Burnley Bus Company

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TheBurnleyBusCompanyLogo.svg
Witchway 2014.jpg
ADL Enviro 400MMC, Witchway 2014 seen at Burnley Bus Station on 13/12/20
ParentTransdev Blazefield
Founded1924; 97 years ago (1924)
HeadquartersQueensgate Bus Depot
Service areaBurnley
Pendle
Service typeBus services
Routes31 (October 2013)
HubsBurnley
Accrington
Manchester
Nelson
Colne
Clitheroe
Keighley
DepotsQueensgate
Fleet97 (October 2013)
Websitewww.lancashirebus.co.uk

The Burnley Bus Company[1] is a bus operator running services in the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and Manchester. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield.

History[]

Logo used until 2017

The Burnley, Colne & Nelson Joint Transport Committee was established in 1933 to merge the three municipal tramway and bus operations of those towns. The tramway network was progressively being abandoned with the last closing in May 1935.[2] In 1974 as part of the local government reorganisation Colne and Nelson boroughs were amalgamated to form Pendle and thus the transport operation became the Burnley & Pendle Joint Transport Committee.[3]

To comply with the Transport Act 1985, in 1986 the assets were transferred to a new legal entity[4] and the operation rebranded Burnley & Pendle Transport Company. Deregulation opened Burnley & Pendle's routes to competition from other operators, with Blackburn Transport, Tyrer Tours[5] and Victoria Coaches establishing competing services. To stave off the competition five AEC Routemasters were purchased with each named after a character from the television series EastEnders. Deregulation also saw many Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive services contracted out. Burnley & Pendle successfully tendered a number of routes with their sphere of operation extending to Blackburn, Bury, Manchester, Preston, Rawtenstall, Rochdale and Skipton.[6]

In April 1996 Pendle Council sold its share to Stagecoach North West. Burnley Council was livid, and stated strongly it would never sell its share.[7] Stagecoach put up a multi-million pound investment plan for Burnley and Pendle, but Burnley Council could not meet its share unless it cut other council services. In March 1997 it reversed its policy and sold out to Stagecoach.[6]

Initially branded Stagecoach Burnley & Pendle in May 2000 it was incorporated into the Stagecoach Ribble business. In 1997 Stagecoach purchased 10 Volvo B10Ms and 10 Volvo Olympians to upgrade the run down fleet.[8]

In April 2001 Stagecoach sold its East Lancashire operations to the Blazefield Travel. Soon after the business was split in two. What had been Burnley & Pendle once again became Burnley & Pendle[1] while the former Ribble Motor Services became Lancashire United. Before the sale many of the newer buses were transferred to other Stagecoach subsidiaries being replaced by Dennis Javelins, Leyland Atlanteans and Leyland Lynxs. Blazefield Travel purchased 15 Volvo B7TLs and 25 Volvo B10BLEs to commence a fleet renewal program.[9]

In January 2006 Burnley & Pendle was included in the sale of Blazefield Travel to Transdev.[10][11] Burnley & Pendle was rebranded as Transdev in Burnley & Pendle.

In January 2007 Blackburn Transport was purchased[12] followed in August 2007 by Accrington Transport and Northern Blue of Burnley with 65 buses.[13] In September 2009 Transdev Northern Blue was integrated into Transdev Burnley & Pendle.

In July 2017 the business was again rebranded as the Burnley Bus Company.[14][15]

Routes and Brands[]

[16][17]

Burnley Bus Company[]

A rebrand of the company commenced in 2017, beginning with the introduction of a new fleet of Optare Versas for their MainLine Services, vehicle 273 was liveried in the new two tone orange brand, followed shortly after by a revitalized fleet of Volvo B10BLE Renowns in this new branding.

Local services operating around Burnley and Pendle operate under this brand including services 1 to Stoops Estate, 2 to Higherford, 3/4 to Pike Hill then Worsthorne, 5 to Rose Grove and Harle Syke, and 9 to Accrington.

Ribble Country[]

Starting on 2 May 2021 in partnership with Lancashire County Council, Ribble Country is the new brand for the local tendered services in around Clitheroe, Burnley, and Pendle. These services are run by 18 new Mercades Mellor Strata Ultras in an Orange and Cream livery with Visual and Audio Next Stop announcement onboard. The Ribble Country brand is a nod towards the herratige of the routes one run by the famous Ribble Motor Services with interior branding showcasing Betty's Bus.

MainLine[]

The brand for services traveling between Padiham, Burnley, Nelson, and Colne. Services include M1 to Accrington, M2 to Clitheroe, M3 to Trawden, M4 to Keighley, and M5 to Barnoldswick. These routes are operated by 29 Optare Versas in orange and burgundy Mainline Livery, offering free Wifi, USB and wireless power, and next stop information.[18]

ADL Enviro 400MMC, Witchway 2014 seen at Burnley Bus Station on 13/12/20

The Witch Way[]

This is one of Blazefield's flagship services, serving Burnley, Rawtenstall, and Manchester along the M66. This service is operated by a brand new fleet of ADL Enviro400 MMCs in a bold new Orange and Black Livery, offering free Wifi, USB and wireless power, group tables, and next stop information by Coronation street start Jennie McAlpine. This host of new features has been marketed as a new SkyClass.[19]

Pendle Wizz[]

This is the new brand for the Burnley to Skipton section of the X43. The decision to separate this section of the route from the WitchWay came after increasing congestion in Manchester was impacting timekeeping, it was decided to split the two halves so as not to impact the second half of the route, improving timekeeping. This service is operated by 3 Volvo B7TL Geminis in the new orange and purple branding, offering free WiFi and USB power.[20]

Since Blazefield's acquisition of Blackburn Transport, Northern Blue and Accrington Transport, some routes formerly run by these companies have been taken over by Burnley & Pendle Travel. These include several Blackburn Transport school services and all of Northern Blue's operations.

Fleet[]

Current Fleet[]

[21][22]

61-78 - A fleet of 18 new Mercades Mellor Strata Ultras went into service in May 2021 for Ribble Country in partnership with Lancashire County Council. They hold a Orange and Cream livery with the new Ribble Country branding and are fitted with visual and audio next stop announcements.

244-273 - A fleet of 30 new Optare Versas went into service in 2017 for Mainline following a £4.6M investment in the service. These vehicles came as replacement for the Volvo B10BLE renowns and B7RLE Eclipse 1/2s formerly operating the service. 29 of the 30 vehicles received a brand new MainLine livery in orange and burgundy, replacing the old red and maroon colours. 273 received the brand new Burnley Bus Company identity in two tone orange, replacing the Burnley Connect as part of a re-branding programme taking place across Blazefield. All 30 vehicles offered brand new features including 4G Wif, USB power at every seat, wireless charging tables, as well as visual and audio next stop information. In 2020, 273 received a one-off Burnley Heros livery to thank the keyworkers of the Burnley area for their dedication through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

569 - New to Keighley and District, this B10BLE Renown was transferred to Lancashire United in 2011 where it was re-liveried into the Spot On branding. Shortly after in 2014, it was moved to Harrogate and District where it was refurbished and re-trimmed before getting liveried into the Harrogate Connect branding. 9 months later in November 2014, it was sent back to Blackburn and received a plain white livery with the red Transdev logo on either side. It stayed in Blackburn a further 4 years before joining Burnley in 2018.

708/9 - New to Keighley and District, these Transbus Dart Pointers were transferred to Burnley in 2013 where they received the Starship livery for the local Burnley routes. Following a re-brand, they were further re-liveried in 2015 into the Burnley Connect Livery, 709 also had Burnley Clarets branding in place of the red crescent at the rear of the bus. These are now the two last buses to hold the Burnley Connect Livery following a further re-brand in 2017.

1042/3/6, 1053/8, 1071/2 - These 7 Volvo B10BLE Renowns are Burnleys last remaining from a large batch purchased in 2001, shortly after the company being purchased by Blazefield Holdings. 6 of these 7 vehicles carried the original MainLine branding in cream with red skirt in Blazefield standard design whilst 1072 was branded for the X43 Manchester service. As part of a re-brand for MainLine in 2009, these vehicle were all refurbished and received new red interiors, Multi-Colour LED destination blinds, LED Break and Headlamps, as well as the new MainLine livery. In 2017, with the arrival of the new MainLine vehicles, these B10s were withdrawn from service where a number of sister vehicles were sold off. However the following year, they were brought back out of storage and were further refurbished into the new two tone orange Burnley Bus Company livery and re-registered as B2,4,5,6,9,10 TDV, to operate the local town services, taking place of the Wright Streetlites that had been relocated to Rosso.

1087 - New to Lancashire United in 2001, this Volvo B10BLE Renowns ran 6 years running the Hyndburn Circular service in and around Blackburn before being transferred to Harrogate and District in 2007. Here its branding was removed and skirt changed to Red with the Harrogate and District branding applied. Following a re-brand in 2010, Livery was changed to Transdev in Harrogate. In October 2013, it underwent extensive refurbishment which included the new Harrogate Connect branding, a new red interior, new LED destination blinds, and new break and headlamps. In 2019, it was moved to its current home in Burnley, where it was re-liveried into The Burnley Bus Company, and now serves local routes in and around Burnley.

1091 - New to Lancashire United in 2001, this Volvo B10BLE Renowns ran 6 years running the Hyndburn Circular service in and around Blackburn before being transferred to Burnley in 2007. Here its branding was removed and skirt changed to Red with the MainLine branding applied. In 2010, it was relocated to Harrogate and District where it received temporary branding on the existing livery. Shortly after, it was re-liveried into the new Transdev in Harrogate branding. In 2014, it underwent extensive refurbishment which included the new Harrogate Connect branding, a new red interior, new LED destination blinds, and new break and headlamps. It spent at short time with York and County in 2018 with temporary branding before moving to Burnley the same year. in October 2019, it was finally re-liveried into The Burnley Bus Company branding.

Liveries[]

Burnley & Pendle's buses were originally painted in a red and cream livery although can now be seen in a wide variety of liveries.

These include:[23]

  • The Burnley Bus Company - This new two tone orange livery replaces the phased out Burnley Connect branding, providing local services in and around the rural side of Burnley.[24]
  • The Witch Way - Black and orange with a distinctive Pendle Witch on each side.
  • Mainline - Orange / burgundy livery with Mainline branding operating services from Burnley to other places such as Padiham, Nelson and Colne.
  • Pendle Wizz - Orange / purple livery operating services from Skipton to Burnley via Barnoldswick and Colne, using the M65 motorway.[25]

Past Liveries[]

The Witch Way bus in Manchester.

The Witch Way (v1)[]

Introduced over Halloween weekend in 2005 with a fleet of 16 new Volvo B7TL Geminis in a Black, Red, and Silver livery to match that of the other Blazefield Flagships (E.g. Harrogate 36) along with a silhouette of witch flying a broom. This was the first fleet to receive "The Witch Way" brand with buses named after the Pendle witches from the 17th century, and was advertised with the slogan "business class as standard".

The Witch Way (v2)[]

Witch Way liveried Wright Eclipse Gemini in Manchester in 2013

Introduced over Halloween weekend in 2013 with a fleet of 15 new Volvo B9TL Geminis in an iconic Black and Grey livery, featuring a attractive witch flying a broom.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Companies House extract company no 1777430 Burnley & Pendle Travel Limited
  2. ^ History of Burnley, Colne & Nelson JTC BCN Society
  3. ^ Burnley & Pendle Joint Transport Commottee BCN Society
  4. ^ Companies House extract company no 2004965 Burnley & Pendle Transport Company Limited
  5. ^ Companies House extract company no 1458953 Tyrer Tours Limited
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Burnley & Pendle Transport Co BCN Society
  7. ^ "Deal is struck with Stagecoach". Bolton News. 29 August 1996. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  8. ^ Stagecoach Burnley & Pendle BCN Society
  9. ^ Burnley & Pendle Travel Ltd - a Blazeley Company BCN Society
  10. ^ Transdev acquires Blazefield Group Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 7 January 2006
  11. ^ A new stop for Blazefield Yorkshire Post 9 January 2006
  12. ^ Blackburn Transport - The End Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Olive Green & Ivory
  13. ^ Blazefield buys again in Lancashire Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 9 August 2007
  14. ^ The Burnley Bus Company is launch is celebrated with a family fun day Transdev 7 July 2017
  15. ^ "£4.5 million Versas revitalise Burnley Mainline" Buses Magazine issue 750 page 7
  16. ^ "Burnley Bus Company routes and brands". Transdevbus.co.uk. 25 November 2020.
  17. ^ "The Burnley Bus Company – bustimes.org". bustimes.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Mainline bursts into Burnley with a Big Bus Bash". Transport Designed. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Corrie star Jennie McAlpine lends 'warm Northern voice' to new Witchway buses". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  20. ^ "#LockdownLaunch : Get ready to Pendle Wizz by Transdev in the UK". Transdev, the mobility company. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  21. ^ "WYIS Blazefield fleet list" (PDF). WYIS. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Fleet list – The Burnley Bus Company – bustimes.org". bustimes.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  23. ^ Transdev Burnley & Pendle BCN Society
  24. ^ Burnley Connect Homepage Burnley Connect Homepage
  25. ^ "Get ready to Pendle Wizz!". Coach & Bus Week. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

Further reading[]

  • Catlow, A (November 1985). Burnley, Colne and Nelson. Curwen Institute. ISBN 978-0907941194.

External links[]

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