Lancashire United
Encyclopedia
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn
Hyndburn
Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington. The district is named after the River Hyndburn....
and the Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe. Other places include Whalley, Longridge and Ribchester. The area is so called due to the River Ribble which flows in its final stages...
. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings
Blazefield Group
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus groups in England. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev.-History:...
and has since overcome other operators. Since 2006 Lancashire United Ltd has been a subsidiary of the global Transdev Group
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
.
History
In 2001, StagecoachStagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
sold its former Ribble
Ribble Motor Services
Ribble Motor Services was a large regional bus operator in the North West of England, based in Preston. The company was started in 1919, and grew to be the largest operator in the region, with a territory stretching from Carlisle to south Lancashire...
operations in Blackburn, Hyndburn
Hyndburn
Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington. The district is named after the River Hyndburn....
, Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
and Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
to the Blazefield Group
Blazefield Group
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus groups in England. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev.-History:...
after a series of reasonably high-profile industrial disputes. The resultant company was named Lancashire United for buses operating in the Ribble Valley, Hyndburn, Bolton and Blackburn and a separate operating company, Burnley & Pendle Travel was set up to operate buses in that area (see Burnley & Pendle
Burnley & Pendle
Transdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
). Investment commenced in new vehicles almost immediately, with over 30 brand new single-decker buses arriving in September of that year, displacing Stagecoach's much older models.
A number of service revisions followed with many marginal services withdrawn and a number of school contracts were terminated. Much of this work, mainly contracted to Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
, was picked up by Northern Blue
Northern Blue
Transdev Northern Blue was a bus operator running around Burnley in East Lancashire. The company operated many school routes, along with a small number of commercial and subsidised bus services...
. A focus was then made on developing high quality trunk routes, namely the 152, 225 & Hyndburn Circulars. Also later the X1.
Later, in 2002, the Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
garage was sold on to independent operator Blue Bus
Blue Bus of Bolton
Blue Bus and Coach Services Ltd was a large independent bus company serving the area of Greater Manchester. The company operated within the area covered by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, as well as areas of Lancashire and Merseyside...
run by Roger Jarvis, who eventually sold out to Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
in 2005. The contracted services in the Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
area were given up and the garage was sold to a housing developer. Most of the Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
contracted work passed into the hands of the Northern Blue
Northern Blue
Transdev Northern Blue was a bus operator running around Burnley in East Lancashire. The company operated many school routes, along with a small number of commercial and subsidised bus services...
bus company. The Blazefield Group became part of the multi-national transport Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
group in 2006.
The Clitheroe services were operated by LUL for a second time through the Northern Blue takeover, however these passed out of LUL's service profile in June 2008. The original Blackburn garage acquired from Ribble remains in use.
From 26 March 2011 the Manor Sutton Street fleet gradually transferred into the former Blackburn Transport depot at Intack, although the depot remained open for fleet refurbishments and repaints, the former tram sheds at Intack are currently being demolished and the site will be resurfaced to accommodate the extra fleet transferred from the Mannor Sutton St site, Blackburn with Darwen Borough council purchased the land in March 2011 and it is currently being leased back to Transdev until their new Intack Station is completed. As of 28 August 2011 operations at Mannor Sutton St have now ceased and the entire fleet are now based at the Intack depot, on 28 August 2011 an event was held at the Mannor Sutton St depot to mark the end after 83 years.
Acquisitions
- Blackburn Transport
On 22 January 2007, Lancashire United acquired the business of Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport was a British bus company that operated bus services within the Borough of Blackburn and Darwen and surrounding areas in Lancashire.-History:...
from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, a move that was anticipated for months. The company stated that all drivers from Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport was a British bus company that operated bus services within the Borough of Blackburn and Darwen and surrounding areas in Lancashire.-History:...
would remain, as would all fare deals and passes. The buyout increased Lancashire United's fleet size by over 130 buses.
- Northern Blue/Accrington Transport
On 5 August 2007, Blazefield acquired the businesses of Northern Blue of Burnley
Northern Blue
Transdev Northern Blue was a bus operator running around Burnley in East Lancashire. The company operated many school routes, along with a small number of commercial and subsidised bus services...
and Accrington Transport, the company inherited a further batch of 65 buses to their fleet. Transdev Accrington Transport moved to Lancashire United's depot at Intack. On 16 March 2008, Lancashire United took over the Accrington local bus network from Accrington Transport.
Spot On
Following the acquisition of Blackburn Transport, both its services and Lancashire United's Hyndburn Circular routes were combined and branded as 'Spot On', the service was launched on 14 May 2007 with a fleet of 25 brand new single deck buses..
As of 6 November 2011
| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwen Cemetery - Darwen Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area... - Ewood - Blackburn - Intack - West End - Church - Accrington Accrington Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn... |
Some journeys terminate at Blackburn. Runs combined service from Blackburn to Darwen with service 225 and to Accrington with service X41 |
| 2 | Blackburn - Blackburn Royal Hospital - Newfield Drive - Chapels - Pole Lane - Darwen | |
| 3 | Blackburn - Bank Top - Mill Hill - Green Lane - Feniscowles | |
| 4 | Blackburn - Bank Top - Mill Hill - Kings Road - Leyburn Road - Moorgate Street (Circular) | |
| 6/7 | Blackburn - Rishton - Great Harwood - Harwood Bar - Clayton-le-Moors - Accrington - Oswaldtwistle - West End (6) - Knuzden (7) - Intack - Blackburn | |
| 9/9A | Blackburn - Granville Road - Revidge - Earl Street - Blackburn (Circular) | |
| 12 | Blackburn Town Centre - Higher Croft - Newfield Drive | Main day time service |
| 12A | Blackburn - Higher Croft - Newfield Drive - Royal Blackburn Hospital | Certain Evening Journeys |
| 12C | Blackburn - Royal Blackburn Hospital - Newfield Drive - Higher Croft | Certain morning and evening journeys |
| 14 | Blackburn - Little Harwood - Sunnybower | |
| 17/17A | Blackburn - Blackburn Royal Hospital - Shadsworth | 17A runs evenings and Sundays only |
| 18 | Blackburn - Audley Range - Shadsworth (Dunoon Dr/Fecitt Brow)- Oswaldtwistle - Accrington - Great Harwood | Shadsworth-Great Harwood section runs weekdays only |
Interurban routes
The company operates interurban routes to BoltonBolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
, Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Preston & Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
& its separately marketed, high quality services into Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
branded as The Lancashire Way. On 2 April 2011 Transdev lost the contract to Routes C1 and 241.
From 6 November 2011
| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 124 | Blackburn - Feniscowles Feniscowles Feniscowles is a village in the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately west of Blackburn... - Abbey Village - Brinscall - Great Knowley - Chorley Chorley Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry... |
Monday to Saturday daytimes only. |
| 152 | Preston - Hoghton - Feniscowles - Blackburn - Rishton - Clayton-Le-Moors - Padiham - Burnley | |
| 225 | Bolton Bolton Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the... - Darwen Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area... - Blackburn - Wilpshire - Langho - Whalley Whalley Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village.... - Clitheroe Clitheroe Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697... |
Most journeys terminate at Blackburn. Some terminate at Darwen. Runs combined service from Blackburn to Darwen with service 1 |
| 231 | Accrington - Clayton Le Moors - Great Harwood - Whalley Whalley Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village.... - Clitheroe Clitheroe Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697... |
Saturdays only |
| 280/X80 | Preston - Mellor - Whalley - Clitheroe Clitheroe Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697... - Gisburn - Barnoldswick (280) - Thornton-in-Craven (280) - West Marton (X80) - Skipton Skipton Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York... |
The Lancashire Way
| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| X40 | Whalley Whalley Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village.... - Great Harwood Great Harwood Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who... - Accrington Accrington Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn... - Haslingden Haslingden Haslingden is a small town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century Haslingden had the status of a municipal borough, but following local government... - Prestwich Prestwich Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury.... - Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Weekdays only |
| X41 | Great Harwood Great Harwood Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who... /Blackburn - Accrington Accrington Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn... - Haslingden Haslingden Haslingden is a small town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century Haslingden had the status of a municipal borough, but following local government... - Helmshore Helmshore Helmshore is a village in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated south of Haslingden, broadly between the A56 and the B6235, approximately 16 miles north of Manchester.- Early history :... - Prestwich Prestwich Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury.... - Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Buses run to/from Great Harwood at peak times only. Other journeys run to/from Blackburn. One evening journey runs via Rawtenstall. Runs combined service from Blackburn to Accrington with service 1 |
Other town services
From 15 August 2010The Outer Circle
The Blackburn Outer Circle is a circular service that connects schools, hospitals, and leisure opportunities around the edge of the town. It was started by Blackburn Borough Transport in 1980 as the 50 (clockwise) and the 51 (anticlockwise). The Transport Department did not register the service for commercial operation, and after deregulation, it became one of several routes in the area won by GM buses on a nil tender basis. GM buses found out that these services were not as profitable as they had imagined and pulled out of the area entirely, on 26 January 1987 the route was returned to Blackburn Transport, who re-instated Leyland Atlanteans double-deckers to operate the service.
At the next round of tenders, the services passed to Ribble, who operated it using Leyland Olympians from Preston's Frenchwood garage, The route again reverted to Blackburn Transport using Optare Metroriders, the route was then renumbered as Track 5 with an A or C suffix denoting direction of travel.
In March 2006 the route became The OC and used Volvo Olympians which received a purple and orange livery with route branding, the vehicles and branding were retained on takeover by Lancashire united.
| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5A/5C | Intack - Shadsworth - Hospital - Higher Croft - Ewood - Mill Hill - Revidge - Little Harwood - Greenbank - Intack | Runs on Monday to Friday peak times and on Saturday and Sunday. |
Blackburn contract services
| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Blackburn - Pleasington Cemetery | Infrequent service |
| 314 | Darwen - Blackburn - Little Harwood - Whitebirk Ind estate | Infrequent service |
Boxing Day and New Year's Day services
On both Boxing Day and New Years Day 2010 bus services in Blackburn and Darwen returned to operation after a three-year gap, with financial support from Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council, special reduced single fares were also introduced.| Number | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intack - Blackburn - Darwen | |
| 3 | Blackburn - Mill Hill - Green Lane - Feniscowles | Continued as Route 124 from Feniscowles Star Drive |
| 9B | Blackburn - Lammack - Revidge - Blackburn | |
| 12A/12C | Blackburn - Newfield Drive - Blackburn Royal Hospital | |
| 17B | Blackburn - Shadsworth - Blackburn Royal Hospital | |
| 25 | Blackburn - Emerald Avenue - Wilpshire | |
| 124 | Blackburn - Cherry Tree - Feniscowles | Continued as Spot On 3 from Feniscowles Star Drive |
Past Services
Hyndburn CircularThis was a circular service that connected Blackburn with the towns of Rishton, Clayton le Moors, Great Harwood, Oswaldtwistle and accrington in the district of Hyndburn, the service was taken over from Stagecoach Ribble's Blackburn depot in 2001 and shortly after a brand new fleet were purchased and carried branding for this service, as of May 2007 the service is now part of the Spot On network.
The X1
The X1 was a semi-express route linking Clitheroe, Whalley and Accrington with Manchester. The route was for a time operated by a fleet of route branded Volvo Olympians and won a number of awards. The X1 and associated X2 were replaced with the X40/X41 service running between Blackburn, Accrington & Manchester. Route 241 was created for passengers between Clitheroe and Accrington, however this route has since passed in and out of the company's control a number of times. A very limited number of journey's still commence at Whalley or Great Harwood.
The Whalley Ranger
This service was introduced in late 2009 following customer requests after two years of the Whalley Range area being unserved by bus, the route used specially branded buses and operated every 10 minutes with a flat single fare of £1, on 14 June 2010 the service was extended to serve Openshaw Drive to replace Spot On route 24, with the frequency reduced to every 15 minutes and period tickets became valid.
It was announced on 16 November that this service was to be withdrawn due to low patronage, the last service operated on 24 December 2010
Fares
The company sell a wide range of tickets besides single and return fares, from day, 7 day and annual travel tickets, which can be purchased on the bus, or from an information office in Blackburn town centre. From 9 July 2010 passengers are able to purchase period and 12 journey tickets online.Ticket Types
Spot On TicketsAllows one day or seven days unlimited travel within the Blackburn & Darwen and Hyndburn areas.
Spot On Hyndburn
Allows one day or seven days unlimited travel within the Hyndburn area.
Silvercard (formerley Spot On plus)
Allows one, seven days or a months unlimited travel as far as Preston, Bolton, Clitheroe, Keighley, Skipton and Rawtenstall.
Gold tickets
These tickets are valid on any Burnley & Pendle and Lancashire United service, tickets valid for 1 month, 6 months or a whole year are issued as Goldcards whilst a day ticket is issued as a Day Gold.
12 Journey Tickets
These tickets allow 12 single journeys for a month on any Lancashire United or Burnley and Pendle bus Within the Spot On, Silver and Gold zones.
Ribble Valley Day Ranger
For travel within the Ribble Valley area, and to many places beyond as well. Tickets are valid on bus services run by most bus companies.
Fleet history
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
s and Bristol VR
Bristol VR
The Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...
s and single-decker models such as Leyland Lynx
Leyland Lynx
The Leyland Lynx is a single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992. It was designed to replace the ageing Leyland National.Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986. From 1990 to 1992 the updated Lynx II version was produced...
es and Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
s. The new company also inherited a couple of Mini Pointer Darts and Mercedes minibuses with the Clitheroe depot. Not all of these vehicles were repainted into LUL blue and cream, many just had LUL logos covering the Stagecoach ones retaining their distinctive striped livery. By September 2001, most of these had been replaced by more modern Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
s, more Leyland Lynx
Leyland Lynx
The Leyland Lynx is a single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992. It was designed to replace the ageing Leyland National.Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986. From 1990 to 1992 the updated Lynx II version was produced...
es and some brand new Volvo B10BLE
Volvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
s, bodied by Wrightbus
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
. Over 30 of these were purchased, and are still providing quality low floor service today. They were the company's first buses bought new to them.
Whilst the Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
s and Volvo B10BLE
Volvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
s remained with the company for years, other models were bought and sold, mainly middle aged versions at the time. Included were Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s, Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
s and some other Volvo single-deckers, many cascaded from Blazefield's other operations in Yorkshire.
During 2006 the company had five Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
/Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
buses, however one of these buses was badly damaged after a fatal accident in 2006 on the M66
M66 motorway
The M66 is a motorway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is long and provides part of the route between the M62 and M60 motorways and the M65, with the rest being provided by the A56.-Route:...
and has now been repaired and transferred to fellow Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
Blazefield
Blazefield Group
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus groups in England. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev.-History:...
company Harrogate & District
Harrogate & District
Transdev Harrogate & District is a local bus operator based in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
. Therefore LUL had only four of these currently in the fleet, In summer 2008 two additional Volvo B7TL/Plaxton Presidents were transferred in from Yorkshire Coastliner
Yorkshire Coastliner
Yorkshire Coastliner is a bus operator based in Malton in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by the Blazefield Group who also own, amongst others, Harrogate & District and Keighley & District in Yorkshire....
, with an additional Wright-bodied double decker in Lancashire Way livery.
New bus orders
In 2007, now under Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
ownership, Lancashire United gained a batch of 25 Wrightbus
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
-bodied Volvo single-deckers, these were painted in a white and sandy gold livery, with purple Spot On brandings for routes 6 & 7 and a deeper shade of purple for route 1. Altogether, they cost £3,750,000. These were originally destined for Burnley & Pendle
Burnley & Pendle
Transdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
, but due to the acquisition of Blackburn Transport they were diverted to Lancashire United.
In early 2008 Lancashire United gained a second batch of brand new buses in the form of 6 Optare Versa
Optare Versa
The Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....
s for Spot On routes 18, 19, 22 and 22A serving the Mill Hill, Leyburn Road and Feniscowles areas of Blackburn, these were the newest Optares in Blackburn since the Optare MetroRider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
s were purchased by Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport
Blackburn Transport was a British bus company that operated bus services within the Borough of Blackburn and Darwen and surrounding areas in Lancashire.-History:...
in 1998, however following overhaul of services in Blackburn these buses have now been transferred to Transdev Yorkshire operating on routes between Leeds, Tadcaster, York and Heworth.
In May 2010 two demonstrator buses were trialled on Route 225, one was an Optare Tempo
Optare Tempo
The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals....
and the other was a Wrightbus Eclipse 2, the company purchased eight Optare Tempo single deck buses and entered service on this route on 26 September, these are the first Optare Tempos in any Blazefield group.
Current fleet
This is a detailed list of the buses operated by Lancashire United (some of which were inherited from Blackburn Transport and Accrington Transport/Northern Blue).| Type | Body | Image | Number | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single deck vehicles | |||||
| Dennis Dart Dennis Dart The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production.... |
Plaxton/Transbus MPD | 19 |  |
These buses wear Spot On brandings and operate many local services around Blackburn, Darwen & Accrington. Route 241 was operated by 2 of these up until the contract was awarded to another operator in April 2011. Due to route changes from 20 September 2009 some of these were withdrawn and were due to be sold, however some of these buses have re-entered service with some older ones being gradually sold. | |
| Dennis Dart Dennis Dart The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production.... |
Plaxton/Transbus SPD | 2 | |
These Training vehicles wear the Eclipse Driver Training livery. | |
| Optare Solo Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative... |
Optare | 8 | |
These operate services around Blackburn, Accrington and the Ribble Valley. | |
| Optare Solo Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative... SL |
Optare |  |
2 | |
These operate services around Blackburn, Accrington and the Ribble Valley. |
| Volvo B6 Volvo B6 The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine... -50 |
Alexander Dash Alexander Dash The Alexander Dash is a midibus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders of Scotland during the 1990s. It was one of the variants of Alexander's AM-type body and was usually combined with the Dennis Dart and Volvo B6 step-entrance bus chassis.... |
1 |  |
||
| Optare Tempo Optare Tempo The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals.... |
Optare | 8 | |
These buses operate on Route 225; they feature leather seats and wear the new style of the Lancashire united livery. | |
| Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE... |
Wright Eclipse Urban |  |
30 | |
The majority of these wear Spot On brandings. Three of these which currently carry Ribble valley express branding for routes 280/X80 are now receiving the Lancashire United Livery. |
| Volvo B7L Volvo B7L Volvo B7L was a low floor citybus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang, it was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L... |
Wright Eclipse Wright Eclipse The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on Volvo B7 chassis. It shares its design with the Wright Solar on Scania L94 chassis.... |
 |
2 | |
These ex-Volvo demonstrators spent a number of years with Burnley & Pendle Burnley & Pendle Transdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester... on town services, before being used on 'The Mainline'. They were then transferred to Lancashire United, and wear the Spot On branding. |
| Volvo B10BLE Volvo B10BLE The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck... |
Wright Renown Wright Renown The Wright Renown is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Volvo B10BLE chassis by Wright.Over 800 Renowns were built between 1997 and 2002, making it somewhat more successful than the B10L-based Liberator.... |
 |
23 | |
Some of these still retain the blue and cream LUL livery, some wear the new 152 branding, while one wears The Lancashire Way livery. The rest carry the Spot On branding. |
| Total (single deck) | 97 | ||||
| Double deck vehicles | |||||
| Leyland Olympian Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:... |
Leyland Leyland Bus Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer. It emerged from the Rover Group as a management buyout of the bus business... |
 |
2 | |
|
| Leyland Olympian | ECW Eastern Coach Works Eastern Coach Works Ltd was a bus and railbus body building company based in Lowestoft, England.-History:The company can trace its roots back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in the town to run bus services. United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920... |
|
18 | |
Some of these are painted in the traditional blue and cream livery, while some carry the all-yellow school bus colours and others are still in obsolete Blackburn Transport livery. Can be seen operating on Blackburn local services as well as school runs. |
| Leyland Olympian Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:... |
Northern Counties | 2 | |
||
| Volvo Olympian Volvo Olympian The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian.... |
Alexander RH | 1 | |
This ex-Transdev York bus wears the traditional blue and cream livery but without the rear swoop. | |
| Volvo Olympian Volvo Olympian The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian.... |
Northern Counties |  |
3 | |
These still retain the former Blackburn Transport Blackburn Transport Blackburn Transport was a British bus company that operated bus services within the Borough of Blackburn and Darwen and surrounding areas in Lancashire.-History:... livery, two of which still retain the Blackburn Outer Circle livery. |
| Volvo B7TL Volvo B7TL Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian... |
Plaxton President Plaxton President The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under... |
11 | |
Five are in The Lancashire Way livery, four wear the Spot On livery, one wears the traditional blue and cream lancashire united livery and one still wears Yorkshrie coastliner colours. | |
| Volvo B7TL Volvo B7TL Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian... |
Wright Gemini Wrightbus Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:... |
3 | |
These 3 buses are being transferred from Transdev coastliner and will wear the new Lancashire United livery. One of these has received The Lancashire Way branding . |
|
| Total (double deck) | 42 | ||||
Liveries
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
was a predominant cream with blue and red stripes with a swoop towards the back and a black skirt in standard Blazefield style, many buses in this livery carried route brandings such as Route 152, 225 and the Hyndburn Circular, in recent years the vehicles started to receive various new liveries, the majority of Lancashire United's buses can now be recognized in a wide variety of liveries.
As of September 2010 following the introduction of the new eight Optare Tempos, the interurban fleet is now being standardized into the new Lancashire United livery of blue and cream with most buses receiving route brandings, whilst the spot on fleet are now starting to receive a new Spot On livery
- Lancashire United - This new style livery consists of cream and blue with a distinctive red rose swooping up along the curve, the livery also carries a new Lancashire United logo, The new Optare Tempos are the first to carry this livery with route branding for Route 225, the interurban fleet is now being standardized into this livery and will carry route brandings.
- Spot On - Predominantly white, with sandy brown skirts and wear Spot On branding, the livery features lifestyle pictures of passengers advertising attractive features of the service on the back of the buses. They originally carried varying colours of each route they operate, however since the overhaul of services in February 2009 most of the Spot on branded buses had their coloured route brandings removed, As of August 2011 new version of this livery is now being applied to the buses.
- School buses - Older double-decker buses used on school and college services carry an all-yellow livery scheme.
- Eclipse Driver Training - Predominantly white with blue and yellow stripes.
- Obsolete liveries - A small number of double-deckers inherited from the now defunct Blackburn Transport still retain the old two-tone green & cream livery and the green and yellow Schools+ livery while two still wear the purple and orange Outer Circle livery, the colour-scheme is now gradually disappearing.
-
- Urban Cool - This was a new school livery for Lancashire, however, due to funding problems, they scrapped the idea, and have stuck with yellow double deckers.
-
- The Whalley Ranger - This consisted of a predominant white, orange skirt and branding.
-
- The Ribble ValleyRibble ValleyRibble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe. Other places include Whalley, Longridge and Ribchester. The area is so called due to the River Ribble which flows in its final stages...
Express -This livery consisted of a predominantly white with a large crimson circle with route listing below the windows and Ribble Valley Express logo above the skirt, this livery is being replaced by the new Lancashire United livery.
- The Ribble Valley
-
- The Lancashire Way - In Similar style to Burnley & PendleBurnley & PendleTransdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
s The Witch Way'* but with a distinctive red Lancashire rose and white stripes rather than silver, Each bus running The Lancashire Way is named, this is now being replaced by the standard Lancashire United livery with The Lancashire Way branding.
- The Lancashire Way - In Similar style to Burnley & Pendle
Awards and honours
- In 2004 Lancashire United were winners of the Marketing Award for Local Authorities and Joint Projects at the prestigious Bus Industry Awards held in London, for their joint work with Lancashire County CouncilLancashire County CouncilLancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
in promoting route X1-X2 to ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Parts of the route have since been upgraded and branded The Lancashire Way as services X40/X41. Clitheroe is no longer served and Whalley only served at peak times, a far cry from the hourly service to Manchester before.
- Lancashire United's Lancashire Way route was shortlisted at the 2007 Manchester Tourism Awards at Hilton Deansgate Hotel. They were entered into the Tourism Transport Provider of the Year category at the event by the judges.
- In late 2008 Lancashire united were nominated in three categories for the prestigious UK Awards. The categories nominated are:
* Shire operator of the year, with the winner from this category put forward for UK Operator of the year.
* Express Operator of the year, for the Lancashire Way X40/X41 service to Manchester.
* Bus Marketing Campaign of the year, for the Spot On Services in and around Blackburn.
See also
- Blackburn TransportBlackburn TransportBlackburn Transport was a British bus company that operated bus services within the Borough of Blackburn and Darwen and surrounding areas in Lancashire.-History:...
- Burnley & PendleBurnley & PendleTransdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
- Harrogate & DistrictHarrogate & DistrictTransdev Harrogate & District is a local bus operator based in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
- Keighley & DistrictKeighley & DistrictKeighley & District is a bus company based in Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
- Yorkshire CoastlinerYorkshire CoastlinerYorkshire Coastliner is a bus operator based in Malton in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by the Blazefield Group who also own, amongst others, Harrogate & District and Keighley & District in Yorkshire....
- Northern BlueNorthern BlueTransdev Northern Blue was a bus operator running around Burnley in East Lancashire. The company operated many school routes, along with a small number of commercial and subsidised bus services...
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom