Fylde Village Changes Yet Again

In their latest tender awards, Lancashire County Council have announced revisions to the 75 (Preston Bus) and 76 (Coastal Coaches) from 30 March with a short term contract until the end of October. These replace the short term contracts for the 75 and 82.

Route 75 will be diverted to Fleetwood following the 82 route from Poulton via Little Thornton, Thornton Centre, Broadwater and Queens Hotel. It remains hourly with a 2 hourly evening service Poulton to Fleetwood only.

Route 76 will extend from Little Eccleston to Blackpool via Catlows Corner, Poulton, Blackpool Old Road, Victoria Hospital and Grange Road.

Meanwhile Archway will withdraw their 80 route from 14 April. It is not clear yet whether LCC will procure a replacement.

Preston Bus Expands into Fylde Coast Schools

Rotala owned Preston Bus is set to expand its Fylde Coast presence with the award of six school bus contracts to Hogdson Academy and Baines High School in Poulton, St Aidans School in Preesall and Millfield School in Thornton. Poulton based Archway seems particularly affected with 7 routes lost, 1 retained and 2 new ones won. Blackpool Transport has also lost two routes.
Preston Bus have arranged an operating base at Jacksons Coaches in Marton - once used by Blackburn Transport for similar purposes.

Many of these school services were held by Fylde during the 1990s but passed to independents after Fylde's takeover by Blackpool Transport. Most school contracts are currently in the hands of

• Archway of Poulton with a fleet of 26 vehicles including 7 Olympians, 2 Dennis Arrows, 2 Volvo B10M single deckers and several coaches including high capacity 70 seaters.
• Bank View of Freckelton with Olympian and large capacity Metrobus and Dennis Condor double deckers
• Waltons of Freckleton mainly coaches but with 4 Optare Spectra double deckers
• Bradshaws of Out Rawclife - coaches

Check in 1st of Westby ceased trading in the autumn with Archway and Bank View taking over their two Myrescough College workings.

School Service changes 22 April 2014

Number	Route	Current Operator	New Operator
525	Elswick to Cardinall Allen	Archway	Elite Minibus And Coach Services
539	Carleton Crossing to Preesall St Aidans	Archway	Bradshaws Travel
543	Pilling to Preesall St Aidans	Bradshaws Travel	Bradshaws Travel
546	Cleveleys to Hodgson School	Blackpool Transport	Preston Bus
568	Thornton to Millfield School	n/a	Preston Bus
578	Kirkham-Treales-Kirkham Carr Hill	Bank View	Archway
579	Stakepool to Cardinal Allen	Elite Minibus And Coach Services	Elite Minibus And Coach Services
590	Stakepool to Preesall St Aidans	Bradshaws Travel	Wyre Coaches
594	Staining to Hodgson HS	Archway	Preston Bus
598	Clifton to Lytham St Bedes	Bank View	Bank View
607	Thistleton to St Marys Blackpool	Archway	Archway
648	Fleetwood to Hodgson/Baines	Archway	Preston Bus
660	Cleveleys to Hodgson School	Archway	Preston Bus
675	Elswick to Broughton BEC	Bon Chaunce	Archway
841	Fleetwood to Preesall St Aidans	Archway	Bradshaws Travel
916	St Annes Kilgrimol Gardens to St Bedes	Blackpool Transport	Bank View
951	Fleetwood (Larkholme) to Preesall St Aidans	Archway	Preston Bus

Hospital Terminus Illustrated

Excel 216 and Solo 286 at the new Hospital Entrance terminus at Victoria Hospital. Behind is the new Multi story car park.  This location was previously part of the through road - since the 1990s buses have past here and turned left (at the photographers right) to the Maternity Unit. However this is now a dead end with a roundabout to the left so buses can reach the old entrance. The orbital road served by the 16 turns off at the far left of the photo behind the Solo and runs behind the car park.

New Terminus at Victoria Hospital

Monday 10th March sees a minor route change to the 2, 2C and 5 to serve new bus stops on Whinney Heys Lane outside the new main entrance of Victoria Hosptial. The traditional terminus on Whinpark Avenue will continue to be served but merely as a stop on the way out of the Hospital site. 

Meanwhile routes 5, 10, 11 and 68 have resumed their diversion away from Skew Bridge on Lytham Road as it is closed between 10 March and 4 July.

Repaints

Solo 279 and Trident 313 have been outshopped in fleet livery completing the first round of repaints and eradicating Metro livery and commercial all-over adverts. Solo 293 is now in paint - this being one of the first repaints out of Metro in August 2010 and starts the second round of repaints into the current livery.

The other two buses still in pool livery 281 and 282 have been placed into store, alongside 280 which was stored in November 2012. This latter received various efforts to overhaul it during 2013 but these have come to nothing.

New Bus Lane Opens

The contraflow bus lane on Central Drive between Albert Road and Reads Avenue opened on Sunday 2 March. Blackpool Transport services 5, 7, 14 and 17 have been re-routed via the new Bus Lane as has Oakwood Travel's 22 and Stagecoach 68. Meanwhile Blackpool Transport 10 has been re-routed via Adelaide St, Bank Hey St, Albert Road, Coronation Street, Reads Avenue, Central Drive and Rigby Road to provide a token hourly service via the otherwise abandoned Coronation Street.

Following on from the remodelling of the road layout and reintroduction of two-way operation on Talbot Road and Dickson Road last year this ends another decades old one way operation, this one implemented way back in 1966 when services 4 (Mereside via Bloomfield Road and Penrose Ave), 6 (Mereside via Spen Corner and Cherry Tree Road), 6A/6B (Midgeland Road), 11/11A (Lytham), 11C (St. Annes Square), 13 (Lindale Gardens), 22 (Halfway House), 23 (Midgeland Road) and 23A (South Pier) were diverted away from Central Drive.

Villager Changes

A number of minor changes are being made to the Fylde and Wyre Village network firstly on Sunday 23 February route 75 will readopt part of its pre December route between Singleton and Poulton via Fairfield Road and Hardhorn Road - this reinstates service lost in this area when CBNW ceased its short lived service 80 - though does not serve Holts Lane.

On the same date Stagecoach route 86 (Fleetwood to Knott End) will also be re-routed between Four Lane Ends, Thornton and Mains Lane to run via Fleetwood Road South and Amounderness Way rather than via Little Thornton. This is due to expected delays on Mains Lane due to long term utility works.

Finally Archway will revise and reduced their commercial service 80 from 31 March diverting the service to start at Fleetwood rather than Blackpool with just three journeys each way at 0700, 1130 and 1530 from Fleetwood and 0930, 1330 and 1730 from Preston. Not previously noted is that the Archway 80 differs from the CBNW route as it serves St Walburgas Road and Blackpool Old Road from Victoria Hospital to Poulton rather than Newton Drive/Hardhorn Road and then via Holts Lane and Garstang Road to Catlows Corner rather than Breck Road/Mains Lane.

LCC has also announced that the proposed withdrawal of funding for evening and Sunday services has been shelved in favour of a structured review of each tendered service.

Meanwhile Blackpool Transport 314 has returned to use in full fleet livery with new logo having lost its Sealife Centre advert. Excels 214/5 are back in use with 212 remaining in store.

Citaro Demonstrator

Blackpool Transport has been operating a Euro VI specificaton Mercedes Benz Citaro demonstrator on route 1 this week. BG63VVE is the third Citaro tried by Blackpool Transport following BN09FWS in September 2009 and BX05UVX in November 2006. 


Click here for link to Flick (cJono Niblock)

January Round Up

Blackpool Transport Trident 310 is back in service after a lengthy lay-off following fire damage sustained in April 2012. Sister bus 312 is also back in use after repaint sporting a new style logo - rather ruining the near uniformity of the fleet!

Oakwood Travel - the successor to Classic Bus North West- has placed Volvo B6 W601CWX into service, replacing sister W611CWX which has gone for repaint. Darts T143AUA and V162/3MVX have been in store for some months but are understood to be candidates for a return to use. Metrorider P502UFR has been sold for scrap having been last used on 4 April 2013 when it suffered engine failure.

Archway on the 80

Plaxton bodied Dennis Dart MPD X502WRG operates the 0900 Blackpool to Preston along Grange Road on the first day of Archway's operation on service 80 (David Umpleby)

Archway Steps onto the 80

On 13 January Poulton based Archway Travel starts a replacement for service 80 cancelled by Classic Bus North West after less than two weeks operation. 

The new route has a more limited timetable and is understood to be commercially operate. On Monday to Friday it starts with a 0620 Poulton to Preston, followed by departures from Blackpool to Preston at 0700, 0900, 1200, 1500, 1600 and 1800 with short workings to Poulton at 1000 and 1850. Departures from Preston to Blackpool are at 0730, 0830, 1030, 1330, 1630, 1730 and a trip at 1930 to Preston. 2 buses are required. On Saturdays one bus operates at 0700, 1000, 1400 from Blackpool (and 1700 Blackpool to Poulton) plus 830 and 1530 Preston to Blackpool and 1130 Preston to Poulton.

Yellow painted Dennis Darts have been acquired including X503WRG from Go North East. Archway has been a provider of school services for many years - in 1995 it had a brief foray into local bus work providing service P11 from Poulton to Carleton, later extended to Victoria Hospital via Bispham - prompting a response from Blue Buses and eventual withdrawal of the P11. 

December Round Up

Blackpool Transport News
Excels 212, 214 and 215 have been placed in store following the reduction in PVR during the winter with the end of service 20. Sister 224 is the latest of the type to receive the DDA modifications joining 216, 219-221 and 223 and 226.

Repaints continue with 312 (the Tower Eye advert bus) now in paint with 315 nearing completion. Sister 310 - a long term absentee with fire damage - is now nearly complete and ready for test.

Olympian 857 - the last of its type to remain in store is expected to be retained following the disposal of its three sisters for scrap.

Classic Bus News
On Friday 20 December CBNW ceased operation of its new service 80 with immediate effect and two days later ended the Red Rocket Express. CBNW Ltd ceased trading leaving the Oakwood Travel entity and license to continue with service 22 and private hire operations. Some disposals have taken place with Olympian 324 believed to have passed to Red Bus Days of Keighley, while Volvo 899 is now up for sale - its loan from its private owner having ended.

Lancashire County Council cutbacks
LCC is currently consulting on proposals to reduce its supported bus network with the following evening and Sunday services under threat of withdrawal from May 2014

• 2C Poulton to Knott End evenings/Sundays (Blackpool to Poulton is commercial)
• 42 Lancaster to Blackpool - evenings
• 68 Preston to Blackpool - Sunday to Thursday eveings
• 74 Fleetwood to Blackpool -1911 Blackpool-Fleetwood; 1943 Poulton to Blackpool journeys and entire Sunday service
• 75 Preston to Blackpool Sundays
• 78 St. Annes to Wesham Evenings/Sundays 
• 80 Preston to Poulton Evenings/Sundays (not operated since CBNW defaulted on contract on 20 December)
• 82 Poulton to Fleetwood Evenings/Sundays
• 84 Fleetwood to Blackpool Evenings/Sundays
• 86 Fleetwood to Knott End Evenings/Sundays
• 89 Knott End to Lancaster Evenings/Sundays

It is understood that LCC are not seeking a replacement operator for CBNW's service 80 due to the costs involved. 

Solos come and go

The recent changes to the Fylde Villager has seen Preston Bus take-on route 75. Four Slim-line Solos have been transferred from fellow Rotala firm Diamond Bus. Its seen here earlier today on Abingdon Street, Blackpool

Cumfybus has now withdrawn from the Fylde - here its silver painted Solo MX05OTA approaches the Blackpool terminus of the 74 on 3 December

A more conventional yellow Cumfybus MX55WDD loads for Preston on Abingdon Street on 3 December

Coastal's presence in Blackpool is reduced to just peak trips here Master Luke, on of its first batch of Solos stands on Abingdon Street.

Open Top Farewell

City Sightseeing 858 (D258FYM) - new as London Buses L258 and a Blackpool resident since 2007 has now gone for scrap as the disposal of the last open toppers in the fleet progresses

Parton's are busy collecting the four open top Olympians for scrap. 858 departed on Wednesday 4th; 873 departed on Tuesday 10th and 818 today, Tuesday 17th - leaving just 857 awaiting departure. Open Top buses were common in Blackpool in the inter-war period, but since then operation has been fitful. Three Titans were converted in the 1950s; then PD2 532 was purchased from Eastbourne in 1989 - lasting until 1999 but only sporadically used in service.

The Fylde takeover bought veteran Atlanteans 451-454/7 into the fleet in 1996, but all were gone by the end of 1998. 

The City Sightseeing operation commenced in 2001, initially using Metrobuses and continued in various forms, latterly with Olympians until ending in 2012.

Repaints and Christmas Preparations

The repaint of the three former Metro pool liveried Tridents is nearly complete with 319 ready for outshopping. 318 was completed at the end of November. 317 and 318 have lost their rear adverts in the process. A full rear advert for Conway's Toymaster (Chocolate Picture Maker) has been applied to 333 and adverts are also being applied to Volvos 520 and 522.

Trident repaints are continuing however, with 315 now in, losing its Tussauds advert. The other three advert buses (312, 313 and 314) are expected to follow.

Long term stored Olympian 858 left for scrap to Parton's of Carlton on Monday.

Christmas timetables have been published with the same level of Blackpool Transport service on Boxing Day and New Years Day as last year. Routes 1, 9 and 14 will run every 30 minutes, routes 5, 7 and 11 will run hourly. The 7 will terminate at Lytham Square, the 11 at St. Annes Square and the 14 at Mereside Tesco; otherwise the full routes will be provided.  Classic Bus North West will operate route 22 on Boxing Day to their full Sunday timetable.