A moving Act of Remembrance: Bus firm fits poppies to its fleet

Team Pennine buses in Calderdale and Kirklees are being adorned with poppies to support the annual Poppy Appeal, as the nation prepares to remember the fallen. From left, veterans Geoff Lister, Michael Scott and Keith Webster watch as engineer Jonathan Ruston fits a poppy to one of the company’s buses

The company’s buses serving communities across the Calderdale and Kirklees districts are being adorned with large commemorative poppies to encourage its thousands of customers to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

The poppies will be prominently displayed on the front of buses on routes covering hundreds of miles every day throughout the area, along with others run by parent firm Transdev across the North, from Preston and Manchester in the west to the Yorkshire Coast in the east.

Team Pennine will also provide free travel on Remembrance Sunday (November 14) to all current service personnel with forces ID, and to veterans in uniform or with their medals.

Alex Hornby, CEO of parent firm Transdev, said: “With the impact of the pandemic still being felt by many veterans and their families, it’s more important than ever that we continue our support for the excellent work done by the Royal British Legion.

“We hope that by prominently showing our support for the Poppy Appeal on our buses, many of our customers will join us in contributing to this excellent cause.

“We want to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, and to support those living with the impact of conflict today. All of our teams at our depots across the North are fully behind this.”

The bus firm now hopes that as a highly visible symbol of Remembrance, its bus poppies will help to encourage its customers to buy and wear their own poppies with pride.

Buses run by each of Transdev’s ten local bus operators across the North, including Team Pennine, will now display poppies ahead of Remembrance Sunday, when the region and the nation will pause to remember the fallen.

On Remembrance Day on Thursday, November 11 and on Remembrance Sunday, and where it is safe to do so, Transdev’s buses will also pause at 11am to observe two minutes’ silence in memory of those who gave their lives in defending our nation.

Full details of all bus services provided by Team Pennine are available online at transdevbus.co.uk/teampennine and on the free Transdev Go mobile app.