Utopia Coaches cease trading

[Bungle965]

https://twitter.com/utopia_coaches/status/900091621924098049

As from 00.01 hrs Wednesday 23rd August, Utopia Coaches will cease trading. No services will operate again from this time.

I believe this is the list of routes that they have ceased to operate.
Service 8 Selby to Drax.

Service 37 Tadcaster to York.

Service 420 Selby to York.

Service 422 Pontefract to York.

Service 424 Selby to Stockbridge.

Service 492 Pontefract to Tadcaster.

Service 493 Pontefract to Tadcaster.

Service 494 South Milford to Tadcaster.
Another independent bites the dust then, hope staff who have lost their jobs find work quickly.
Sam

 

[PermitToTravel]

Quite a long notice period for a bus operator! They actually hung around long enough to operate return services today and didn't strand anyone

 

[DaveHarries]

Their website is still live but says it is "under construction". Best wishes to the staff in finding new employment ASAP.

Dave

 

[Volvodart]

A bad day, as Andrews Shetland has also ceased trading.

 

[backontrack]

A bad day, as Andrews Shetland has also ceased trading.

That'll be these services:

Lairg-Pittentrail-Golspie-Brora
Lairg-Invershin-Bonar Bridge-Ardgay-Edderton-Tain
Lairg-Invershin-Bonar Bridge-Ardgay-Bonar Bridge-Spinningdale-Clashmore-Evelix-Dornoch

gone then

 

[Busaholic]

Utopia reaches Nirvana?

 

[mikeg]

That's quite sad and leaves some sizeable villages such as Cawood without a bus service if I'm correct. If only North Yorkshire County Council would step in to subsidise a replacement or at least give people time to make alternative travel arrangements for commuting etc. Oh wait, I forgot, the twirlies' day out is more important than peoples' livelihoods!

 

[96tommy]

Connexions Buses now going to run 492/493/494

 

[SCH117X]

The 8 is to be run by Transdev, 37 by York Pullman and 426 by NYCCs minibuses.

 

[mikeg]

Glad to see other operators stepping in. Rant revoked.

Edit: just read the timetable. Rant reinstated.

 

[backontrack]

TIMETABLES: (MONDAY-SATURDAY)

Route 8 (Transdev)
Drax-Camblesforth-Barlow-Selby
4 buses per day

Route 37 (York Pullman)
York-Askham Bryan-Askham Richard-Bilbrough-Catterton-Healaugh-Wighill-Tadcaster
3 buses per day (only two continue from Tadcaster bus station to Tadcaster Sainsbury's)

Route 426 (NYCC)
York-Stillingfield-Kelfield-Riccall-Selby-Wistow-Cawood
3 buses per day (on one service from York, a change and a long walk to Charles Street in Selby is required to reach Wistow and Cawood)
I imagine that, when Cawood Bridge reopens, this service will no longer run via Riccall.

Routes 492/493 (Connexions)
Tadcaster-Sherburn-in-Elmet via (Stutton, Towton, Saxton, Barkston Ash) or (Church Fenton, Ulleskelf)
15 buses per day between Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet on these routes. Around 8 buses per day for the villages in-between.

Route 494 (Connexions)
Tadcaster-Ulleskelf-Church Fenton-Saxton-Barkston Ash-Sherburn-in-Elmet
1 bus per day, with an extra service between Ulleskelf and Sherburn on schooldays. On schooldays, this route serves Sherburn High School.

There do not seem to be any buses to Pontefract anymore.

 

[96tommy]

TIMETABLES: (MONDAY-SATURDAY)

Route 8 (Transdev)
Drax-Camblesforth-Barlow-Selby
4 buses per day

Route 37 (York Pullman)
York-Askham Bryan-Askham Richard-Bilbrough-Catterton-Healaugh-Wighill-Tadcaster
3 buses per day (only two continue from Tadcaster bus station to Tadcaster Sainsbury's)

Route 426 (NYCC)
York-Stillingfield-Kelfield-Riccall-Selby-Wistow-Cawood
3 buses per day (on one service from York, a change and a long walk to Charles Street in Selby is required to reach Wistow and Cawood)
I imagine that, when Cawood Bridge reopens, this service will no longer run via Riccall.

Routes 492/493 (Connexions)
Tadcaster-Sherburn-in-Elmet via (Stutton, Towton, Saxton, Barkston Ash) or (Church Fenton, Ulleskelf)
15 buses per day between Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet on these routes. Around 8 buses per day for the villages in-between.

Route 494 (Connexions)
Tadcaster-Ulleskelf-Church Fenton-Saxton-Barkston Ash-Sherburn-in-Elmet
1 bus per day, with an extra service between Ulleskelf and Sherburn on schooldays. On schooldays, this route serves Sherburn High School.

There do not seem to be any buses to Pontefract anymore.

The Tad to Pontefract service service is rarely used throughout and when I've used it often acts as 2 seperate routes, Tad to Sherburn and Sherburn to Ponte. Either when Arriva ended running the 492/3 or when Utopia just started the route was in fact split in half at Sherburn.

 

[SCH117X]

TIMETABLES: (MONDAY-SATURDAY)

Route 426 (NYCC)
York-Stillingfield-Kelfield-Riccall-Selby-Wistow-Cawood
3 buses per day (on one service from York, a change and a long walk to Charles Street in Selby is required to reach Wistow and Cawood)
I imagine that, when Cawood Bridge reopens, this service will no longer run via Riccall.(

Bit more drastic than that, Cawood Bridge reopened - service withdrawn
as no one has come forward to operate a commercial service (as Utopia were) and NYCC will not fund one. Same has occurred in Ripon where Shauns have ceased operation (due to the death of the owner) and the local city services have no commercial replacement operator.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Bit more drastic than that, Cawood Bridge reopened - service withdrawn
as no one has come forward to operate a commercial service (as Utopia were) and NYCC will not fund one. Same has occurred in Ripon where Shauns have ceased operation (due to the death of the owner) and the local city services have no commercial replacement operator.

North Yorkshire have always been rubbish but these days, they are truly dreadful. One of the worst local authorities for supporting bus services.

 

[Cough40]

With Richard Owens in charge at county hall I wouldn't expect much ! As for Shaun's proctors will take all the work but on there terms ? I have had dealings with mr Owens and proctors with the running of scrap from the Mowbray school in bedale , I even offered to bid for one of the contracts at a lower cost with a transit 17 seater as only 15 kids so county hall tendered it out for. Minimum of 30 seats which I couldn't do , then removed my son off it as proctors didn't like me reporting them running illegal and taking pictures as county hall would fine them ,even the headteacher at the Mowbray school took a picture of a bald tyre on one of proctors buses but chickened out of reporting it , thick as thieves is a good quote

 

[SCH117X]

NYCC are going to run a "reduced service" on the 42 Selby-Cawood-York route and 492/493 Sherburn to Knottingley from next Monday.

 

[SCH117X]

Connexions are trialling a Ripon City Service to replace that operated by Shauns but only Monday to Friday "between Schools". No big hopes for it given Dales & District could not run it profitably.

 

[theblackwatch]

Connexions are trialling a Ripon City Service to replace that operated by Shauns but only Monday to Friday "between Schools". No big hopes for it given Dales & District could not run it profitably.

A case of 'use it or lose it' really. Presumably Connexions are using a vehicle/driver which would otherwise be spare, which will hopefully keep costs down.

 

[SCH117X]

A case of 'use it or lose it' really. Presumably Connexions are using a vehicle/driver which would otherwise be spare, which will hopefully keep costs down.

I do not get the "between schools" bit as the service runs to 1526 which makes it a bit late for a subsequent school working unless they have acquired a working in the area it could do at that time but even then the schools at Ripon are to the north west and at 1526 the bus/driver are at the south east part of the town.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I do not get the "between schools" bit as the service runs to 1526 which makes it a bit late for a subsequent school working unless they have acquired a working in the area it could do at that time but even then the schools at Ripon are to the north west and at 1526 the bus/driver are at the south east part of the town.

To be honest, Ripon isn't the biggest city going so not too long to get across and they must have something that ties in with this timewise. Otherwise, you'd imagine that they'd run off the 14:55 to Lark Lane?

 

[darloscott]

Do they have any college work it could do which frees a bus up to do a school instead?

 

[SCH117X]

The only Ripon schools services Connexions are operating are to schools at Boroughbridge and Pateley Bridge

 

[lincolnshire]

Utopia Coaches is auctioning off all its coaches and garage equipment it was advertised in Saturdays Yorkshire Post newspaper, auction ends 18th September and is a timed on line auction.

Another company bites the dust.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Utopia Coaches is auctioning off all its coaches and garage equipment it was advertised in Saturdays Yorkshire Post newspaper, auction ends 18th September and is a timed on line auction.
.

One vehicle that has escaped the auction (perhaps a leased vehicle?) was one Optare Solo (old shape) that was seen travelling down the A30 between Exeter and Okehampton today.

 

[robertclark125]

Possibly been sold before the auction, as opposed to leased?

 

[SCH117X]

Transdev are taking the 42 York-Selby on from Oct 30, linking it with the 8 Selby-Drax that they are already operating, running at 90 minute frequency from York between 0715 and 1745, and from Selby to York at 0718(SX), 0740(SO). 0910 then every 90 minutes to 1640, 1715(SO), 1720(SX), 1845(SO), 1850(SX)
Timetable on NYCC web site https://www.northyorkstravel.info/timetable/42oct17.pdf

Also Arriva are to run the 493 from Sherburn to Pontefract from the same date; 0724, 0903, 1103, 1303, 1503 and 1709 from Sherburn, 0810,1010,1210,1410,1610 and 1800 from Pontefract
https://www.northyorkstravel.info/timetable/493oct17.pdf