future ready

York’s new green depot

At Transdev, our passion for a greener, cleaner future runs deep.

In Spring 2024, we opened our new green depot on the northern outskirts of York – achieving a reduction in carbon emissions of 28%, compared with statutory levels set by Government in 2013. 

This was achieved through detailed design integration of renewable technologies, such as solar panels, air source heat pumps, building airtightness and associated detail measures, to create an energy efficient and sustainable building. 

Biodiversity is also enhanced by planting, plus bird and bat nesting boxes to support the natural environment around the depot site. Charging facilities for light electric vehicles are included, while the new building has been prepared for future full electrification of its bus fleet. 

Inside, our green depot features an engineering workshop filled with the most up-to-date hardware, including high-tech vehicle lifting gear and diagnostic performance testing equipment – while behind the scenes, staff welfare and office accommodation also benefits from the latest energy-saving, emission-reducing technology, including our own in-house training Academy, to help attract and retain the best people for our driving and engineering teams. 

Local buses run by Transdev subsidiary York & Country are stabled and maintained at the new facility, plus a small number of vehicles for its ever-popular Coastliner route, which links York with Leeds and the Yorkshire Coast. 

Rawcliffe is also home to York’s leading tour bus operator, City Sightseeing York, whose bright red open top buses follow a circular route serving 21 stops including all of the historic city’s most popular visitor sights and attractions up to every 15 minutes, seven days a week. On Sundays, discounted fares are available to local residents with a York Card. 

The opening of our new depot in York marked the culmination of two years of hard work throughout the construction phase by the team to ensure that our customers continued to enjoy our signature quality of service throughout the transfer to our new facility. 

An opening ceremony with invited guests including York and North Yorkshire transport leaders and local communities was held at the new facility, with the honour of cutting the ribbon to declare the depot open going to Emily Pickard, creator of York parenting website York Mumbler. 

The new depot is already playing a key role in our expansion as a business, with the acquisition in late 2024 of several routes from the long-established local operator Reliance Motor Services followed by a comprehensive network review, leading to the introduction of additional journeys in the Easingwold and Thirsk areas from April 2025.