Burnley & Pendle
Encyclopedia
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
. Burnley & Pendle is a subsidiary of the Transdev Group
, but has its roots as a former municipal bus company
.
became managing director of what was then the bus company with the worst service record and industrial relations, but after turning a £1million loss to a £1million profit he returned to London to join London Regional Transport
.
In 1988 Stagecoach
bought Ribble, and soon started buying up companies in Ribble territory. In 1996 Pendle Council put its share up for sale after much fighting. GM Buses (North)
and Preston Bus
both put in strong bids, but Stagecoach beat them both. The deal was finished by the end of January. Burnley Council was livid, and stated strongly it would never sell its share.
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. It eventually took a massive U-turn and sold its share to Stagecoach. Although most buses were rebranded as Stagecoach Ribble, many buses had Stagecoach Burnley and Pendle logos.
In November 2001 Stagecoach sold its failing East Lancashire operations to the Blazefield Group
. Soon two companies were formed. What had been Burnley and Pendle once again became Burnley and Pendle while the former Ribble services became Lancashire United
. Blazefield has made a number of improvements, including replacing many of the Stagecoach buses - which were relatively old - with new Blazefield-standard buses, these originally being Wright
bodied single deckers.
On 4 January 2006 Blazefield was sold to Transdev. Transdev has since added Blackburn Transport
and Northern Blue (also based in Burnley) to its portfolio of East Lancashire companies.
of Burnley and Accrington Transport, the company inherited a further batch of 65 buses to their fleet. From 1 September 2009, Transdev Northern Blue was merged into the operations of Burnley and Pendle.
The company operates bus services towards Accrington
, Bury
, Clitheroe
, Colne
, Keighley
, Manchester
, Nelson
, Padiham
, Rawtenstall
and Todmorden
from its Burnley
base. Connections to Preston is also available from Burnley and Pendle's sister company, Lancashire United
, on service 152. In 2004 the company introduced the high quality route “The Witch Way
”, which is separately marketed.
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 and Pendle Travel. These include several Blackburn Transport school services and all of Northern Blue's operations.
The Witch Way
From 30 October 2011
although Burnley & Pendle's buses can now be seen in a wide variety of liveries.
These include:
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 within the boroughs of Burnley
Burnley (borough)
Burnley is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a non-metropolitan district and borough. It has an area of and a population of , and is named for its largest town, Burnley. The borough is bounded by Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Pendle, Rossendale — all in Lancashire...
and Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
, and into the surrounding areas including 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...
, Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
and the high profile express service to 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...
. Burnley & Pendle is a subsidiary of the 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...
, but has its roots as a former municipal bus company
Municipal bus companies
A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom....
.
History
The Burnley, Colne and Nelson Joint Board was set up in 1933 to merge the three municipals of those towns, comprising at that time of both tramway and bus operations. The thirties were the twilight years for tramway operation, and the tramways were progressively abandoned, closing completely in 1935. "Burnley buses" continued to operate the old tramway routes, however, including penetration of the nearby towns of Padiham, Nelson and Colne. The undertaking provided a brisk and reliable service on these and other routes throughout the war years and the following decades. In 1974, upon Local Government Reorganisation, the surviving bus operation was renamed Burnley and Pendle, jointly owned by Burnley Council and Pendle Borough Council. In 1986 Keith LudemanKeith Ludeman
Keith Ludeman , was the CEO of the Go-Ahead Group plc and is now a Non-Executive Director.-Early life:Ludeman was educated at Bromley Technical High School for Boys on Oakley Road in Keston, and then undertook a BA in Geography at Newcastle University...
became managing director of what was then the bus company with the worst service record and industrial relations, but after turning a £1million loss to a £1million profit he returned to London to join London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
.
In 1988 Stagecoach
Stagecoach 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...
bought Ribble, and soon started buying up companies in Ribble territory. In 1996 Pendle Council put its share up for sale after much fighting. GM Buses (North)
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
and Preston Bus
Preston Bus
Preston Bus is a bus operator running within the city of Preston, England and into the surrounding area. In 2009, it was acquired by the Stagecoach Group and was rebranded Stagecoach in Preston, before they were subsequently ordered to sell the company as a result of competition concerns...
both put in strong bids, but Stagecoach beat them both. The deal was finished by the end of January. Burnley Council was livid, and stated strongly it would never sell its share.
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. It eventually took a massive U-turn and sold its share to Stagecoach. Although most buses were rebranded as Stagecoach Ribble, many buses had Stagecoach Burnley and Pendle logos.
In November 2001 Stagecoach sold its failing East Lancashire operations 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:...
. Soon two companies were formed. What had been Burnley and Pendle once again became Burnley and Pendle while the former Ribble services became Lancashire United
Lancashire United
Transdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
. Blazefield has made a number of improvements, including replacing many of the Stagecoach buses - which were relatively old - with new Blazefield-standard buses, these originally being Wright
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 single deckers.
On 4 January 2006 Blazefield was sold to Transdev. Transdev has since added 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:...
and Northern Blue (also based in Burnley) to its portfolio of East Lancashire companies.
Acquisition of Northern Blue
On 5 August 2007, Blazefield acquired the businesses of Northern BlueNorthern 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...
of Burnley and Accrington Transport, the company inherited a further batch of 65 buses to their fleet. From 1 September 2009, Transdev Northern Blue was merged into the operations of Burnley and Pendle.
Services and operations
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...
, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, 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...
, Colne
Colne
Colne is the second largest town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 20,118. It lies at the eastern end of the M65, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, with Nelson immediately adjacent, in the Aire Gap with two main roads leading into the Yorkshire...
, Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, 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...
, Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, Padiham
Padiham
Padiham is a small town and civil parish on the River Calder, about west of Burnley and south of Pendle Hill, in Lancashire, England. It is part of the Borough of Burnley but also has its own town council with varied powers.-History:...
, Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster...
and Todmorden
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
from its Burnley
Burnley bus station
Burnley Bus Station serves the town of Burnley, Lancashire, England. The bus station was funded by both the Lancashire County Council and Burnley Borough Council. The station was re-built in 2002 at a cost of £3m and consists of 11 stands, a travel centre and electronic passenger boards...
base. Connections to Preston is also available from Burnley and Pendle's sister company, Lancashire United
Lancashire United
Transdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
, on service 152. In 2004 the company introduced the high quality route “The Witch Way
The Witch Way
The Witch Way is the current name for the long-standing bus route X43, which runs between Manchester and Nelson, England. The service is currently operated by Transdev Burnley & Pendle.The route has operated continuously since 1948...
”, which is separately marketed.
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 and Pendle Travel. These include several Blackburn Transport school services and all of Northern Blue's operations.
Starship routes
| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stoops Estate - Bus Station - Pike Hill - Mereclough - Todmorden |
| 1A | Bus Station - Pike Hill - Worsthorne - Brownhill - Bus Station |
| 1B | Bus Station - Stoops Estate - Bleak House - Bus Station |
| 2 | Worsthorne - Brownhill - Bus Station - Browhead - Hospital - Marsden Cross - Nelson - Higherford |
| 4 | Harle Syke - Hospital - Bus Station - Sycamore Avenue - Rose Grove - Accrington Road |
| 5 | Harle Syke - Hospital - Bus Station - Accrington Road - Rose Grove - Sycamore Avenue |
| 6 | Bus Station - Summit - Bleak House |
| 6B | Bus Station - Bleak House - Stoops Estate - Bus Station |
| 8 | Burnley - Towneley - Weir - Bacup - Rawtenstall - Bury |
| 9 | Burnley - Accrington |
| B1 & B2 | Barnoldswick Town Services |
| X8 | Burnley - Towneley - Weir - Bacup - Rawtenstall - Edenfield - Bowker Vale - Manchester Shudehill |
The Mainline
All Mainline buses operate between Padiham, Burnley, Nelson and Colne then continue to the following destinations.| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| 20 | Burnley - Padiham - Memorial Park - Shuttleworth Mead - Altham Business Park |
| 21 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Trawden |
| 22 | Burnley - Padiham Slade Lane |
| 23 | Burnley - Padiham - Accrington |
| 24 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne |
| 25 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Keighley |
| 26 | Burnley - Padiham - Whalley - Clitheroe |
| 27 | Burnley - Padiham - Sabden - Whalley - Clitheroe |
| 28 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Earby - Barnoldswick - Skipton |
| 29 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Barnoldswick - Skipton |
| 30 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Earby - Skipton |
| 872 | Burnley - Nelson - Colne - Barnoldswick - Skipton - Grassington |
The Witch WayThe Witch WayThe Witch Way is the current name for the long-standing bus route X43, which runs between Manchester and Nelson, England. The service is currently operated by Transdev Burnley & Pendle.The route has operated continuously since 1948...
| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| X43 | Nelson Nelson, Lancashire Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.... - 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.... - Rawtenstall Rawtenstall Rawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster... - 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... Chorlton Street |
Asda Buses
| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| Asda | Burnley from various local locations |
Current fleet
Burnley and Pendle's fleet includes:| Type | Body | Image | Number | Notes | |
| Single deck vehicles | |||||
| Dennis Super Dart | Plaxton/TransBus Pointer | 1 |  |
This bus is used as a Training vehicle and wears a white, blue and yellow livery for Blazefields Eclipse Driver Training | |
| Optare Solo M850 | Optare | 2 | |
||
| 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.... |
Optare Optare Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec.... |
 |
19 | |
For use on Burnley local services under the Starship brand and wear a two tone orange livery. |
| Volvo B6-50 | Alexander Dash | 8 |  |
||
| Volvo B7RLE | Wrightbus Eclipse 2 |  |
19 | |
These buses operate the Mainline Route and wear a two tone red livery for this service. |
| 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.... |
18 | |
11 of the best of these operate The Mainline and wear a two tone red livery for this service. Others are still in the old style Burnley & Pendle livery. | |
| Volvo B10B-58 | Alexander Strider | 4 | |
||
| Volvo B10M-62 | Plaxton Paragon | 1 | |
||
| Double deck vehicles | |||||
| 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 Royale | 1 | |
This bus wears yellow school bus livery. Ex-Northern Blue | |
| 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 | 3 | |
||
| 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 Eclipse Gemini Wright Eclipse Gemini The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom.... |
|
15 | |
These Buses are in the red, black and silver Witch Way livery. |
| Scania N113DRB | Alexander RH | 3 | |
||
| Scania N112DH | Alexander RH | 2 | |
||
| Leyland Olympian | Northern Counties | 1 | |
||
| Leyland Olympian | Alexander RL | 1 | |
This bus wears a variation of the Starship livery | |
| Leyland Olympian | East Lancashire | |
|||
| Leyland Olympian | Eastern Coachworks | 3 | |
||
Liveries
Burnley & Pendle's buses were originally recognised by the distinctive red and cream liveryLivery
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...
although Burnley & Pendle's buses can now be seen in a wide variety of liveries.
These include:
- Starship - Orange and yellow with Starship branding.
- The Witch Way - Predominantly black with red silver stripes and a distinctive silhouette of a Pendle Witch on each side. Each bus running The Witch Way is named after a Pendle Witch, with the 15th bus being named after the judge who sent many of them to the gallows.
- The Mainline - Deep crimson and red with Mainline branding.
- Eclipse Driver Training - Predominantly white with blue and yellow stripes.
Awards
- In 2003 Burnley & Pendle was joint runner up of the BIA Bus Operator of the Year Award in 2003 with sister company Lancashire United.
- In 2006 Burnley and Pendle won the Viacom Outdoor Marketing Campaign of the Year award at the UK Bus Awards in recognition of the work done in 2005 to relaunch the X43 service, where they introduced luxury twin deck vehicles, fitted throughout with leather seats, under the new brand The Witch Way.
- On 3 March 2011 Burnley and Pendle received the prestigious safety award, the team at the Queensgate depot were presented with a commemorative plaque during a special ceremony.
See also
- Lancashire UnitedLancashire UnitedTransdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
- 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....
- Transdev YorkTransdev YorkTransdev York is one of seven companies within the Blazefield Group. Blazefield is owned by Transdev, a large French transport operator and the sixth largest bus operator in the UK.-History:...
- 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....
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom