A NORTH WEST bus operator has launched a campaign to recruit new drivers across the county.

Transdev, which runs across Lancashire and Yorkshire, hopes to attract drivers to work on its new Ribble County brand, which the company has launched in partnership with Lancashire County Council.

The new brand will operate along routes throughout the Ribble Valley and south of Preston to serve Bamber Bridge and Leyland, while the firm also hopes to recruit drivers for its Rosso bus team based in Blackburn and Burnley.

Transdev CEO Alex Horner said: “Now is the time to join our award-winning team, as we look to build buses back better beyond the pandemic. We’re preparing to meet thousands of new customers, and we have plans for further growth in 2021 and beyond.

“We’re looking for caring people who are always happy to help, team players who never say never and can give our customers the warm welcome on board we’re famous for.

He added: “Our Rosso colleagues are proud triple award holders, having won Depot of the Year, Driver of the Year and the Rising Star prize in our 2020 Transdev Amazing Awards, so our new drivers will be joining an enthusiastic team of winners.

“As our new recruitment campaign shows, our drivers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but have one thing in common, they all care passionately about giving amazing customer service.

"We offer one of our industry’s best remuneration packages to the right people, and we can’t wait to welcome you on board.”

Transdev also aims to recruit people who are new to the industry and are looking for a career change.

One such example is Dawn Kenyon, former landlady of The Fleece Inn on Penny Street in Blackburn, who has now retrained as a bus driver and has become one of the faces of Transdev's campaign.

She said: “I was looking for a change of career after the smoking ban came in for pubs, followed by a decision to move a pedestrian crossing outside the pub which took away a lot of passing trade.

“Years earlier when I left college my mum suggested driving as a career, and in the end, she was right.

"I joined The Burnley Bus Company as a trainee driver, I was lucky as I’d driven tractors and fork-lift trucks when I was younger.

"I hit the kerb once on my first bus driving lesson, but after that I never looked back!”

To find out more, go to: https://www.transdevbus.co.uk.