Transdev’s freshly promoted duo share a New Year mission – to make bus travel amazing

Introducing Matt Burley and Alex Spencer – two of North West bus firm Transdev’s rising stars, celebrating the New Year with promotion to more senior roles.

Transdev says both appointments demonstrate its continuing commitment to develop the best talent within its ranks – including via its industry-leading ‘Step Up’ programme which supports colleagues in gaining vital experience beyond their personal comfort zone.

Matt, 29, is the bus operator’s newly appointed Commercial Manager, and is passionate about providing current and potential customers with up-to-the-minute information to help them make informed travel decisions.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Alex plans to build on Transdev’s success in winning people back to its buses as its new Network Manager, using his keen eye for design and his experience in matching people and buses together on routes across the region.

Matt came to Transdev from East Midlands bus firm Trent Barton in 2016, where he worked as a systems analyst. Matt said: “I joined Transdev as a bus driver to gain experience in that area of the business, and in that first year I drove routes run from every one of our depots across the North.”

“By the end of that same year I became commercial assistant, a varied role which helped to build my understanding of the processes that help us thrive in a competitive market. I also focused on improving on-bus audio announcements and grew them from just four routes to most of our network – and I led on the introduction of our current ticket machines in 2018.”

That smooth rollout saw Matt progress to become its Ticketing and Systems Manager – and now he’s looking forward to the road ahead in 2023 following his latest promotion as Transdev’s new Commercial Manager.

Matt said: “With the £2 price drop now in place for any single journey with us over the next three months, we’ll be looking to make the most of this exciting opportunity to attract more people to try the bus, and then to keep them on board with us.”

Alex Spencer joined Transdev straight from university in 2014 as a commercial assistant. Alex said: “When I came here, we had a small team working with five companies in our network – half what we have now. I took on more responsibility as a scheduler and was able to show potential with a keen eye for designing bus networks.

“I also worked on staff rostering – during the pandemic we faced unprecedented times with constant changes to keep our buses on the road. Using real-time data, we stayed on top of it and as a result, I know what works.

We’ve already attracted 90 per cent of pre-pandemic customers back on many routes, and higher still on some,” said Alex. “We have a strong presence on social media and well-established brands. People know what they’re coming back to – we never settle for less than the best.”

Matt lives in Rochdale with his partner, and with three dogs at home, walking and exploring the countryside takes up his spare time. Alex’s interests include building scale models and enjoying the Ribble Valley countryside near the family home in Langho, north of Blackburn.

Transdev CEO Alex Hornby is delighted to see Matt and Alex progress within the organisation. Alex says: “Both promotions show our continuing commitment to develop the best talent within our team – including via our industry-leading ‘Step Up’ programme which supports colleagues in gaining vital experience beyond their personal comfort zone.

“Alex and Matt share a clear passion for making bus travel amazing for our customers, and a desire to grow their experience with us. I have no doubt that both have the skills, experience, and focus to achieve further success as we look to grow in 2023 and beyond.”

Full details of all career opportunities with Transdev across the North of England are available online at: transdevbus.co.uk/work-for-us.