Bus firm Transdev celebrates Rosso’s first year of success

Mayor Mohammed Zaman and MP Tony Lloyd with Transdev CEO Alex Hornby in front of a new Lakeline bus

One year on from Rosso becoming part of the Transdev family, the company and its customers are celebrating 12 months of success.

Rosso’s 240 staff and 102 buses became part of Transdev in January 2018 – a move which gave the green light to an immediate £3 million investment in a new fleet of high-spec buses for its routes in and around Rochdale, Rossendale and Bury.

Rosso introduced new-look buses to its Lakeline service in summer 2018, run in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which now run up to every 15 minutes between Littleborough and Rochdale. More customers were found to be using the service by October compared with the previous year.

Transdev CEO Alex Hornby said: “We promised to keep on improving when Rosso became part of our family of bus companies in 2018, and one year on, we’re even more determined to keep on delivering a bigger and better service for our customers.

“In just 12 months we’ve welcomed thousands more customers on board as a result of our investment in better bus services right across Rossendale and  Greater Manchester.

“The latest investment in the new Lakeline brand has seen a double-digit rise in the number of customers now travelling on this route alone – and we’re working hard to build on those excellent results with more improvements across our network in 2019.”

Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd joined Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Mohammed Zaman and Littleborough Lakeside Councillor John Hartley at Rochdale bus station to celebrate Rosso’s success.

Mr Lloyd said: “The improvement in Rosso’s quality of service in the last 12 months is clear to see, and it’s excellent to see the positive partnership between Rosso and TfGM already producing an impressive increase in numbers using the Lakeline services.

“These services play a vital role in supporting our local economy, as well as making it easy for people across the region to enjoy our popular visitor attractions.”

Rochdale Mayor Councillor Mohammed Zaman said: “Our area has a lot to offer and these Rosso buses are a simple and affordable way to enjoy it and help protect our local environment at the same time.

“I’m very impressed by just how easy the buses are to use – much better than the stress of driving and parking.

“Rosso’s buses really are a great way to travel.”