Bus fleet boost to improve Harrogate to Leeds link

A major bus route linking Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds is to be boosted by a larger and more regular fleet.

The announcement was made by bus operator Harrogate Bus Company on Monday, at a meeting of the Harrogate Chamber Of Commerce.

Investing £800,000 into the route, three new buses will enter into service as it aims to provide a bus every 10 minutes between Harrogate and Leeds from Sunday, October 29 this year.

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Alex Hornby, CEO of the Harrogate Bus Company said: “When we launched our amazing new buses onto the route in 2016, we hoped they would be popular – but even we’ve been surprised and delighted by the positive reaction from passengers.

“They love the bespoke design of the buses, which come packed with passenger-friendly features.

“We’re also immensely proud of our hand-picked dedicated team of drivers, who welcome thousands of people onto the 36 every week.

“Their success in building such a positive relationship with customers old and new make the service the huge success it undoubtedly is.

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“Expanding the service to run every 10 minutes between Harrogate and Leeds is the logical next step for us, creating a ‘turn up and go’ service on this busy section of the route.

“Our customers are already giving the 36 top marks for quality – now we’ll give it a ten.”

The investment follows last years £3.3 million launch of the company’s premium route.

Each of the new buses will include features such as free 4G wifi, a chillout area with work space and more.

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Efforts to develop the busy route between Harrogate and Leeds are also part of the company’s green initiative push.

From next year its network of routes will begin a shift entirely towards electric buses across a five year period, using next negation charging technology.

Harrogate Bus Company have also highlighted that their new service’s announcement follows recent sets of industrial action by railway workers. Train services between Harrogate and Leeds were last disrupted on Friday, September 1 and Monday, September 4