Optimistic that Harrogate can play part in Covid-19 recovery

These are two things many of us feel very fortunate to say - and need to say more often.

In a town with some of its own worst critics (sometimes justified, sometimes not), we also have every right to get that sense of belonging and pride when you walk around the many beautiful parts of our town, especially during times like these where we can turn the pressures around us into optimism.

For there are plenty of new pressures upon us all at the moment.

We are feeling it on the buses in Harrogate as we have seen 70% of our customers disappear, yet car usage is only down by around 20%. This is whilst we run around 95% of our normal timetable.

This could be a disaster for local congestion and air quality, and not one that walking and cycling - as important as both modes can be - can rescue alone. Mass transit is the answer when done in a safe, clean and green way, as I firmly believe our red buses are.

Locally we proudly trade as “The Harrogate Bus Company”. We see ourselves as integral to the success of a town and our owners, Transdev, are happy to see their brand position behind the important local brand which we better represent.

We are in the town’s top five employers and we make all our decisions here from our base in Starbeck. We run seven days a week, early to late, so we can meet the diverse needs of our community.

I’ve often said that Harrogate is not a town where buses ought to do well.

The demographics and high car ownership should go against the ability to provide a bus service at precious little cost to the public purse. But, because we believe in talking and listening to our customers - and acting upon their needs - we created, and continue to rebuild and relaunch around five years - the famous 36 (sssh, people don’t call it a bus: they are proud to say they go on “the 36”) and our pioneering, first of their kind Harrogate Electrics fleet.

All evidence to us that if you build what they want, the people will come.

And bus usage in Harrogate, at least before we were hit squarely with a pandemic - was at its highest in over 40 years.

Here’s another stat we wheel out often - 55% of our customers have access to the car but instead use the bus.

Why’s all this important to us all?

It’s important because buses can do the heavy lifting in terms of movement of people.

That means moving people to jobs, to the shops, to leisure, to nightlife, to friends and family.

This helps make our town sing, and we believe our amazing colleagues have represented the town well during the crisis and I’m particularly pleased to see our team recognised as key workers, something we have celebrated on our Harrogate Heroes bus as we thank everyone in our community who were there for us at the height of the pandemic.

Pressures? Yes. But in a town like Harrogate, is there a sense of optimism too?

Providing we do things right and carry on listening to and encouraging each other - most definitely.