A BUS firm in York has a new manager to steer its post-lockdown recovery.

Experienced bus industry manager Paul Sammonds is the new planning manager with Transdev as the business steps up a gear following relaxation of travel restrictions.

His role covers seven operating subsidiaries across the North including York and Malton.

Paul's previous role was commercial manager for Stagecoach Yorkshire which saw him leading on several successful product launches over three years.

In his role, he will be reviewing Transdev’s bus network and looking for opportunities to boost customer numbers as the economy picks up and travel patterns change.

The 35-year-old who was a part-time bus driver as a student said it was 'a challenging yet exciting time' to be joinimng Transdev.

"My role involves network planning, both in terms of developing the existing network and finding new opportunities for growth. Travel habits for work have undoubtedly changed as a proportion of businesses continue with staff working from home for all or some of the time, while the market for local and regional leisure journeys looks promising with many more people ready to discover all that our region has to offer for day trips and short breaks.”

Transdev CEO Alex Hornby said: “Paul’s fresh ideas and forward thinking will help us develop our Back to Bus strategy for these changing times and create new opportunities to develop and grow our business across the North – and as always, our customers will be the first to benefit.”

Paul first joined the bus industry in 2005 as a part-time bus driver in Huddersfield during his student years, before graduating in Transport and Logistics Management at the University of Huddersfield.

He then joined transport group First as a trainee scheduler and became part of a team delivering regional efficiency projects in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, while expanding its bus network with the acquisition of the long-established Finglands bus business in Manchester.