King Travel
Encyclopedia
Pilkingtons Buses is a bus company operating in the North West of England
. It was established in 1967.
Following the collapse of the original company in 2006, the new company was formed from the next generation of Pilkington's family members not long afterwards, and is one of numerous other companies run by Pilkington's Accrington Ltd. The livery is in a similar style to Pilkington's red and cream. The company were branded as King Travel for a brief period of time.
to Blackburn via Oswaldtwistle
, in frequent competition with Lancashire United
's routes 1, 6 and 7. Thus, services are not as frequent. They also operated route 20d, a direct service between Accrington and Blackburn, this service is withdrawn and now the company concentrate their services in Accrington.
In August 2007, the company started operating route 114 between Preston and Chorley
on behalf of Lancashire County Council
. This route was previously operated by Blue Bus of Penwortham
.
es. The fleet was made up predominantly of Leyland National
s, some of which were rebuilt as Greenways
by East Lancashire Coachbuilders
in the early 1990s. The company also operated a number of DAF
Optare Delta
s and Dennis Dart
s, as well as numerous double deck buses.
King Travel returned two of these vehicles to the road (2007/8) still carrying Pilkingtons fleetnames, while the other buses in the fleet are two S-reg Optare Excel
s from East Yorkshire Motor Services
. These two vehicles are route branded. Also operated are two Mercedes-Benz Vario
s on route 20d. One of these bus
es has route branding for the 20d, with the destinations it serves branded on the windows. These 2 nationals passed on to thompsons late 2008.The company also operated two modern low-floor Dennis Dart
midibus
es on route 114 with the brand name Pilkington's. In 2009, Pilkingtons began operating local service work in the form of tendered Saturday services, using ex-Arriva R812/814 RKO Metroriders in red with "Pilkington Buses" tradename.
In March 2010, Pilkington's started the number 3 Huncoat circular, then in July introduced 4 more Accrington town services when the company saw a gap in the market. School contracts have been awarded requiring 5 buses and thus more deckers have arrived. The 2 already owned have been refurbished and 3 ex-Stagecoach high-capacity 85 seaters have been acquired. An ex-Arriva Volvo D10M is being used, the latest four deckers are still in their old fleet colours but will be red and cream soon.
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...
. It was established in 1967.
Following the collapse of the original company in 2006, the new company was formed from the next generation of Pilkington's family members not long afterwards, and is one of numerous other companies run by Pilkington's Accrington Ltd. The livery is in a similar style to Pilkington's red and cream. The company were branded as King Travel for a brief period of time.
Routes
The company had operated route 20 from AccringtonAccrington
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...
to Blackburn via Oswaldtwistle
Oswaldtwistle
Oswaldtwistle is a town within the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies on the course of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, east-southeast of Blackburn and is contiguous to Accrington.-History:...
, in frequent competition with 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...
's routes 1, 6 and 7. Thus, services are not as frequent. They also operated route 20d, a direct service between Accrington and Blackburn, this service is withdrawn and now the company concentrate their services in Accrington.
In August 2007, the company started operating route 114 between Preston and 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...
on behalf of 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...
. This route was previously operated by Blue Bus of Penwortham
Blue Bus of Penwortham
Blue Bus is a bus operator based in Penwortham area of Preston in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire. It operates many routes, including services to Preston City Centre. The company is one of a diminishing number of independent bus companies running in England, many now part of larger...
.
| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| 3/3a | Accrington - Huncoat Circular |
| 4/4a | Accrington - Oswaldtwistle (Merlin Drive) |
| 5/5a/8/a | Accrington - Dill Hall - Church - Pendleton Avenue |
| 11 | Accrington - Fern Gore |
| 241 | Clitheroe - Whalley - Great Harwood - Rishton - Accrington - Green Haworth - Oswaldtwistle - Guide - Royal Blackburn Hospital (Certain journeys only) |
The fleet
Pilkington's Buses had most of their main-line commercial routes competing with municipal or council owned busBus
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...
es. The fleet was made up predominantly of 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, some of which were rebuilt as Greenways
East Lancs Greenway
The East Lancs Greenway, or National Greenway, is a type of bus which is rebuilt by East Lancashire Coachbuilders from a Leyland National single-deck bus.-History:...
by East Lancashire Coachbuilders
East Lancashire Coachbuilders
East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.In 1994 the company expanded in to new premises and commenced a programme of development that resulted in a range of single and double deck buses which was the...
in the early 1990s. The company also operated a number of DAF
DAF
-Science, nature and technology:* Decay accelerating factor, a protein involved in the complement system* Delayed auditory feedback, a device used to delay a person's voice to their own ear, which reduces stuttering and cluttering...
Optare Delta
Optare Delta
The Optare Delta is a single-decker bus body produced for the DAF SB220 chassis. They were built in a factory in Leeds. They are known for their distinctive sloping front window.-Production:...
s and 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, as well as numerous double deck buses.
King Travel returned two of these vehicles to the road (2007/8) still carrying Pilkingtons fleetnames, while the other buses in the fleet are two S-reg Optare Excel
Optare Excel
The Optare Excel is a low-floor full-size single-decker bus manufactured by Optare.Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear...
s from 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...
. These two vehicles are route branded. Also operated are two Mercedes-Benz Vario
Mercedes-Benz Vario
The Mercedes-Benz Vario is a heavy van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Originally launched as the T2 in 1986, the Vario gained its current name when it was facelifted in 1996. The T2 van itself succeeded the Mercedes-Benz L van series.The bodyshell remained relatively unchanged since production...
s on route 20d. One of these bus
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...
es has route branding for the 20d, with the destinations it serves branded on the windows. These 2 nationals passed on to thompsons late 2008.The company also operated two modern low-floor 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....
midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
es on route 114 with the brand name Pilkington's. In 2009, Pilkingtons began operating local service work in the form of tendered Saturday services, using ex-Arriva R812/814 RKO Metroriders in red with "Pilkington Buses" tradename.
In March 2010, Pilkington's started the number 3 Huncoat circular, then in July introduced 4 more Accrington town services when the company saw a gap in the market. School contracts have been awarded requiring 5 buses and thus more deckers have arrived. The 2 already owned have been refurbished and 3 ex-Stagecoach high-capacity 85 seaters have been acquired. An ex-Arriva Volvo D10M is being used, the latest four deckers are still in their old fleet colours but will be red and cream soon.