Blackburn Bus Company

The Blackburn Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

The Blackburn Bus Company
ParentTransdev
FoundedApril 2001 (2001-04)
HeadquartersHarrogate, North Yorkshire
England
Service area
Service typeBus and coach
Depots1
Fleet57 (at November 2020)
Managing DirectorAlex Hornby
Websitewww.transdevbus.co.uk/blackburn/services

History

In April 2001, Stagecoach sold their operations in Blackburn, Bolton and Clitheroe to the Blazefield Group, which rebranded them as Burnley & Pendle and Lancashire United. The sale was valued at £13 million.[1] Prior to the sale, many of the newer vehicles purchased following earlier investment by Stagecoach were transferred to other subsidiaries, being replaced by older vehicles.

Following the sale, investment commenced with a fleet of 30 Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown single-deck vehicles introduced into service in September 2001. A number of service revisions followed and many marginal services were withdrawn, with a strategy of developing a network of high-quality trunk routes. Most of the company's contracted services with Lancashire County Council were terminated, with operations transferred to Northern Blue.

In August 2002, the company's depot in Bolton was sold to Blue Bus and Coach Services.[2] The contracted services in Clitheroe were ceased, with the land sold to a housing developer. Operation of the majority of the contracted services in the area was transferred to Northern Blue.

In January 2006, French-based operator Transdev acquired the Blazefield Group, along with 305 vehicles.[3][4] Unlike other subsidiaries within the group, Lancashire United retained the pre-acquisition name.

In August 2006, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council announced that after 125 years of municipal ownership, Blackburn Transport had been sold to Transdev Blazefield. The sale was finalised in January 2007.[5][6]

In August 2007, Accrington Transport and Northern Blue were acquired, along with the transfer of staff and 65 vehicles.[7][8] This resulted in services in Clitheroe being reacquired by Lancashire United for a second time. However, these services were subsequently withdrawn in June 2008. In September 2009, Transdev Northern Blue was integrated into the Transdev Burnley & Pendle business.

In July 2016, the company was again rebranded, now operating as The Blackburn Bus Company.[9]

In April 2019, the company commemorated the centenary of Ribble Motor Services with a dedicated livery.[10][11]

In June 2020, an Optare Versa was branded in a unique livery, recognising the dedication of Lancashire's key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Services and brands

The Blackburn Bus Company

A rebrand of the company commenced in July 2016, beginning with the introduction of a fleet of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles, branded in the two-tone blue The Blackburn Bus Company livery.[9][13] The brand encompasses a number of local services in the area, as well as being used as a base for other route brands, including The 1 and 6 & 7.

The 1

Following a £2.5 million investment in the service, The 1 was rebranded in January 2020.[14][15][16] The service, which operates between Blackburn and Darwen up to every ten minutes, with up to three buses per hour extending to Bolton, is served by a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 MMC single-deck vehicles. Features include USB and wireless charging and audio-visual next stop announcements.

6 & 7

Following the arrival of a batch of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles in July 2016, the former Hyndburn Connect branding was replaced by a new two-tone blue 6 & 7 livery. The vehicles were introduced to routes 6 and 7, which run between Accrington and Blackburn, in August 2016.[9][13]

Hotline & Little Hotline

In 2016, service 152, which operates between Burnley and Preston via Blackburn was rebranded as Hotline. Initially using Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini double-deck vehicles, the service was upgraded in February 2020. It is now operated by a fleet of Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini 2 double-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone purple livery.[17][18]

In partnership with Lancashire County Council, the Little Hotline brand was introduced in May 2021. Together with Hotline, service 153 provides a combined frequency of up to every 15 minutes between Higher Walton and Preston.[19] The service is operated by a fleet of Mellor Strata minibuses, branded in a two-tone purple livery.

Red Express X41

The Red Express brand is used on service X41, which operates hourly between Accrington and Manchester via Haslingden. In January 2020, the service was announced to be axed, but was later reprieved.[20][21] As part of this, the former double-deck Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini vehicles allocated were replaced with single-deck Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse Urban vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow and red livery.

Valley Line

The Valley Line brand is used on service 22, which links Blackburn and Clitheroe via Whalley. The service is operated by a fleet of Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone blue and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.

Fleet

Current Fleet

[22][23]

100 - This Volvo B7TL is a commemorative vehicle that was rebranded in 2019 to mark 100 years since the start of Ribble and features the iconic Cherry Red and Cream colours as part of the Ribble100 Brand. This vehicle is often used on the 152 and 24 services.

220-237 - A fleet of 18 new Optare Versas went into service in 2016 for 6&7 between Blackburn, Great Harwood, Accrington, and Oswaldtwistle. These vehicles were the first to receive the new Blackburn Bus Company identity in two tone blue, replacing the former Lancashire United Brand. 220-235 also carried the new 6&7 branding which replaced the former Hyndburn Connect. In 2020, 237 received a one-off Blackburn Heros livery to thank the keyworkers of the Blackburn area for their dedication through the Coronavirus Pandemic. All 18 Vehicles feature 4G Wifi and USB power at every seat as well as visual and audio next stop information.

501-513 - A fleet of 13 new ADL Enviro200 MMCs went into service in January 2020 for The 1 between Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton. Replacing the now withdrawn Lancashire United Volvo B7RLEs, all 13 were branded for The 1 with its new Upgrade Your Ride identity in the new Blackburn Bus Company Livery. These vehicles showcase an impressive high spec interior with 4G wifi, mood lighting, visual and audio next stop information, and moduals on the back of each seat including a stop button, coat hanger, reading light, USB Power Point, and phone mount with wireless charger built in.

1061-4 & 1092 - 5 Volvo B10BLE Renowns Branded for Valley Line 22 for Clitheroe, Whalley, Blackburn, The Blackburn Royal Hospital, and Shadsworth. This brand was Launched on 21 May 2017 in a new Yellow and Blue Livery. They were also re-registered as B10 YKR-W (excluding U). Formerly branded for Lancashire United and UniBus before that, these vehicles are fitted with 4G WiFi and USB power. 1061-4 were renumbered on 22 November 2020 from 566, 567, 573, & 574 as part of engineering upgrade program taking place across Blazefield.

1096-7 & 1099-1103 - These B10BLE Renowns are the last to carry the former Lancashire United livery. All 6 were new to Lancashire United in 2002, bought as part of a large scale fleet replacement after Blazefield Holdings took over the Blackburn, and Burnley operations of the former Stagecoach Ribble, and have since carried numerous different liveries.

1700 - New as a Volvo demonstrator, this B7RLE was acquired by Harrogate and District in 2003. 2017, it was refurbished and face-lifted with Eclipse 2 front end before being liveried into the new Blackburn Bus Company branding and relocated to Blackburn's Intack Depot.

1755 - New to Yorkshire Coastliner in 2005, this B7RLE later moved to Keighley and District before being refurbished in 2018 where it was face-lifted with Eclipse 2 front end and fitted with USB power before being liveried into the new Blackburn Bus Company branding and relocated to Blackburn's Intack Depot. On 22 November 2020 it was renumbered from 455 as part of engineering upgrade program taking place across Blazefield.

1863-5 - New to Burnley and Pendle in 2009 for the Mainline Service, these 3 Volvo B7RLEs were transferred to Blackburn in 2017 where they were refurbished and received the new Blackburn Bus Company livery and had their seating re-trimmed.

1868-70 - New to Burnley and Pendle in 2009 for the Mainline Service, these 3 Volvo B7RLEs were refurbished for the new Manchester CityZap service in 2017 where they received pleated leather seating, 4G WiFi and USB power. Following Manchester CityZap's collapse in 2018, they were transferred to Rosso where they were liveried for the Red4 service. In January 2020, the Red4 service was withdrawn and the 3 vehicles were re-branded and transferred to Blackburn for the RedExpress service.

2754-55 - New to Burnley and Pendle in 2005 for the WitchWay Service, these Volvo B7TLs were transferred to Blackburn in 2013 where they were re-liveried in the Yellow and Blue Lancashire Way branding for the 152 and X41 services. Following a re-brand in 2016, they were re-liveried into the new two tone Grey Pride of The North brand for use across any of the 6 Blazefield subsidiaries.

2766-72 - New to Burnley and Pendle in 2013 for the WitchWay Service, these Volvo B9TLs were transferred to Blackburn in 2021 where they received a mid-life refurbishment, gaining (in addition to their pre-existing free WiFi) USB power, next stop information, Euro VI engine upgrades and a new two tone Purple livery for the 152 Hotline service.

Fleet history
Lancashire United B10BLE Renown in Route 152 branding seen at the former Blackburn Bus Station.

When Lancashire United took over Stagecoach Ribble in April 2001, the fleet was predominantly made up of aging buses. These included double-decker models such as Bristol VRs and Leyland Atlanteans and single-decker models such as Leyland Lynxs and Leyland Nationals. The new company also inherited a couple of Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Darts and Mercedes-Benz Vario minibuses at the Clitheroe depot. By September 2001, most of these had been replaced by more modern Leyland Olympians, more Leyland Lynxs and the first of 30 new Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLEs.

Whilst the Leyland Olympians and Volvo B10BLEs remained with the company for years, other models were bought and sold, mainly middle aged versions at the time. Included were Dennis Darts, Volvo Olympians and some other Volvo single-deckers, many cascaded from Blazefield's other operations in Yorkshire.

In 2007, Lancashire United took delivery of 25 Wright Eclipse bodied Volvo B7RLEs, these were painted in a white and sandy gold livery, with purple Spot On brandings for routes 6 and 7 and a deeper shade of purple for route 1. These were originally destined for Burnley & Pendle, but due to the acquisition of Blackburn Transport they were diverted to Lancashire United.[24] When the Red express was originally introduced in 2016, it used 7 Blue and Red liveried ex Harrogate Bus Company Wright Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs formerly used on Harrogate bus route 36.[25] In January 2020, the bus route was announced to be axed but was saved,[21] as a part of this, the Volvo B7TLs were removed and replaced by 3 Volvo B7RLEs, formerly used on the now axed Red4 Rosso service, the Yellow and Red Base colours were kept and the RedExpress branding was added.[26]

Depots

Lancashire United operated two depots, the former Blackburn Transport depot (Intack), and the former Stagecoach Ribble Motor Services depot (Manner Sutton Street). In August 2011, the Manner Sutton Street depot was closed, with operations merged with those at the Intack.[27]

References
  1. "Stagecoach sells some North-West operations for £13 million". Stagecoach. 26 April 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. "Blue Bus set to take over United routes". The Bolton News. 26 June 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. "Transdev aquires Blazefield Group". Bus & Coach Professional. 7 January 2006. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  4. Briggs, Ian (9 January 2006). "A new stop for Blazefield". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. "Chester for sale and Blackburn for Blazefield". Bus & Coach Professional. 21 August 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  6. Bartlett, David (16 August 2006). "Burnley buys up Blackburn buses". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. Watkinson, David (6 August 2007). "Bus firms in takeover". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. "Blazefield buys again in Lancashire". Bus & Coach Professional. 9 August 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. "Versa fleet launches with Blackburn operator rebrand". Bus & Coach Week. No. 1252. 9 August 2016. p. 10.
  10. Harrison, Matt (10 April 2019). "Transdev unveils centenary bus to commemorate Ribble 100". Transport Designed. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  11. Dunn, Madaline (16 April 2019). "The Ribble bus company celebrates 100 years of service". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  12. "Straight from the heart – our tribute to Blackburn and Lancashire's unsung heroes". Transdev. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  13. "A revolution is coming to Accrington and Blackburn". Transdev. 27 July 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. "£2.5 million new buses packed with amazing new features launched in Blackburn". Transdev. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  15. Kelly, Robert (17 January 2020). "£2.5m buses unveiled with charging points and mobile phone holders". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  16. Dougall, Emily (21 January 2020). "The Blackburn Bus Company launches £2.5m fleet". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  17. Jackson, Peter (16 February 2021). "Hotline upgrade". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  18. "Welcome to your new-look Hotline – Preston | Blackburn | Padiham | Burnley". Transdev. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  19. "Give a big warm welcome to your brand new buses – say hello to Little Hotline". Transdev. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  20. Roden, Rosalyn (4 December 2019). "Accrington to Manchester X41 bus is AXED". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  21. Jacobs, Bill (22 January 2020). "X41 Red Express bus from Accrington to Manchester SAVED". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  22. "Fleet list – The Blackburn Bus Company – bustimes.org". bustimes.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  23. "Enthusiasts | West Yorkshire Information Service". WYIS. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  24. The other word isn't offOmnibuses.blogsot.com 14 May 2007
  25. Lancashire United launches rebranded X41 Coach & Bus Week 4 April 2016
  26. Green, Charlotte (15 February 2018). "Commuter 'express' bus to cut link between Accrington and Blackburn". LancsLive. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  27. Council buys Blackburn bus depot Lancashire Telegraph 11 August 2011
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