Bus operator marks couple's retirement after amazing 76 years

Robert Bilham has been with the operator for 40 years, working his way up to become a leading engineering manager. Meanwhile, Mandy has been with Stagecoach Yorkshire for 36 years, also in the engineering team, where she is a trusted and popular stores person.

Their combined experience, knowledge and professionalism have been major factors in building an engineering team that is now widely renowned for providing hugely reliable bus services. Their work shows out in the numbers: in November, last year, the operator revealed figures showing that, over the previous 12 months, it had run approximately 99% of the miles it was timetabled to run - and nearly half of this very small amount of mileage lost was due to factors outside of its control, like congestion and road diversions.

Mandy and Robert’s home depot in Rawmarsh has run a reliability level of 99.7%, for the past 12 years, and a remarkable MOT pass rate of 100%!

Matt Kitchin, managing director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, added: “Not many people stay with one company for so many years, but we aim to provide an environment where people enjoy coming to work. Mandy and Robert have both developed experience and understanding that we rely on, so we are grateful that they have taken so much time to make sure that their knowledge is passed on to the next generation in the Engineering team.

“They have both always focused on the need to provide a reliable service for our customers across the region, and the strength of our performance really shows the success they have had.”

-- To find out more about local bus routes and services, to buy before you board, and to track your local bus, you can download the Stagecoach Bus App from https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/stagecoachbusapp.