The Harrogate Bus Company is celebrating double success in the area's premier business awards.
This year’s Harrogate Business Awards winners were revealed at a vibrant black-tie celebration of the region’s business success stories.
Held at DoubleTree by Hilton Majestic Hotel, the Awards marked their 20th year of recognising and celebrating Harrogate’s wide range of businesses and the role they play in driving the region’s economic success.
The Harrogate Bus Company took the coveted Large Business of the Year trophy, following one of the biggest investments by any business in the town in the last year, worth £21 million.
It’s the second time the bus operator has won the title, having previously taken the honour in 2021 for its strong post-pandemic recovery.
The Harrogate Bus Company was also a finalist in the Sustainable Business of the Year category for its mission to convert its local routes in and around Harrogate to zero emission electric power.
A £7.8 million contribution from the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme delivered just over a third of the total investment in Harrogate’s new electric buses, following a successful funding application with North Yorkshire Council.
A total of 39 electric buses has transformed The Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet into a zero-emission, battery-electric operation, with 19 new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV double deck vehicles taking over on its flagship route, The 36 linking Harrogate with Leeds and Ripon.
The double deck buses have been joined by 20 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric single deckers to create a complete new zero emission electric bus fleet based at Transdev’s depot in the town.
Receiving the award, parent company Transdev Blazefield’s Managing Director Henri Rohard said:
“We are delighted to win this award in our home town of Harrogate, where our new electric buses are proving popular with our customers.
“This new generation of buses was three years in the making, with the successful application for ZEBRA funding by our exceptional partner, North Yorkshire Council, supporting our own investment to give Harrogate the most up-to-date and sustainable buses in Britain."
He added:
“We needed a bus that was robust enough to deliver high performance in a busy urban environment, such as in Leeds and Harrogate, and also in the more rural sections of the route.
“Most of our zero emission buses on The 36 cover over 100,000 kilometres, or 62,100 miles, a year, with over two million customer journeys per annum, and they are performing well in service.
“Our new electric buses for The 36 and our other routes in and around Harrogate are custom engineered to deliver a positive step change in performance.
“Most of all, our wonderful people have worked very hard as a team to bring this exciting project to life, and this award reflects their success.”
Full details of The Harrogate Bus Company’s routes and fare deals are online at: transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate and on the free ‘Transdev Go’ mobile app.
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