A TECH company that builds apps and websites for public transport has seen Yellow Buses sign up for another four years.

Yellow Buses was one of the first customers for Westbourne-based Passenger in 2008, when the iPhone was still new and the digital business was known as We Are Base.

Since then, tens of thousands of passengers have used the YB Move app and Yellow Buses website when travelling around the conurbation.

Yellow Buses was bought by its management team from French-owned RATP Dev for an undisclosed sum in 2019 and has been seeking to work with local businesses.

Yellow Buses managing director David Squire said: “We are pleased to extend our relationship with local company Passenger, having been one of their first operators 12 years ago.

“As a locally owned, locally operated company with our roots firmly in the local community, it is important to us that we work with local suppliers where possible, who understand our customers’ needs.

“We have invested heavily in promoting contactless payments across our fleet, together with our app and destination based website, we are able to provide a range of payment solutions for both regular travellers and tourists.”

Passenger builds products for bus operators across the country but says there were benefits from working on products that its team uses in day to day life.

Chief executive Tom Quay said: “We have greatly enjoyed working with Yellow Buses over the past 12 years.

“Knowing that when we walk out of our doors and jump on a bus, we can use our app to pay for and plan the journeys we need to make is always exciting.

“Bournemouth has long been considered a hub of digital technology, so being able to enjoy strong local partnerships is great for the area and the economy.

“Bournemouth has challenges ahead, as does the whole of the UK, but we are excited to work together to keep helping the south coast’s residents and visitors using shared public transport as much as possible to travel.”