A tale of two Titans

501 and 529 pose together on Mereside turning circle

For the second year running Blackpool PD3 501 visited totallyTransport from its Glasgow base. 501 was new in June 1967 delivered in the livery shown by 529. At its first repaint it lost the green band and later received all-over off white. Blackpool experimented with different liveries on 390, 512 and 540 in 1982 and settled on 540's green/off-white scheme. 501 was one of several treated in 1983, emerging from the paint shop in April 1983 in a coat of paint that was to last it 25 years - though nobody would have predicted that at the time.

Slightly oddly in both 1983 and 1985 Blackpool withdrew recently repainted green/off-white PD3s yet painted further examples from the old livery into the new one. 501 was one and it was withdrawn and sold in February 1985 less than two years after its repaint. It was acquired by an Edinburgh based preservationist and moved to a new life in Scotland. The passage of time was unkind to the vehicle and after a few years of rallying it fell on hard times. By 2006 it was at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust's Bridgeton depot and in February 2007 was acquired by Martin Gurr, Gary Conn, Bill Thomson and Ian Short for further preservation. Little time was wasted in starting the restoration, the progress of which can be seen on the Best Bus In Town fotopic site. March 2008 saw the vehicle take power for the first time in many years and in April 2008 a full repaint into the 1983 livery style was undertaken. A successful MOT pass saw 501 return to active use in May and in June it returned to Blackpool for a relaunch by the incumbent local mayor, prior to totallyTransport.

501 on completion of its restoration (Gary Conn)

Meanwhile 529 is a year younger and was licensed on 28 June 1968 to enter service from 1 July. It had a very short life by Blackpool PD3 standards. In the late 1970s delivery of new buses was heavily delayed and some 1965 PD3s received life extension overhauls. In those days buses had 'Certificates of Fitness' for varying periods - 7 for the first, usually 6 for the second and shorter periods thereafter. By 1980 the backlog of Atlanteans had been cleared and it was decided to withdraw several of the 1968 buses as they were due for their second major overhaul to extend their CoF. 529 is believed to have been parked up in August 1980 and on 30 June 1981 it became the first Blackpool PD3 to enter preservation, purchased by Graham Oliver. Soon modified from the plain cream livery to represent the original livery it saw 2-3 years of active use with Graham. It then passed to Mike Brady and was stored locally before moving to Burscough and then St. Helens Transport Museum. In June 2001 Mike sold it back to Graham as its restoration had stalled. It returned to the Fylde in 2003 housed at the LTT Depot. Graham sold it to LTT for a nominal sum and in 2005 restoration began.

529 under repaint

Its repaint was completed in November 2006 but significant mechanical work delayed final completion until 21 October 2008 when the bus was successfully submitted for a Certificate of Initial Fitness exam and MoT, becoming a full PSV again for the first time since 1980. Its debut was at the Trust's October open day and during 2009 it has seen regular use including revenue earning duties on Classic Bus North West's 'Seafront 12' service.

529 at Thornton Social Club on Bus and Coach Preservation photoshoot

Totally Transport

Newly restored Atlantean 353 was entered by Chesterfield 123 Group

Today was the fifth totallyTransport which was well attended by local vehicles:

Current Blackpool buses Solo 242, Atlantean 364

Preserved Blackpool buses Atlanteans 334, 353, PD3s 501, 529, MetroRider 589

Preserved Lytham buses PD2 10, PD1 19

Preserved Fylde buses Atlanteans 45, 96

Preserved Ribble vehicles REs 338, 366, Leopard 1052, Atlantean 1805.

Former Abbots AEC Reliance WFR167K

Classic Bus North West used Lytham 19, Blackpool 529, Ribble 366 and LT RML2734 on an extended 'Seafront 12' while PD3 501 provided a free shuttle to the Mini 50 display at South Pier.

339 into use

A wet welcome to Blackpool for 339 on Line 1 Wed 17 June (cJames Millington)

The first of the two ex Blue Triangle Dennis Tridents 339 has entered service on Line 1. It was in use on Mon 15 and Tues 16 June. 338 (PO51UMG) and 339 (PO51UMJ) were new to Blue Triangle Buses in Sept/Oct 2001 as DL911/3 as 66 seater dual door buses. They were acquired for route 248 between Romford and Cranham - a route taken over by First London in September 2008.

BTS acquire them in October 2008 and converted them to single door, up seating them to 75 seaters in the process. They are the oldest Tridents in the fleet and feature an earlier style of East Lancs bodies compared to their sisters.

Other news sees Solo 267 in the paint shop for Line 4 livery - its first repaint since c2003. Trident 314 is also under repaint following its accident repairs and Excel 218 is now off-site for engine renewal.

Diversions extend to August

The diversions in the Town Centre affecting services past the Winter Gardens and associated route curtailments have been extended until 14 August. Initially planned to last until mid May and then extended to mid June a further two months is now scheduled.

Lines 2, 2C, 3, 4, 6 and 15 are on diversion in the town centre - with buses diverted via Cookson St and Talbot Road with the 2/3/4/15 turning via Market St/West St/Corporation St.

Other impacts:

• Line 2/2C - North Station not served.
• Line 3 - Tesco not served. Buses terminate at Mereside School terminating via Clifton Rd/Deepdale Rd/Langdale Rd loop.
• Line 4 - Tesco not served. Buses terminate at Mereside Shops running from Stanley School via Preston Old Rd, Cherry Tree Rd North, Clifton Rd, Langdale Rd to Kentmere Drive. Returns via normal route.
• Line 4A - Shuttle service Stanley School to Tesco via Line 4 route to Preston New Rdd then into Marton Mere Park (for untimed connections with 15) then as 15 route to Tesco. Every 20 mins 820-1540
• Line 15 - Tesco not served - buses terminate at Marton Mere Leisure Park.

The loss of service to Tesco is particularly poor for such a long period. Although connections are available with Line 6 in Mereside and the 4A shuttle is running (though its not very convenient for passengers off the 15), this has lost the direct service from much of Marton. The additional running time required to negotiate the Town Centre diversion has caused the truncations, however it is not clear why this should apply in the evenings or on Sundays when the 3 has 13 minutes layover and the 4 11 minutes layover at their Mereside termini - ample to get to/from Tesco.

Preston in Blackpool

Stagecoach North West recently acquired the Preston Bus business and started to integrate operations, though OFT and now Competition Commission enquiries have halted progress. Several Preston Bus vehicles moved to the former Ribble depot at Frenchwood and now see regular appearances on the Fylde Coast with 'on hire to Ribble Motor Services' in the window.

The vehicle above is one of Preston's Leyland bodied Olympians new as 107 (J107KCW) which is now Stagecoach 14557 and was an early repaint into Stagecoach livery with 'Stagecoach in Preston' fleet names. It has recently received an led destination and is quite a regular performer on service 68 (Preston to Blackpool via Ashton, Lea, Freckelton, Lytham, Ansdell, St. Annes and South Shore).

Two former Preston Bus Tridents 18582/3 (X182/3RRN) are also regulars on the 68 but retain Preston Bus colours, though with Stagecoach standard LED destinations. Appearances on the 61 (Blackpool-Kirkham-Preston) are less common. Solos 47760/3 have also made appearances on the Fylde as have examples of the rare East Lancs Esteem bodied Scanias in both Stagecoach and Preston Bus colours.

The use of blue buses on the 68 route is not without precedent. Back in 1989 Stagecoach took over the assets of Barrow Borough Transport and quickly transferred many of the inherited vehicles to Preston depot. Barrow blue liveried Atlanteans and Nationals frequently operated what was then the 167/168. Again in 1993 Lancaster was absorbed and the handful of buses taken over were mainly moved away from Lancaster. Several East Lancs Atlanteans ran from Preston depot in Lancaster blue and white for a while.

In the late 1980s Preston Bus briefly ran a competing service with Ribble from Preston to Blackpool via Kirkham and the M55 (route 39) co-ordinated with a similar service run by Lancaster City Transport (41). Preston Bus also occasionally ran into the Fylde on school services, most recently providing a Blackpool-Preston College contract.

MetroRiders

Two of the MetroRiders expected to be replaced by the latest Solos remain in service. 503 and 506 are currently in use - though 503 was briefly laid up but it is now back out in place of 504. 501/2/4/5/7 are all stored at Rigby Road.

265 has emerged from the paint shop and was pressed into service without route branding on Monday. 217 is now under repaint prior to its engine change.

Pool Fleet

Of the current 186 strong fleet, 151 are route branded, 34 carry the black/yellow pool livery and Atlantean 364 retains the pre2001 green and cream livery. Pool liveried buses are the spare vehicles used to cover for branded buses under maintenance or repair. Their duties are naturally more diverse than their branded sisters.

Deltas (101, 102, 123, 124)
With 103's recent transfer to Line 6 there are just four pool Deltas left. One can normally be found operating on Line 2C to provide the busy 0742 Knott End to South Pier journey and normally stays on that board into the evening. Lines 6, 7 and 11 are common places to find the others. 103, 115 and 116 have also carried the black pool livery, while 122-125, 130-133 all carried the original olive/grey/yellow scheme.

Excels (218-223)
The six Excels (five currently as 218 is awaiting refurbishment) are frequently found on Line 7 or Line 14 - the latter substituting for Tridents to maintain the guaranteed low floor operation. The occasionally appear on the 6 and 11 too.

Solos (261-264, 273-278, 280) and Metrorider 593
The 11 Solos perform most of the pool minibus workings, generally operating on Lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 15. 593 is most commonly used on the 10. One Solo operates the dedicated employees shuttle service from St. Annes to Peel Park Government Offices, Monday to Saturday. They have also occasionally appeared on the 7, 11 and 14 when short of buses. Several other Metroriders appeared in black (584, 588-594, 596, with 501/2, 589-595 carried the original scheme)

Tridents 317-319
These normally run on the 11 and 14 covering for branded sisters - especially on the latter which has a guaranteed low floor operation. The make occasional appearances on school services, Lines 1, 6 and 7.

Atlantean 364
Used only for school services

Olympians 370-378
These are commonly found on Line 11, but also regularly appear on the 1 (at weekends), 6 and 7 as well as school services. (368/9/79 have also carried pool livery)

Looking back at the City Pacer

The 1980s saw a proliferation of van based minibuses following an experiment using 16 seat Ford Transits in Exeter. Minibuses could penetrate housing estates, were faster and more maneuverable and were cheaper to operate. The 'minibus boom' breathed new life into the industry which needed to refocus and develop a commercial awareness.

Ribble brought its Mercedes Benz Minilink network to the Fylde Coast just before deregulation with 12 buses on its Fleetwood-Thorton-Cleveleys network. Of the other two operators, Blackpool was the first to follow the trend using the Optare City Pacer from May 1987 with Fylde following with its Dodge S56s in June.

The Optare City Pacer was quite radical and set Optare out both as a retailer of 'complete' vehicles and an innovative designer. Although based on the Volkswagen LT55 van, the body was entirely coachbuilt with a stylish raked back front. It had a much higher driving position than most van conversions - the main drawback being the expanse of glass at the front which helped cook the drivers in the summer.

Blackpool's first five (560-564) were put to use in May initially on tendered service 33 (Cleveleys-Marton Hypermarket) and evening/Sunday work on the Ribble minibus network. However in June they were reallocated onto a brand new high frequency town service in St. Annes from Spring Gardens to Whalley Place via many roads not otherwise served, but competing with lower frequency Fylde routes. An unusual black livery with yellow skirt and 'Handybus' lettering was adopted. The evening duties in Wyre continued with the buses running in service on the 11C to return to Depot and the 14 to reach Fleetwood.

Batch two was intended to convert service 26 from a 15 minute big bus service to a 5 minute minibus route, however few had arrived in time for the 5 September 1987 start. As a temporary measure a batch of Ford Transits was borrowed from Midland Red North and these normally ran the St. Annes route. The first day of the 26 thus saw 560, 562-564, brand new 549, three Optare Demonstrators and a Transit! Two of the demonstrators were acquired (becoming 565/6). The rest of the new buses (549-559, 567/8) arrived between mid September and the end of October. The fleet now stood at 20, 9 needed for the 26 and 4 for the 1 in St. Annes. From December 4 more were allocated to new routes 17A/B (Bispham Circulars), but in February both the 1 and 17 were withdrawn.

The released buses were used to augment the Routemasters on route 12 providing a high frequency service to Highfield Road via Lytham Road and the evening service to St. Annes. This later became the 12A to Lindale Gardens. A third batch of City Pacers (569-578) arrived for the August 1988 conversion of service 9 (Blackpool-Cleveleys) and four more came in December as 579-582 for reinstated routes 7/7A (Blackpool-Bispham). Finally a third ex demonstrator was purchased as 583 in December 1989.

Three fundamental reallocations took place in the City Pacer's life. Firstly in March 1992 the 9 was replaced by big bus route 12 and the minibuses cascaded onto the 2A (Blackpool-Poulton) and 15 (Cleveleys-Staining). Secondly in November 1994 the 2/2A and 7/7A were merged to run Poulton-Bispham (2/2A/2B) and then in 1996 the 12A and 26 were converted to big buses and the surviving City Pacers were normally found on the newly converted 23-25 (Hospital-Mereside) with a few on the normally Metrorider run 2/2A/2B.

The first Optare Metrorider arrived in March 1995 and further batches followed in 1995, 1996 and 1998. The first City Pacer withdrawals saw 549-552, 560-564 go in Autumn 1995 followed by 553-558, 565-6 in August 1996. This left 559, 567-583 in service. 559/67 had a spell at Squires Gate depot where they replaced the last Dodges but soon returned to Rigby Road. The end finally came on January 2000 when a batch of new Solos replaced the last few - several having been withdrawn at the end of 1999.

Most were sold for further service but have since ended up on the scrap heap. LTt owns one - 575 back in Handybus livery, while 560 is preserved in Reading (it ran for Reading Buses after disposal competing with Reading Mainlines ex BT Routemasters!) 550, 562 and 574 are all recorded with valid SORN declarations on DVLA site and are believed to be caravan conversions. 562 was recently reported out of use in the North East. 583 may still survive - it was sold for scrap by Mac Tours in 2002 but reappeared on Ebay in 2007! There may be others...

Bank Holiday Weekend Odd Workings

411 on the sports shuttle for YMCA 24 May

Bank Holidays sometimes spring surprises. Perhaps the biggest this year was the appearance of most - if not all - of 411-417 in use. These are normally restricted to Schools services but they were used on a special shuttle from Pontins to the YMCA on Mythop Road, Lytham for a football competition on Saturday and Sunday. 411, 413, 414 and 416 were all seen on Sunday and it is believed others may also have appeared.

Today (Monday) saw 317 make a rare appearance on Line 1. Pool Tridents normally cover for branded ones on the 11 and 14, however with a reduced PVR on Bank Holidays 317 could be spared for Line 1.

Repaints

Latest into the paint shop is Solo 265 - the first Line 4 bus to get a full repaint. This was repainted into Metro livery (for Line 3) in 2001 and had a part repaint into Line 4 livery back in February 2004.

Ex London Trident 339 was noted on Rigby Road on Monday, presumably on a test run.

Seafront 12 Resumes

Classic Bus North West resumes operation of summer service 'Seafront 12' on Sunday 24 May. It will operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday until the end of September. Buses depart from St. Annes and Lytham Squares at 1200 and every 20 minutes until 1620. The route takes in St. Annes Promenade, The Island, Fairhaven Lake, Lowther Gardens and Lytham front.

Buses rostered for the first weekend are Blackpool PD3 529 (1200 from St. Annes) and Ribble Bristol VR open topper 1995 (1200 from Lytham). Lytham PD1 19 is expected to put in appearances from July onwards on completion of its winter overhaul.

Timetable at

http://www.ltt.org.uk/classicbus/seafront12.html

Blackpool's Olympians

Generic liveried 371 on Line 1 at Fleetwood May 09

Blackpool had a conservative approach to bus purchases prior to deregulation. It continued to order 27ft long buses for several years after the 30ft bus was legalised. It bought PD3s right up to 1968 - 10 years after production of rear engined double deckers started. It finally bought its first Atlantean in 1977 and kept purchasing them until 1984 - when it could do so no longer. The Atlantean's successor was the Olympian - built together since 1980.

Blackpool first tried Olympians in May 1984 when Leyland supplied it with A33MRN - a long wheelbase coach seated ECW bodied Olympian which was owned by Preston Borough but used as a demonstrator. In September, GMPTE B36PJA followed as it promoted the Bus & Coach Council who were in town for a conference.

Ex West Yorkshire 365-367
The first permanent fleet entries were in unusual circumstances. On the evening of 1 October 1986 a fire started on Atlantean 310 destroying it and the neighbouring buses 335 and 342. Meanwhile West Yorkshire PTE had several modern buses for disposal after deregulation as its operating subsidiary declined to continue their lease. These included several four year old Roe bodied Olympians and at the end of October UWW5/11/15X arrived. They entered service soon after still in West Yorkshire green and white livery as 365-367. During March and April all three were repainted in the new version of green and cream livery introduced that spring.

Life in Blackpool has been quite unadventurous for the trio. For their first decade the worked virtually interchangeably with Atlanteans on opo and crew work. All three carried rear end adverts - not particularly common in Blackpool - 365 for Dixon's Fiat (1988-90), 366 for Country Style Windows (1989/90) and 367 for Henthorne's Building Supplies (1992/3) and 366 later gained an all-over advert for BTS Zone Card in 1997. 367 had a brief holiday in South Yorkshire in 1988 in exchange for an SYT Dennis Dominator which showed off the split step arrangement in Blackpool.

In May 1996 the trio moved to Squires Gate Depot where they became regulars on routes 11/11A and the extensive school bus network. The depot closed in April 1999 and all three moved to Rigby Road. In August 2000 they were placed in store due to a downturn in schools work but returned to use in February 2001 (365/7) or April (366). Between May and August 2003 all three received "Schools + Line 1" orange/yellow livery and were repainted in the same scheme in late 2006. They are likely to be the next double deck withdrawals and at least two may be withdrawn at the end of the school term.

East Lancs Bodied 368-373
The first new Olympians arrived between late March and early May 1989. 368-373 (F368-73AFR) were East Lancs bodied buses with Cummins engines, unlike the Gardners of the West Yorkshire buses. These were the first new double deckers since 1984 and the last until 1994 - the only new double deckers delivered in the post deregulation green/cream livery. Initially they were commonly used on route 11C (Blackpool- St.Annes) but saw use across the full spectrum of the double deck services. The April 2001 Metro network saw 370-373 dedicated to Line 11 and 368/9 as spare buses. Repaints finally started in October 2002 when 368 emerged from a lengthy spell in the body shop as a pilot mid-life refurbishment including a full retrim. The remainder followed concluding with 369 in August 2003 with all six outshopped in Line 11 colours.
This was only an interim arrangement as new Dennis Tridents were planned for the 11 and the first arrived in 2004 so 368-373 were partly repainted during spring 2004 with the turquoise replaced by pool fleet black. Summer 2006 saw 368/9 repainted into Line 1 livery, but the rest remain in pool fleet colours.

The Volvos 374-379
The next new double deckers arrived in 1994 - the last until 2002. By this time Volvo had absorbed Leyland and 374-9 (M374-9SCK) were duly badged as 'Volvo Olympians' though with the same Cummins engine as before. Northern Counties Palatine 2 bodywork was fitted. They ran from Rigby Road, initially on route 6 but they were soon moved to the 22/22A with evening/Sunday use on the 14/14A. From 2001 all six were dedicated to Line 14 but the arrival of new Tridents prevented their branding and they were cascaded onto Line 11 with repaints starting in December 2001 (374) and finishing in August 2002 (378/9). June 2004 saw 375 partly painted into pool livery followed by 374/6/7/9 in 2005 and 378 in 2006. Surprisingly 379 regained Line 11 livery in November 2007. Today 374 carried a rear advert for Real Radio. 378 had previously carried a rear scheme for Nightsafe.

Ex Trent 401-410

The take-over of Fylde bought with it many elderly vehicles that were replaced by cascading Atlanteans from the parent fleet. 365-367 were also transferred in May 1996 and ran from Squires Gate depot until its closure in April 1999. To release the Atlanteans, 10 mid life ECW bodied Leyland Olympians were purchased from Trent Buses as 401-410 (XAU701-5Y, XCH706Y, A707-10DAU). They arrived between November 1996 and January 1997 entering service between February and April. Like 374-9 these carried the revised green/cream livery with a cream roof and roof level band adopted from 1994.

The Metro network saw 401-410 dedicated to Line 11 and 401 was the first to be painted in February 2002, but surprisingly received the original pool livery, though this was quickly overpainted into Line 11 colours - 406 joining it soon after. The remainder retained green and cream as Tridents and cascaded Deltas replaced the older Olympians on the 11. A new home on school and seasonal work beckoned with 410 the first bus to receive orange and yellow "Schools + Line 1" livery in January 2003. 407-9 followed during 2003, 404-406 in 2004. Also in 2004 401-403 received a lilac scheme for service 20, 404 following suit as an extra bus in 2006, but all four gained Line 1 livery for 2007 - making the batch identical again.

City Sightseeing

Open Topper 813 on City Sightseeing Line 20 in May.

2005 saw the first Olympians arrived for City Sightseeing work. 813/49 (D213/149FYM) arrived from Ensign for the 2005 season, replacing Metrobuses. 818 (D218FYM) followed for 2006, 844/57/8 (D244/57/8FYM) for 2007 and 873 (D173FYM) for 2008. 813/8/44/9/58 are part open toppers, 857 and 873 full open toppers. 813/8/44 are dedicated to the Blackpool service, 844/73 to Manchester and 857/8 have generic CS colours. All were new to London Buses and feature dual doors.

Ex Blackburn 411-417

Ex Blackburn 414 returning to depot from school duties

What presently is the final batch of Olympians to be acquired is 411-417 (D367JJD, OFS684Y, A703/4/19-21YFS) purchased with the small Fylde school bus operation of Blackburn Transport in August 2007. 411 was new to London Buses and has the last ever ECW body. 412-417 were new to Lothian Buses and retain dual doors. Uniquely for Blackpool 412-7 are long wheelbase examples and have Leyland TL11 engines. 411 - like the open toppers, 365-7 and 401-410 have Gardner 6LXB engines. These entered service in Blackburn colours but have progressively received Line 1 livery. They are almost always restricted to school services as most retain Blackburn blinds, though 412 (which has a full blind) has made occasional appearances on Line 1 and others have also appeared as emergency tram replacements.

Round Up

Repainted Trident 303 has returned to use on Line 14.

Solos 245/6 have seen use this week for the 'ALBUM' Conference at DeVere Hotel and to ferry guests to/from the official launch of the Western Train. They are believed now to be in regular service on Line 2. Metroriders 504-506 remain in use but are likely to be withdrawn soon. Line 5 branded Solo 255 is currently stored without an engine in the main bus depot.

Excel 217 remains under body overhaul pending engine replacement, while 218 is likely to follow. Olympian 416 has yet to return to use after its repaint.

Open top Olympians 844 and 873 have been prepared for the resumption of the Manchester tour at the end of the month, and have lost their rear end adverts for Trafford Centre. Olympian 374 (Real Radio) and Trident 313 (Cycle Blackpool) are now the only buses with rear adverts.

Line 2 is currently diverted due to the installation of a new roundabout at Royal Oak. Southbound journeys run from Waterloo Hotel via St. Annes Road, Watson Road, Lytham Road with the 'South Pier' journeys terminating at Royal Oak and the Lytham journeys turning into Station Road to resume the normal route. Northbound buses from Royal Oak to Waterloo Hotel use Lytham Road, Bloomfield Road and St. Annes Road. Line 5 is diverted via Bloomfield Road instead of Waterloo Road in both directions.

Current liveries:
Line 1: 333-337, 339, 365-369, 401-417
Line 2: 240-247, 249, 279, 281-285, 504-506, 508-512
Line 3: 258-260, 294-297
Line 4: 265-269, 271, 272
Line 5: 248, 250-257
Line 6: 103-109, 112-114
Line 7: 210-217, 224-226
Line 10: 518
Line 11: 115, 116, 118, 119, 122, 125-127, 132, 133, 322-332, 379
Line 14: 301-316 (301-4 repainted)
Line 15: 513-515, 517
Line 16: 286-293
Pool: 101, 102, 123, 124, 218-223, 261-264, 273-278, 280, 317-319, 370-378, 593 (123 with side/rear advert)
Green and Cream: 364
Training: 969/70

Solo EV

Optare's Solo EV demonstrator - a battery powered version of the standard bus - has been in use this week on a shuttle service to a bus industry event at the DeVere Hotel, Heron's reach. Conventional Solo 246 has also been on site.
Update: the EV returned to Optare on Friday 15 May.

Going to the Zoo

362 at the Zoo on the 'last' Atlantean day in 2006

Blackpool Zoo opened in 1972 on the site of a former Airport - and also the base for the Royal Lancashire Show for many years. A new bus service was started, route 21, operating from the Tower via Hornby Road, Stanley Park, West Park Drive, East Park Drive and Woodside Drive to the Zoo entrance. This ran every 40 minutes using one bus, though extras ran according to demand. For the first year the service ran year round, but the winter operation was soon dropped.

From 1977 a second Zoo service was introduced by projecting service 15A (Bispham-Hospital) the short distance to the Zoo. This gave access from much of North Shore plus the town centre and operated every 30 minutes all year round. In 1982 the 15A was diverted to Staining and Grange Park with the Hospital - Zoo section tagged on to routes 23/23A (Midgeland Rd/South Pier-Hospital) during the summer. A 15 minute weekday and 30 minute Sunday service was provided.

At deregulation the 21 continued but the 23/24/25 replaced routes 23/23A. They did not serve the Zoo in 1987 but did from 1988 to circa 1993. Fylde briefly served the Zoo with route 4 (Cleveleys-Lytham St. Annes) passing the pedestrian entrance on East Park Drive from 1989 to 1991 when Carriages took over. Next came service 3 (Poulton-St. Annes) which used route branded Atlanteans and served the main entrance but only ran March to September 1992. Finally another route 3 Blackpool-Village Hotel (now the Devere) was introduced in 1993 and in August was re-routed to serve the Zoo entrance. It ceased at the end of November.

Other bus routes have run past the pedestrian entrance including route 53 started by Easyway in March 1986, taken over by Blackpool in 1989 (and run to 1991), similar route 53A started by Town Bus from 1990 to 1995, Fylde 1995, Phoenix North West 1996-2001, BTS in 2001 when it was replaced and short lived service 9 (Poulton to Mereside). Lifestyle Line 16 currently serves this route.

Throughout this mayhem, route 21 continued largely unchanged. A basic 40 minute service with extras as required and often providing a 20 minute service, sometimes a 10 minute one. Usually operated by Atlanteans, the odd crew bus appeared using staff on stand-by. Open Top PD2 532 - ex Eastbourne - put in occasional appearances from 1989 and Routemasters ran quite regularly in 1996. The take-over of Fylde saw the 21 transferred there when for part of 1996, and they ran the whole service for 1997 on an extended Pleasure Beach-Tower-Zoo basis every 20 minutes using 3 buses. 1998 saw a 20 minute Tower-Zoo service operated sometimes from Squires Gate and sometimes from Rigby Road, the closure of Squires Gate in April 1999 putting paid to this swapping.

2001 saw the start of the City Sightseeing Blackpool tour which ran Pontins-Tower-Zoo-Waterloo Road -Pontins. Its first year was quite poor, so for 2002 the Tour and the 21 were merged running Pontins-Tower-Zoo in both directions. A half hourly service ran using the City Sightseeing open top Metrobuses as a joint venture with Ensign (the brand owners). This continued until 2005 when the 21 ceased.

The 2006 season saw service 20 take over. This had run for several seasons from Marton Mere to Town Centre and was now extended to the Zoo via the 21 route. It used 3 buses on a half hourly basis. The open toppers had moved onto Line 1, though they were not a success. For 2007 a totally revised City Sightseeing route 20 was started -by now the tour was a 100% Blackpool Transport operation under license rather than the joint venture. Buses now ran from Pontins via the Promenade to Tower, up Hornby Road, to Stanley Park, round the Cricket Club access road, up North Park Drive and Woodside Drive to the Zoo then back past the Model Village, East Park Drive, South Park Drive and Preston New Road to Marton Mere. 3 buses are required (every 30 minutes) and the Metrobuses have been replaced by City Sightseeing ex London Olympians.