Yorkshire Cancer Research bus unveiled

Yorkshire Cancer Research has celebrated the unveiling of a specially branded bus thanks to its collaboration with Yorkshire bus company Transdev.

The newly branded bus will travel across key routes in and around Harrogate, helping to raise awareness of the charity’s life-saving work.

Yorkshire Cancer Research was named as a charity partner by Transdev’s The Harrogate Bus Company last year.  

For bus driver Sarah Stevenson - who attended the unveiling of the Yorkshire Cancer Research branded bus with her son - getting behind the wheel of this bus holds extra meaning.

In June 2021, Sarah was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer after noticing some changes in her breast. Following a biopsy and mammogram, she was told the cancer was fast-growing and had spread to her lymph nodes. She was fast-tracked for surgery at Harrogate Hospital and underwent six months of chemotherapy followed by a month of radiotherapy.

Sarah completed her hospital treatment in February 2022. She is now on a five-year course of hormone treatment, with annual mammograms and clinic appointments to keep track of her health.

When asked about how she came to work at Transdev following her cancer treatment, Sarah said: “For a while after my cancer treatment, I grappled with the uncertainties around my career but knew I had to start looking for jobs where I wouldn’t be on my feet all day. I remember coming across the job advert to become a bus driver at Transdev and it dawned on me – being able to sit down and drive a bus around beautiful areas in Harrogate would be perfect!”

Having now worked as a bus driver for two years, Sarah reflects on how much this role has given her a new sense of purpose and supported her wellbeing following her cancer treatment.

“The mentoring I received throughout my training was brilliant and since then, I’ve loved every minute of working here. I also really enjoy meeting people in the local community and seeing familiar faces. There’s one passenger who shouts that I’m his favourite bus driver every time he gets on – now that’s something you can’t get bored of!”

Now, Sarah’s 21-year-old son Will has followed in her footsteps, having passed his test in February to also become a driver at Transdev.

Will added: “I was doing my A-levels when my mum told me she had cancer, and it took me a long time to process. She’s been through a lot, so it makes me happy to see her now enjoying a job that she loves and that I can enjoy with her too. We always wave at each other when we pass each other on the roads.”

Throughout 2025 – the charity’s 100th year - Transdev has pledged to support world-leading research and innovative cancer services in Yorkshire through fundraising and awareness initiatives.

This includes its recent involvement in the Yorkshire Cancer Research 2025 We Walk for Yorkshire challenge, where employees took part in a team walk along the three and a half-mile bus route from Harrogate to Knaresborough.

Matt Burley, Project and Marketing Manager at Transdev’s The Harrogate Bus Company, said: “We’re delighted to support Yorkshire Cancer Research as our charity partner through fundraising and awareness raising activities.

"This specially-branded bus will carry important messages promoting different ways to get behind the charity across our Harrogate local bus network, on our route 2 serving Bilton, 3 to Jennyfield, 4 at King Edwin Park and 6 at Pannal Ash and Beckwith Knowle. We’re also aiming to attract more people to visit Yorkshire Cancer Research’s café, shop and donation centre at Hornbeam Park – by bus, of course – where every drink, purchase or donated item helps with the charity’s life-saving work.”