New director resumes journey with bus firm

Bus firm trentbarton – and its parent company Wellglade – have announced the appointment of a new group engineering director.

John Bickerton, a chartered engineers who joins from Arriva, will take up the newly created role in January.

His new job will include directing the care of more than 400 buses and coaches in the combined fleets, which are based at six depots. He will lead a team of engineering managers and around 100 engineers and apprentices.

The appointment represents a return to the East Midlands for John, who is originally from Derbyshire.

He said: “I travelled on the group’s buses when I went to school, so it is exciting to resume the journey now in my career in public transport.

“The next decade is going to be extremely interesting for bus operators as the nation moves towards a zero-carbon future.

“We already carry more people per tailpipe than any other sector and buses will be a big part of decarbonisation, including at Wellglade.”