Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire

[Mollman]

Yes, the Lancaster - Knott End - Fleetwood services were run from there until around ten years ago, presumably other services as well. No idea where it was though.
There was an outstation shed at Garstang as well - I think that just about survived into the Stagecoach era - it was on the south of the town centre near the bridge

Stagecoach and before that Ribble had a significant number of routes around the Fleetwood area. Transpora's 24 replaced the last major service which was the 84 when Fleetwood depot closed

 

[Strathtay 260]

19161 back out for this season. Been out on the 599 today.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yes. Sidings Road Fleetwood which closed c2016 from memory. Prior to Stagecoach ownership there was a depot on Talbot Road Blackpool (now Savoy Timber)

Sidings Road was an open compound that was an outstation of Lancaster IIRC. It replaced Birch Street in 1991 with most big bus work moving to Lancaster and Preston.

That said, Birch Street took on some of the Talbot Road work so for a while, it had an overflow in the docks but then consistently lost work to Fylde and Blackpool.

 

[Leedsbusman]

Sidings Road was an open compound that was an outstation of Lancaster IIRC. It replaced Birch Street in 1991 with most big bus work moving to Lancaster and Preston.

That said, Birch Street took on some of the Talbot Road work so for a while, it had an overflow in the docks but then consistently lost work to Fylde and Blackpool.

I don’t recall it being an outstation of Lancaster. Certainly in Jan 97 it had its own allocation of six Olympians 4 B6s and 11 minis then Lancaster moved to be part of Cumberland later in the year. By 2011 it was an outstation of Preston in both cases taken from company fleet cards.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I don’t recall it being an outstation of Lancaster. Certainly in Jan 97 it had its own allocation of six Olympians 4 B6s and 11 minis then Lancaster moved to be part of Cumberland later in the year. By 2011 it was an outstation of Preston in both cases taken from company fleet cards.

Hmmm.... I think you might be right. I think it had a limited maintenance facility for minibuses but perhaps I'm misremembering that they had to rely on a larger depot (Lancaster or Preston) to do maintenance on the B10Ms and Olympians.

 

[mangad]

19161 back out for this season. Been out on the 599 today.

And if bustimes's tracking is to be believed, it had one day out and has had to have a bit of a rest.

 

[Strathtay 260]

And if bustimes's tracking is to be believed, it had one day out and has had to have a bit of a rest.

Bustimes’s tracking is not to be believed. It was out yesterday, and I’d assume also today.

 

[Ballyheigue]

I'm not sure this Sunday service is going to work as it misses out Kirkby Stephen Station due to time restrictions, but Westmoreland and Furness Council are going to fund a Sunday service on the Kirkby Stephen to Penrith 563 route, I've attached the timetable below.

https://www.dalesbus.org/uploads/1/1/3/9/113919127/563.pdf

Hopefully the screenshot will also work

 

[Leedsbusman]

I'm not sure this Sunday service is going to work as it misses out Kirkby Stephen Station due to time restrictions, but Westmoreland and Furness Council are going to fund a Sunday service on the Kirkby Stephen to Penrith 563 route, I've attached the timetable below.

https://www.dalesbus.org/uploads/1/1/3/9/113919127/563.pdf

Hopefully the screenshot will also work

View attachment 205887

Is the one stop it doesn’t serve significantly busier than all the others?

 

[stevieinselby]

With a 59 minute layover at Penrith, it does seem a shame they couldn't have taken 5 minutes out of that to extend it to Kirkby Stephen station – and it looks as though if it did then the first and last journeys would connect nicely with trains to/from Settle – but it's quite a way from the station down to the town so even if people were willing to walk then they might be cutting it fine.

 

[Megafuss]

With a 59 minute layover at Penrith, it does seem a shame they couldn't have taken 5 minutes out of that to extend it to Kirkby Stephen station – and it looks as though if it did then the first and last journeys would connect nicely with trains to/from Settle – but it's quite a way from the station down to the town so even if people were willing to walk then they might be cutting it fine.

Wonder if Penrith drivers needs to take breaks at the yard rather than the Bus Station? So about an additional 10 minutes x 4

It's the only logical reason

 

[Tetchytyke]

I'm not sure this Sunday service is going to work as it misses out Kirkby Stephen Station due to time restrictions

I don’t see why that would make any difference at all, even if it did run up to the station it wouldn’t connect with anything.

 

[Ballyheigue]

I don’t see why that would make any difference at all, even if it did run up to the station it wouldn’t connect with anything.

The first journey would connect with trains to Leeds making inter train/bus train travel from the Eden Valley viable and there would be a reasonable connection from Leeds onto the last bus towards Penrith with around an hours wait.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The first journey would connect with trains to Leeds making inter train/bus train travel from the Eden Valley viable and there would be a reasonable connection from Leeds onto the last bus towards Penrith with around an hours wait.

Would the provision of the Sunday service be to get people into the Eden Valley?

 

[stevieinselby]

Would the provision of the Sunday service be to get people into the Eden Valley?

No, the connections (based on the current timetables) would allow people from the Penrith area to connect onto trains towards Settle and Skipton and for connecting Dalesbus services to places across the Yorkshire Dales.

Although looking again, in most cases they would be able to do that at Appleby, albeit with a short walk to the station as the buses don't run that way.

 

[Ballyheigue]

No, the connections (based on the current timetables) would allow people from the Penrith area to connect onto trains towards Settle and Skipton and for connecting Dalesbus services to places across the Yorkshire Dales.

Although looking again, in most cases they would be able to do that at Appleby, albeit with a short walk to the station as the buses don't run that way.

I'll add a bit more in that there isn't really anything of attraction in the Eden Valley to justify funding a Sunday bus to get people into the Eden Valley from the Penrith area. All there is to do is a few walks, visit a small vintage railway, go into the odd shop that might be open or a pub in Kirkby Stephen, look round a handful of villages with nothing much to do in them except admire the scenery, the odd church, pub, building etc.

There is a justification perhaps to fund a bus for residents to access Penrith from the Eden Valley as Penrith does at least have train connections on the West Coast mainline for Lancaster and bus connections for the Lake District, it also has a large Sainsburys too. What's really needed is that link up to Kirkby Stephen station so the bus can serve more purposes making it more viable.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I'll add a bit more in that there isn't really anything of attraction in the Eden Valley to justify funding a Sunday bus to get people into the Eden Valley from the Penrith area. All there is to do is a few walks, visit a small vintage railway, go into the odd shop that might be open or a pub in Kirkby Stephen, look round a handful of villages with nothing much to do in them except admire the scenery, the odd church, pub, building etc.

There is a justification perhaps to fund a bus for residents to access Penrith from the Eden Valley as Penrith does at least have train connections on the West Coast mainline for Lancaster and bus connections for the Lake District, it also has a large Sainsburys too. What's really needed is that link up to Kirkby Stephen station so the bus can serve more purposes making it more viable.

Is it about train connections or meeting a local need? Even if good connections were available into or from trains, at Penrith, Appleby or Kirkby Stephen (or all three) how many people would actually do that. At such a low frequency it will only ever 'fit where it touches'.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is it about train connections or meeting a local need? Even if good connections were available into or from trains, at Penrith, Appleby or Kirkby Stephen (or all three) how many people would actually do that. At such a low frequency it will only ever 'fit where it touches'.

May well be the case. I thought it could be for walkers doing various North Pennine walks.

Certainly, not extending at one end to KS station suggests rail isnt the main consideration.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The first journey would connect with trains to Leeds making inter train/bus train travel from the Eden Valley viable and there would be a reasonable connection from Leeds onto the last bus towards Penrith with around an hours wait.

Nobody- and I mean nobody- is going to stand at Kirkby Stephen station for an hour to wait for a bus.

The traffic, such as it is on a Sunday, is going to be from people in Kirkby Stephen, Brough, and Appleby going into Penrith.

At such a low frequency it will only ever 'fit where it touches'.

Both the bus and the train services are, certainly on a Sunday, rural services at a very low frequency. Unless you build the bus timetable based on the train times at Kirkby Stephen then any connections are going to be purely accidental and there's no point running the bus up the hill for that. And having the service dictated by the trains at Kirkby Stephen would, in my opinion, really be about the tail wagging the dog.

It's a very different situation to the buses at Garsdale which are designed to connect to the trains. Those buses' purpose is to take tourists to Hawes.

 

[Ballyheigue]

Nobody- and I mean nobody- is going to stand at Kirkby Stephen station for an hour to wait for a bus.

The traffic, such as it is on a Sunday, is going to be from people in Kirkby Stephen, Brough, and Appleby going into Penrith.


Both the bus and the train services are, certainly on a Sunday, rural services at a very low frequency. Unless you build the bus timetable based on the train times at Kirkby Stephen then any connections are going to be purely accidental and there's no point running the bus up the hill for that. And having the service dictated by the trains at Kirkby Stephen would, in my opinion, really be about the tail wagging the dog.

It's a very different situation to the buses at Garsdale which are designed to connect to the trains. Those buses' purpose is to take tourists to Hawes.

Depends on the weather but there is a decent waiting room there I think. If the weather is alright and I lived at the far end of Kirkby Stephen and beyond, I'd wait an hour rather than get a taxi.

 

[mangad]

Last year saw the launch of new July/August weekend service between Ambleside and Little Langdale. One little mini-bus setting off from Ambleside every 50 minutes, running 8 journeys a day.

This year they've decided to change it so that now extends to Coniston, although with a frequency reduction so it's only running every 90 minutes. It takes a different route to the 505, and mostly compliments it. But the last 517 is timed to leave at 16:55 at the exact same time as a 505! Total journey time for the two is very similar thanks to (apart from the detour to Little Langdale) the 517 takes the more direct route down the A593.

Timetable's all up on bustimes.org

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Nobody- and I mean nobody- is going to stand at Kirkby Stephen station for an hour to wait for a bus.

The traffic, such as it is on a Sunday, is going to be from people in Kirkby Stephen, Brough, and Appleby going into Penrith.

Tend to agree on both points.

In fact, I do question how good a use of funds it is. Patronage on a weekday will be pretty sparse but on a Sunday...?

 

[Tetchytyke]

In fact, I do question how good a use of funds it is. Patronage on a weekday will be pretty sparse but on a Sunday...?

Hard to tell. As it is run out-and-back from Penrith it does actually work quite well for people going walking in the upper Eden Valley as well as people from the upper Eden Valley going to the supermarket in Penrith.

But when you consider that Sedbergh doesn't have a proper bus service at all, it seems an odd choice of subsidy.

 

[route101]

I took the X7 and 7 from Whitehaven to Barrow. Wasn't quite clear before hand but you have to change buses in Millom and buy a new ticket.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I took the X7 and 7 from Whitehaven to Barrow. Wasn't quite clear before hand but you have to change buses in Millom and buy a new ticket.

Roger French mentioned this on a recent blog of his

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I took the X7 and 7 from Whitehaven to Barrow. Wasn't quite clear before hand but you have to change buses in Millom and buy a new ticket.

It could be worse, you could have to spend time in Millom between buses!

 

[route101]

It could be worse, you could have to spend time in Millom between buses!

Been in far worse places. The X7 is operated by Barrow Depot, so I wonder if the driver goes on Break at Millom and you have to change t0 a 7 to Barrow.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

According to the timetable it states ' same bus no need to change' at Millom. That is the case at Ravenglass.

 

[Pinus contorta]

It could be worse, you could have to spend time in Millom between buses!

Not all that pleasant having to spend time in millom ( apart from in a heatwave) if I recall they removed the one remaining bus shelter in the town when the last cull of bus services took place several years ago.

Millom must be the only Town i can think of that doesnt have any bus shelters. (Unless you count the ones on the railway platforms).

Maybe we could start a trivia question - try to think of any other towns with no bus shelters??

 

[Acathater]

Overheard a conversation today which seemed to indicate Morecambe are scheduled to get electric buses next year
No guarantees it's for real, but sounded promising

 

[ScottGallagher]

Not all that pleasant having to spend time in millom ( apart from in a heatwave) if I recall they removed the one remaining bus shelter in the town when the last cull of bus services took place several years ago.

Millom must be the only Town i can think of that doesnt have any bus shelters. (Unless you count the ones on the railway platforms).

Maybe we could start a trivia question - try to think of any other towns with no bus shelters??

Millom Market square is meant to be getting a facelift so one might now be put back ! I understand theres now a new sports bar by the station (former hotel which has been closed for years)