Blackpool Transport remains one of the few operators to provide services on Boxing Day and New Years Day. For many years a basic 14 bus operation on services 1, 2, 6, 7, 11 and 14 has taken place. Last year a minor change saw the South Pier section of the 2 dropped and extra time given to Line 14 while this year since the Poulton section of Line 2 dropped in favour of Line 5, and other changes see a total of 16 buses occupied. The service provided is summarised as:
Line 1 Pleasure Beach to Cleveleys - every 20 minutes (3 buses) - reduced from every 15 last year
Line 5 Halfway House to Victoria Hospital - every hour (2 buses) - new
Line 6 Grange Park to Mereside every 30 minutes (3 buses)
Line 7 Lytham Square to Cleveleyes every 60 minutes (2 buses)
Line 11 St. Annes to Cleveleys every 30 minutes (4 buses) - increased from every hour
Line 14 Blackpool to Fleetwood every 60 minutes (2 buses)
Branded buses are generally used - though Line 5 will presumably use larger vehicles as previously deployed on Line 2.
Offset against this improvement is a curtailment of Christmas Eve and New Years Eve services. For several years BTS has continued to provide a skeleton service on each route until midnight - unlike most companies who run in from 2000. This year, however, the service finishes around 2200 (Lines 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15) or 2000 (Lines 3, 4, 5, 16).
