Sunday 10 July 2016

BTS Bus Driver of the Year


Today Blackpool Transport held its Bus Driver of the Year  competition to select its contender for the National competition held in the resort in September. The event took place on Tower Headland using new ADL400 City 401 accompanied by a display of contrasting modern and heritage buses. Here 2015 Citaro 554 contrasts with the original 554 - a 1970 AEC Swift with Marshall body (photo Gary Conn)
The classic 554 is shown off to full effect with open top Olympian 857 in the background. 554 ran from May 1970 to 1982 and was then preserved, passing onto its current owners in 2013. A full repaint took place in 2015 and the bus is now happily back in active use and well cared for. It carries the 1970s rich cream livery, garnished with a front crest as unusually carried by sister 550 (Gary Conn)


The iconic Blackpool PD3 with equally significant Tower behind. 501 dates from 1967 and ran from 1985 and has been in preservation since. Restored in Glasgow in 2008 it is now based on the Fylde and has spent time on loan to BTS for private hires (Gary Conn)

Trident 302 operates Promenade service 1, terminating at Pleasure Beach (Burlington Road West) due to the closure of New South Promenade for a cycle event (Gary Conn)