quite a statement to do this from the first day of operation.

Clearly not everything is going to improve at once, but I'm intrigued to see how this pans out.

The announcement on the website is full of promises, but I remember Tiger saying much of the same stuff without being able to back it up (if anything things went downhill compared to when Centrebus/Huddersfield Bus Company first launched). Transdev do seem a more hands-on operator, but much of the flowery language will be met with scepticism from long-suffering HD8-ers. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

 

[M60lad]

Will 64 still be run with the same buses as it is now as I'm guessing (but maybe wrong) that the Versas currently used will be transferred to Keighley Depot?

 

[RELL6L]

784 is set to transfer from the Idle Depot to Keighley, and will operate as the 64 from the 26th July


https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/keighley/ilkleys-united-buses-keighley-or-skipton

This seems very sensible, much better to interwork the Ilkley to Otley route with the 62 at Ilkley than have a standalone bus some way from base.
So the 64 will interwork with the 62s that depart Keighley at 15 and Ilkley at 12 mins past the hour.

Will the 67 continue to interwork with the 62s that depart Keighley at 45 and Ilkley at 42 mins past the hour? On the current timetable for the 67 they will have 5-6 minutes at Keighley in each direction, but then have 16 minutes turnround at Ilkley along with 12 at Bradford so this looks reasonably comfortable, the interworking makes sense with the running time of the 67 being 58-59 minutes. This portion sometimes sees deckers on one or two boards, but presumably this won't be possible on the Skipton route.

 

[Ken H]

This seems very sensible, much better to interwork the Ilkley to Otley route with the 62 at Ilkley than have a standalone bus some way from base.
So the 64 will interwork with the 62s that depart Keighley at 15 and Ilkley at 12 mins past the hour.

Will the 67 continue to interwork with the 62s that depart Keighley at 45 and Ilkley at 42 mins past the hour? On the current timetable for the 67 they will have 5-6 minutes at Keighley in each direction, but then have 16 minutes turnround at Ilkley along with 12 at Bradford so this looks reasonably comfortable, the interworking makes sense with the running time of the 67 being 58-59 minutes. This portion sometimes sees deckers on one or two boards, but presumably this won't be possible on the Skipton route.

Transdev really need a depot or outstation somewhere in Otley or Ilkley.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

transdev really need a depot or outstation somewhere in Otley or Ilkley

Do they? Otley hasn't had a depot since 1990 and Ilkley closed earlier (1985/6?).

 

[Deerfold]

I’m not sure why they didn’t run it out of Keighley anyway, as it was advertised by their media etc, and isn’t it on their licence? (I’m not too sure)

No, it's on Coastliner's license.

 

[Bwsbro]

transdev really need a depot or outstation somewhere in Otley or Ilkley

To be honest the expense of opening a depot/outstation in Otley or Ilkley would be much higher than the buses operating out of service from Idle/Keighley

Idle - Otley is only approximately 7 miles away
Keighley - Otley is only 11 miles away.

Most operators have similar dead mileage between their depots and services

 

[Andyh82]

On that note I'm surprised they didn't change the "Wharfedale Links" 962/966/948 and "Otley Dash" DASH to run from Idle rather than Keighley

 

[JetBlast]

This is the fleet coming over from Yorkshire Tiger.

https://twitter.com/paul_turner_74/status/1415028386527911936?s=21

 

[43055]

From the 26th Lakeline 457 is being extended to Shore and Stansfield replacing First's route 588.

Lakeline is getting longer. We’re extending to Shore and Stansfield.​

Yesterday Tue 13th Jul 2021

From 26 July, we are making Lakeline even better and will be extending the quick Lakeline 457 route between Rochdale, Littleborough Road and Littleborough to serve Shore and Stansfield. This will replace First’s bus 588.
We will serve Shore and Stansfield all day, every day. On Monday to Saturday daytime, Lakeline 457 will now extend to Shore, then Stansfield and back to Littleborough and quick to Rochdale. It will run every 30 minutes. In the evenings and on Sundays, Lakeline 458 will still run every hour to Shore and Stansfield, serving Wardle and Hollingworth Lake. Lakeline 456, 457, 458 – alongside First’s 590 - will mean there’s a bus every 10 minutes to Smithybridge Library and four buses per hour into Littleborough.
Lakeline 457 will pick you up for Shore and Stansfield at the Railway Station in Littleborough and the ‘Square’ stop B.
Also from 25 July, our friends at Team Pennine will run the 587 on a Sunday so all our Lakeline and Transdev tickets will be valid on that too between Rochdale and Littleborough.
Timetable will be available here shortly.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

This is the fleet coming over from Yorkshire Tiger.

https://twitter.com/paul_turner_74/status/1415028386527911936?s=21

I'm unable to view that link (I refuse to have a twitter account) but I assume you mean it lists the buses currently with Tiger that Transdev are retaining- with all others being moved on?