Martin Shapley – he’s the man with a van and a plan to make Yorkshire’s bus stops sparkle into Spring

Meet Martin Shapley - he’s the man with a van and a plan to make Yorkshire’s bus stops sparkle into Spring, as many look forward to returning to travel for work and play.

Meet Martin Shapley – he’s the man with a van and a plan to make Yorkshire’s bus stops sparkle into Spring, as many look forward to returning to travel for work and play.

Martin, 58, has just joined leading bus operator Transdev as its new Customer Facilities Assistant – and his new job is a vitally important one, as the company prepares for the end of travel restrictions in line with the Government’s roadmap to safely exit the pandemic.

As well as ensuring that customers can look forward to clean and safe facilities while they wait for their bus, Martin is also beginning the task of posting updated timetable information at hundreds of Transdev’s bus stops across West and North Yorkshire as service frequencies increase in the coming months.

Martin said:

With so many people coming back to the bus over the next few months, it’s vital that we provide safe and clean places for them to begin their journeys with us. Good presentation is very important all the time, and especially so now given what we’ve all been through this last year and more.

This job is ideal for me as I’m not the sort of person who can happily spend all day in an office – I much prefer being out and about and meeting people. I’m thoroughly enjoying being on the road and making a real difference.

Everyone at Transdev has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and part of the team, they’re all so friendly and there’s a really positive atmosphere. I know that the work I’m doing is going to make a lot of people’s journeys better and brighter – it’s all about encouraging more people to enjoy travelling by bus when we all can.

Martin’s new role is based in Harrogate and covers the whole of Transdev’s Yorkshire network, stretching from the Pennine routes around Keighley and Skipton to the coastal resorts of Scarborough and Whitby.

Transdev’s Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti said:

Martin’s positive and friendly character makes him the ideal man to look after our bus stops and information displays, as well as facilities behind the scenes at our Yorkshire depots. The job he’s now doing is very important to us as we look to build buses back better beyond the pandemic.

We all expect a clean and well-presented product when we go shopping, and bus travel is just the same – we will need to be at our best when non-essential journeys restart, hopefully in a few weeks from now. I’m sure Martin’s experience and dedication to the task will see him and his van become a welcome sight to our customers across Yorkshire.

Originally from Basildon in Essex, Martin moved to Yorkshire in 1982 and worked at a woollen mill in Bingley, near Bradford, before starting a 33-year career with the Bradford and Bingley Building Society’s maintenance team. He joined the facilities department at Bradford Royal Infirmary in January 2020, just before the pandemic began, before moving to his current role with Transdev.

Away from work, Martin shares home life in Bingley, West Yorkshire, with his partner and their Border collie Syrah.

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