York Pullman
Encyclopedia
York Pullman is a bus operating company based in Rufforth
Rufforth
Rufforth is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies about west of York. The village is mentioned in the "Domesday Book" and dates from Saxon times....

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The first company to use the Pullman name was founded in 1926 by Norman Pearce and Hartas Foxton. It operated from three depots in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

 and used a livery of maroon and cream similar to that used on Pullman trains
Pullman train (UK)
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...

. After several decades of steady expansion, the company was sold to Reynard Coaches in 1985, and following bus deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...

 it introduced competing services in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...

, Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...

 and York. Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport acquired the company in 1990, but sold it to Durham Travel Services (DTS) in 1993. The Pullman name was retained through every sale but finally disappeared in 2000 when DTS sold its Yorkshire operations to FirstGroup.

In 2007 Rufforth-based K&J Logistics, a haulage firm with a bus operating division formed in 2001 by former York Pullman employee Tom James, revived the name for use on its excursion program and open-top tour of York. It later moved into scheduled service bus operation and school bus provision, and the name is now used on the company's fleet of 40 buses. Services operated include a subsidised service to the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

, the introduction of which prompted a competitive response from First York
First York
First York is the largest bus operator in York, England. It is part of First Group, a major bus and train operator with a turnover of nearly £2.5 billion a year and 62,000 employees across the UK and North America...

, which also serves the University. Pullman also operates four Sunday services on the DalesBus network.

Original company (1926-2000)

York Pullman was founded in 1926 as a partnership between Norman Pearce, who for the preceding six years had operated a service between York and Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire
Stamford Bridge is a village and civil parish on the River Derwent in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately east of York.-Location and history:The village sits astride an ancient ford on the River Derwent....

, and Hartas Foxton. Its name and livery of maroon, cream and yellow was derived from the luxury Pullman train
Pullman train (UK)
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...

 carriages in use at the time.

In January 1930 Pearce left the company and Foxton became its sole owner, a position he retained until his death thirty years later. In 1938 Pullman opened a new depot in York's Navigation Road to complement its three existing sites, which were no longer large enough to hold the company's fleet. One of these garages, Piccadilly in York, was used by the government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. In 1951 the company moved its headquarters to Bootham Tower.

Pullman continued to expand, and by the 1970s was carrying over one million passengers each year. In 1974 its fleet had increased to 30 vehicles and it was the largest operator of tours and excursions in York, with a small number of local bus services also operated. Coach services were deregulated in October 1980; Pullman introduced a service between York and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in conjunction with Epsom Coaches
Epsom Coaches
Epsom Coaches is a coach operator in the United Kingdom, based in the Surrey town of Epsom. The coach business was established in the 1920s and has prided itself on being one of the best coach operators in the UK. It operates a luxury fleet of mostly Setra coaches, and provides a number of tours...

, but this proved unsuccessful and was quickly withdrawn. The Foxton family, which had retained control of the firm after Hartas Foxton's death in 1960, sold York Pullman to Reynard Coaches in January 1985.

The newly enlarged company, now owned by John and David Marsh, was renamed to Reynard Pullman. Following the deregulation of bus services in October 1986, new services were introduced in competition with established operators. By 1988 the fleet stood at 47 vehicles, the majority of which were used on scheduled services in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...

, Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...

 and York, in the latter case in competition with York City & District. The expansion proved short-lived, with the York Pullman name and 20 coaches sold to municipal operator Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport (KHCT) in February 1990. Later in the same year Reynard itself was acquired by Yorkshire Rider
Yorkshire Rider
-History:Yorkshire Rider was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The West Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arm's length operating company was created. In 1988 the undertaking became fully privatised when it was subject to an...

, which also took over York City & District to end competition in York.

KHCT began to face increased competition on its core network in the 1990s, and in 1993 it was decided to privatise the company. In readiness for this coaching activities were reduced, and York Pullman was sold to Durham Travel Services (DTS) early in the year. DTS expanded its operations to include school buses, open-top tours and contracted bus services, but in February 2000 sold its York operations to FirstGroup, who had earlier acquired Yorkshire Rider and were the dominant operator in the city. The York Pullman name was abandoned, and the office at Bootham Tower closed in October 2002, breaking the last link with the original company. A small proportion of Pullman's older vehicles have entered preservation
Bus preservation in the United Kingdom
In common with cars and trucks, preservation of buses in the United Kingdom is a hobby activity enjoyed by many people, both actively or passively. The active preservation and operation of preserved buses is undertaken by private individuals, organised trusts or societies, and even commercial...

.

Revival (2007-present)

K&J Logistics, a haulage firm which also operated a small number of buses, was formed in 2001 with a depot in Rufforth
Rufforth
Rufforth is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies about west of York. The village is mentioned in the "Domesday Book" and dates from Saxon times....

. Its managing director, Tom James, had worked for York Pullman during the 1980s. In 2007 the former Pullman office at Bootham Tower became available for lease. K&J moved into the office and decided to revive the Pullman name, which was no longer registered by an existing company. K&J also reopened the former booking office in York's Exhibition Square and acquired the original company's telephone number. Ten vehicles were initially painted into Pullman livery, and were first used in April 2007.

To coincide with the reintroduction of the name, the company introduced a sightseeing tour of York using open-top buses in addition to coach hire and excursion work. In October 2009 Pullman's school bus services to Fulford School
Fulford School
Fulford School is a comprehensive school and a Maths and Computing College on Fulfordgate near Heslington Lane in Fulford, York, England.-History:It was founded in 1963 and has been a comprehensive school since 1970...

 was used by City of York Council to trial a texting service designed to prevent bullying on school buses.

In April 2009 it was reported that a Durham County Council employee, Richard Startup, had worked for York Pullman as a consultant, leading to a complaint from an unnamed rival operator. Startup later became the company's commercial manager.

In late September 2010 a new route between York city centre and the two campuses used by the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

 was introduced. Branded as Unibus, the service was subsidised by the University, who stated that First York had declined to extend its existing service 4 to serve the newly-opened campus at Heslington East. In response to the new route's introduction First extended route 4 to Heslington East in competition with Pullman's route and reduced its fares on the route.

A York Pullman bus became stuck in a ditch while operating route 36 in Melbourne
Melbourne, East Riding of Yorkshire
Melbourne is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Market Weighton and south west of the market town of Pocklington. It lies just to the south of the Pocklington Canal...

 in October 2010. In April 2011 another vehicle caught fire after its engine overheated while working a service to Manor C of E School on the A1237 road in April 2011, but pupils were quickly evacuated by the driver and there were no injuries. The company stepped in to replace two journeys withdrawn by East Yorkshire Motor Services
East Yorkshire Motor Services
East Yorkshire Motor Services is a large bus and coach operator which operates throughout Kingston upon Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the North Yorkshire coast and the North York Moors. In and around Scarborough, EYMS operates as Scarborough & District Motor Services...

 on their route 195 in September 2011, taking over their operation as route X36 on a short-term contract.

Operations

In addition to its coach hire, excursion and open-top tour operations, York Pullman operates six local bus routes:
  • 10: Nether Poppleton
    Nether Poppleton
    Nether Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated by the West bank of the River Ouse adjacent to Upper Poppleton, and west of York close to the A59 road from York to Harrogate...

     - Stamford Bridge
    Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire
    Stamford Bridge is a village and civil parish on the River Derwent in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately east of York.-Location and history:The village sits astride an ancient ford on the River Derwent....

  • 35/X35: York
    York
    York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

     - Wheldrake
    Wheldrake
    Wheldrake is a village and civil parish located south-east of York. Administratively it is in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England....

     - Holme-on-Spalding-Moor
    Holme-on-Spalding-Moor
    Holme-on-Spalding-Moor is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north east of Howden and south west of Market Weighton...

     (branded The Holme Run)
  • 36: York - Wheldrake - Elvington
    Elvington, City of York
    Elvington is a village and civil parish situated approximately south-east of York, England, on the B1228 York-Howden road. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,212...

     (branded The Village Link)
  • X36: York - Elvington - Pocklington
    Pocklington
    Pocklington is a small market town and civil parish situated at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately east of York....

  • X44: York railway station
    York railway station
    York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...

     - University of York
    University of York
    The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

     (branded Unibus)
  • 197: York - York Racecourse
    York Racecourse
    York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...

     (race days only)


The company also operates four summer Sunday routes as part of the DalesBus network of routes in the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...

:
  • 800: York - Leeds
    Leeds
    Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

     - Ilkley
    Ilkley
    Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...

     - Bolton Abbey
    Bolton Abbey
    Bolton Abbey is the estate within which is located the ruined 12th-century Augustinian Bolton Priory in North Yorkshire, England. It gives its name to the parish of Bolton Abbey.-Bolton Priory:...

     - Grassington
    Grassington
    Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England.The town is situated in Wharfedale around from Bolton Abbey and is surrounded by limestone scenery...

     - Kettlewell
    Kettlewell
    Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. It lies between the villages of Grassington, Kilnsey and Conistone to the south, Starbotton to the north west, the hamlet of Horsehouse to the north east, and later on Coverdale...

     - Aysgarth
    Aysgarth
    Aysgarth is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale, in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, about sixteen miles south-west from Richmond...

     - Hawes
    Hawes
    Hawes is a small market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, being granted its market charter in 1699...

     (branded Yorkshire Dalesman)
  • 812: York - Boroughbridge
    Boroughbridge
    Boroughbridge is a small town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York. Until its bypass was built, it was on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh...

     - Ripon
    Ripon
    Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...

     - Fountains Abbey
    Fountains Abbey
    Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...

     - Pateley Bridge
    Pateley Bridge
    Pateley Bridge is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd.It has the oldest sweet shop in England and is the home of the Nidderdale Museum....

     - Grassington (branded Fountains Flyer)
  • 820: Wetherby
    Wetherby
    Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...

     - Leeds - Otley
    Otley
    -Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...

     - Pateley Bridge - Fountains Abbey - Ripon - Masham
    Masham
    Masham is a small market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,235. Situated in Wensleydale on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa. The Romans had...

     - Leyburn
    Leyburn
    Leyburn is a busy market town and civil parish in the borough of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically within the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley' or 'Le' , and 'burn' , meaning clearing by the...

     - Richmond
    Richmond, North Yorkshire
    Richmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...

     (branded Eastern Dalesman)
  • 883: York - Knaresborough
    Knaresborough
    Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...

     - Harrogate
    Harrogate
    Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...

     - Ilkley - 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...

     - Malham
    Malham
    Malham is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales with a population of approximately 150. The surrounding countryside is well known for its limestone pavements and other examples of limestone scenery...

     (branded Cravenlink)


Pullman also operate some journeys on summer Sunday DalesBus routes 856 (Northallerton
Northallerton
Northallerton is an affluent market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...

 - Leyburn - Hawes) and 884 (Ilkley - Skipton - Malham)

Fleet

The original York Pullman company used a variety of types over the course of its existence. Prominent models operated included the AEC Regal III single-decker and AEC Regent III
AEC Regent III
The AEC Regent III was a type of double-decker bus chassis manufactured by AEC.It was mainly built for operation outside London and overseas. It could be fitted with AEC's 9.6-litre diesel engine , 'Wilson' preselective epicyclic gearbox The AEC Regent III (also known as Regent 3 or Regent Mark...

 double-decker; examples of both have been preserved.

K&J Logistics operated 30 vehicles at the time that it adopted the Pullman name. Ten were painted into Pullman colours, including six coaches (five Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...

s and a Scania K114
Scania K114
The Scania K114 is a rear-engined bus built by Scania of Sweden with an 11-litre engine.It could be built as a coach or an intercity bus ....

), three open-top double-deckers (a 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:...

, a Leyland Titan
Leyland Titan (B15)
The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport.-Development:...

 and a 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:...

) and a minibus. These buses were given fleet numbers beginning at 195, preserving the numbering system used by the original company prior to 2000.

The York Pullman fleet now includes several types of coach, low-floor buses for local routes, and an open-top AEC Routemaster. Several Leyland Tiger
Leyland Tiger
The Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis which was built between 1981 and 1993. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1920s and 1950s. It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years...

 single-deckers were acquired from Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus
Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink , which also includes Northern Ireland Railways, Metro Belfast and Flexibus.-Services:Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus...

in 2010.

External links

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