Blackpool Transport Services Ltd.[1] is a bus and tram operator running within the boroughs of Blackpool and Fylde and into the surrounding area, including Fleetwood, Lytham St Annes, Poulton-le-Fylde, Cleveleys and now Preston with the introduction of the 74 and 75, which were previously operated by Preston Bus. It is owned by Blackpool Borough Council.
History
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Blackpool Transport was founded in 1885 by the town council. The tramway opened on 29 September 1885 using a conduit system to operate the trams using electricity. However, due to difficulties with this method of operation, 550V overhead wiring was installed over the tracks in 1899 to replace the conduit system. In the 1920s, the first bus services were added to transport operations in Blackpool.[2]
To comply with the Transport Act 1985, in 1986 the assets were transferred to a new legal entity.[1] Neighbouring operator Fylde Borough Transport, which at the time traded as Blue Buses, was taken over in 1994; it had previously been a council-owned operation itself, but spent five months in private ownership before Blackpool Transport's takeover.[3]
The company's network was relaunched in April 2001 under the name Metro Coastlines. Along with the new name came a new colour-coded service: each core bus route was operated by vehicles painted in a livery heavily featuring that route's colour. There were twelve such core bus routes, and the historic tramway along the promenade also had its own variation of the livery.
On Monday 26 July 2010, Metro Coastlines branding was discontinued and the company resumed trading as Blackpool Transport. Buses had their Metro Coastlines logos removed and replaced with a new Tower and waves logo, along with a black and yellow colour scheme. The tramway now uses a purple and white colour scheme since 2012, based on Blackpool Council's main colour schemes. The Tower and waves logo does not feature on the Bombardier Flexity 2 trams but is featured at the top of the central doors on the modernised English Electric Balloon trams.
Offices
Blackpool Transport have three offices from which daily operations are ran. Rigby Road is the registered headquarters for the company and is where all buses and heritage trams are kept and maintained. The depot contains a bus engineering shed, heritage engineering shed and fitting/paint shops onsite. In late 2022 work began to refurbish one of the older buildings onsite in preparation for the arrival of electric buses.
Blackpool Transport Trams are stored, maintained and operated from the Starr Gate depot on the promenade. This building houses all the "new" fleet Bombardier Flexity2 trams with a dedicate engineering bay.
For a short while Blackpool Transport also opened and operated a store on Market Street in Blackpool. This was designed to house a customer services team although later abandoned through the COVID 19 Pandemic. Blackpool Transport still use this property although it is now closed to the public.
In September 2018 Blackpool Transport consisted of 132 active vehicles. The majority of these were double decker services and entirely low floor, with the last step entrance vehicles being replaced in July 2016.[4][5] Most of the vehicles in the fleet were purchased new by Blackpool Transport, however thirteen vehicles in the current fleet were purchased from other operators. In 2016, a five-year plan to renew the majority of the fleet was announced, with the aim of no vehicle in the fleet being older than five years old in 2020.[6][7]
On the double deck side of Blackpool Transport's fleet, the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City is the most common type, with 55 examples in service as of June 2018, 4 more of these arrived in 2020.[8]
The most common single deck type was and still is the Alexander Dennis Enviro200, with eighteen examples in service in 2018, this number has since increased. Other types included the old nine Volvo B7RLEs (Plaxton Centros) and ten high specification Mercedes-Benz Citaros O295s, some of the Citaros have since been sold.
As of January 2024, the current bus fleet stored at Rigby Road is as followed:[9][10]
Photo
Type of bus
Current number of buses
Fleet numbers
Notes
ADL Enviro 400 City
49
411 - 459
59 originally ordered, 401 - 410 have since been sold to other operators.
ADL Enviro 200
21 (SWB)
25 (LWB)
217 -238 (SWB)
561 - 586 (LWB)
SWB stands for Short Wheel Base, the 8.9 meter versions whilst LWB are the Long Wheel Base buses at 10.9 meters.
Mercedes-Benz Citaro O295
6
555 - 559, 974
974 is a driver training bus. 10 originally ordered however some have already been sold to other operators.
Volvo B7RLE Plaxton Centro
2
977 - 978
Both are solely used as driver training[11], originally part of a fleet of 9 buses which have since moved to elsewhere.
Optare Solo
1
292
Still carries the old standard black and yellow fleet livery, also a driver trainer bus.[12]
Between 1933 and 2001, the fleet livery on the buses was green and cream, with different arrangements of the two colours decade after decade. From 2010 this livery was replaced with new black and yellow livery which replaced all of the route-specific liveries.[13] Prior to the livery change each bus stop also featured the line colour and timetables were also colour-coded.
Route branding was discontinued in July 2010 when Blackpool Transport introduced major changes to its bus network, replaced by a new livery of black and yellow. The Line 6 service was axed in July 2010 after 84 years. Line 2 was axed in March 2015, with service 12/13 replacing parts of its route to Poulton via Staining. The 12/13 were axed a year later due to the withdrawal of LCC funding.
In 2015, Blackpool Transport unveiled a new premium brand, Palladium, on its bus network. All vehicles with Palladium specification are fitted with WiFi, e-leather seating, wood effect flooring and a grey and yellow livery. The first route to be upgraded was the 5, which received a batch of brand new Mercedes-Benz Citaros.
The 7 and 9/9A were upgraded in 2016, with the latter receiving a batch of brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro400Citys. Other routes which have been upgraded to Palladium standard are services 6, 9, 11 and 14, with a mix of refurbished and brand new high specification vehicles.[14]
By 2019 all Blackpool Transport buses showcase the Palladium branding.
Electrification
In Late 2022 It was announced that Blackpool Transport had received funding to create an all electric fleet and start to welcome the first buses by 2024 with the aim of a fully electrified service in 2025. No further details have been released at this time as to how these buses will look or if the Palladium branding will remain.
Blackpool Transport also operates the Blackpool Tramway, which currently has a varied fleet of eighteen modern Bombardier Flexity 2 articulated low floor trams, nine modernised 1930s double-deck English Electric Balloon cars and an assortment of various heritage trams.[15] Advertising has always been popular on trams, especially on the traditional trams.
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