Further details of the changed to tendered services form 29 January have been confirmed. Coastal Coaches route 78 will replace the daily Wesham to Lytham section of service 7 and the weekday daytime service 18 from Lytham to St. Annes. Blackpool Transport has also announced that the contracted evening services 17 and 18 are also to be withdrawn, apparently without replacement. This will leave the Spring Gardens/St Davids Road North areas of St. Annes and South Park in Lytham without a service.
The 78 largely follows the 7 and 18 route, save for a diversion to serve South Hey and Edwinstowe Road between Smithy Lane and Clitheroe Road; and will also continue from St. Annes Square to Sainsbury's turning via Clifton Drive, Beach Road, St. Andrews Road South and St. Georges Road. The service starts at 0653 from Sainsbury's and every 30 minutes to 1823, then 1923. Further journeys run from Lytham to Wesham at 2054, 2154 and 2254.
The first bus from Wesham is 0655 and every 30 minutes to 1825 then 1925 with four trips to Lytham only at 2025, 2125, 2225 and 2325. Sunday service is hourly (0923 to 1823 from St. Annes, 1954 to 2254 from Lytham and 0925 to 1825 Wesham to St. Annes 1925 to 2225 Wesham to Lytham).
From 3 January the Line 1 diversion in Cleveleys was changed so that from Little Bispham to Cleveleys the service now runs via Princes Way and Rough Lea Road instead of using North Drive. This is likely to be in place until February when the road crossings at Fleetwood Road and York Road are reopened once the tram track relaying is complete. This is believed to be the first time Princes Way has been used by a regular Blackpool Transport service, though Stagecoach X61 is believed to have used the route in the past.
Repainted Trident 330 has been noted back in service. Optare Excel 203 (N203LCK) has been reported in a Barnsley scrapyard following disposal by Centrebus who operated it in Grantham. It was acquired from Optare by Reliance for service in Grantham who were later bought out by Mass Transit who in turn sold the business to Centrebus.
