Transdev and Skipton

[overthewater]

I wish to ask if anyone can fill in a few gaps in whats going on in and around Skipton.

The last time I looked Pennine buses stopped running, because Transdev had a bus every 15mins to the Burnley, on the Mainline route, I can't remember which way it want.

580 (Settle – Skipton), was partly replace with Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire and an awful 16 seater mini bus from the council before it was fully replaced by hourly 580/581.

Keighley bus was once an hour?

Move on a few years the Mainline route gone and has been replaced by X43 but on a 30min service and the Keighley is now also every 30mins.

When did it all change?

 

[Woody91]

The X43 was extended to Skipton just over a year ago, replacing all "Mainline" journeys between Barnoldswick & Skipton, with Mainline continuing to run Barnoldswick to Burnley with simplified route numbers.

66 to Keighley was half hourly for many years, was increased to every 20 minutes, and then dropped back to half hourly when relaunched as "Dalesway"

NYCC continue to provide replacements for the remaining Pennine "town" routes to Carleton, Embsay & Horse Close, and as you mentioned, Kirkby Lonsdale provide the 580 route across to Settle, and beyond.

 

[overthewater]

Cheers for that. So all that Transdev run the competition off the route, then replaced the service.

 

[Andyh82]

It wasn't every 15 mins when Pennine were still around, I think both ran every 30 mins at that point.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Cheers for that. So all that Transdev run the competition off the route, then replaced the service.

Not quite a simple as that.

Pennine were running (as they had done for many years) over the core bit of the Mainline from Barnoldswick and Earby through Colne and Nelson into Burnley. It was this that Transdev were more concerned about, not Skipton.

However, the old owner (Simpson - can't remember his first name) died a few years ago and management passed to the family. The other services had been struggling for a while and the combination of Transdev competing more vigorously and the derisory NYCC reimbursement for ENCTS saw them wind up the business and concentrate on more lucrative interests.

 

[Deerfold]

It wasn't every 15 mins when Pennine were still around, I think both ran every 30 mins at that point.

It was - Transdev increased to every 15 minutes to (roughly) replace the Pennine services.

66 was half-hourly for many years - I don't remember Keighley - Skipton having ever being less frequent. For a long time this was supplemented by the much slower 78A every hour - this has now changed operator and only runs a handful of journeys on part of the route.

Before that there was a bus every 20 minutes (666/7/8) but each took different detours off the main route.

 

[overthewater]

Cheers for the extra information.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

The Malham to Skipton workers journeys that Pennine ran haven't been replaced, only the "shopper" journeys have suvived.

 

[SCH117X]

Could have all been very different re services north west of Skipton. At round of tendering in 1991 Keighley & District won fifteen contracts in the Ingleton and Settle areas which would have operated from a new depot in Settle under the Craven & District fleetname. Four operators challenged the decision of NYCC (Hodder, Bibbys, Ingfield and H&H) as the contracts had been advertised for 7 not 14 days and the tender award was withdrawn. Blazefield had already ordered the 13 vehicles necessary and lodged a claim for their cost on NYCC. Source: Small is Beautiful - The story of the AJS Group and Blazefield Holdings Keith A Jenkinson Autobus Review Publications 1999 ISBN 0 907834 42 6

 

[Woody91]

Could have all been very different re services north west of Skipton. At round of tendering in 1991 Keighley & District won fifteen contracts in the Ingleton and Settle areas which would have operated from a new depot in Settle under the Craven & District fleetname. Four operators challenged the decision of NYCC (Hodder, Bibbys, Ingfield and H&H) as the contracts had been advertised for 7 not 14 days and the tender award was withdrawn. Blazefield had already ordered the 13 vehicles necessary and lodged a claim for their cost on NYCC. Source: Small is Beautiful - The story of the AJS Group and Blazefield Holdings Keith A Jenkinson Autobus Review Publications 1999 ISBN 0 907834 42 6

That could have been very interesting indeed! There again, I daresay there wouldn't be much of it left now in any case with Local Authority cutbacks!

 

[Solent&Wessex]

In the final few years of Pennine, there were 3 buses an hour on the Skipton - Colne corridor - 2 Transdev and 1 Pennine. Pennine ran an additional hourly service from Barnoldswick to Burnley. Pennine and at least 1 of the Transdev services also went via Earby.
Now, with just the X43 serving Skipton, there is no bus from Skipton to Earby at all.

The former Pennine routes to Embsay, Carleton and the Horse Close circular have no Saturday service at all and the midweek service starts later and finishes earlier than when Pennine ran it. They can no longer be used for anyone going to or from work or school in Skipton, or for those attending after school sports clubs etc.

The 580 actually now has a better Saturday service than the final years of Pennine, but the Monday to Friday service starts later and finishes earlier than in Pennine days, but not as bad as the NYCC operated services on the other routes.

Having moved to the area in 1992 and then used the various services for school and leisure I could write an essay on the services round Skipton, but I'll save that for later.

Does anyone remember what was my favourite service - 76 - operated by K&D as an NYCC tendered service until it finally disappeared around 1997 / 1998 ish? Or the short lived service 80 which appeared, I think (without digging out the box of old timetables) late 1990s, when NYCC had a rush of blood to the head and started a new service?