Transdev Blazefield has agreed to purchase several bus routes and 11 buses from Reliance Motor Services of Sutton-on-the-Forest, north of York.
The deal is for an undisclosed sum and will see those operations become part of Transdev’s York and Country undertaking. Vehicles and routes concerned will change hands on 19 January 2025. Some Reliance drivers will also move to York and Country.
Two home-to-school services form part of the deal alongside all of Reliance’s core public routes and one Dalesbus service. Other dedicated education contracts operated by the independent for North Yorkshire Council are not part of the transfer to Transdev and will remain with Reliance.
Transdev says that timetables on affected routes will remain similar to now with the exception of morning and evening journeys that start from or terminate at Reliance’s depot. Buses that form part of the transfer will gain the blue York and Country livery.
Speaking about the sale, Reliance Motor Services co-owner Gary Newby says: “While we are sorry to say farewell to our loyal customers on the routes that will see a change of operator, and to several of our drivers, we know that they will be in the best hands.
“Transdev has invested significantly in an impressive new depot in York and it has a strong track record of delivering for its customers.
“We thank all those who have travelled with us over the years, and our team of drivers, whose hard work and dedication to customer care is reflected in Reliance’s excellent reputation for quality and reliability.”
Transdev Blazefield Managing Director Henri Rohard adds: “We are delighted to be looking forward to expanding our network of routes to the north of York while welcoming new colleagues to our York and Country operation.
“This agreement demonstrates Transdev’s long-term commitment to develop our business here in the North of England. Reliance is a long-established operator with a proud record of customer service, and we will seek to build on that – with all the resources of our green bus depot at Rawcliffe in York.”
Mr Rohard says that Transdev is committed to further building its relationships with local authority partners in York and North Yorkshire, where a recently formed Combined Authority is in place under Mayor David Skaith.
“We are people serving people and this agreement presents an exciting opportunity for us to work together to attract more customers to our newly expanded network.”
