It is operated by a fleet of high-specification Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5TL double-deck vehicles, branded in a red and black livery.

The 36 was originally operated by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company from the mid 1960s, with the route running between Vicar Lane in Leeds and Ripon Railway Station.

[citation needed] In October 2003, Harrogate & District relaunched route 36 with fourteen Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs with leather seats.

[citation needed] In January 2016, route 36 was again relaunched with fourteen new Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5TLs,[8][9] fitted with coach-style leather seating and passenger amenities such as WiFi connectivity, USB charging points, an on-board library and audio-visual next stop information.

[12] Funding from the UK Government's Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme was secured in May 2022 to aid Transdev Blazefield and North Yorkshire County Council in the electrification of the 36, which will see nineteen Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery electric double-decker buses with pantograph chargers delivered to replace the existing diesel Volvo B5TLs on the service.