Blackpool Transport

Blackpool Transport

Double-deck Balloon tram at Bispham in July 2006
Parent Blackpool Borough Council
Founded 1885
Headquarters Blackpool
Service area The Fylde Coast, Lancashire
Service type Tram & bus services
Destinations Fleetwood, Lytham St Annes, Kirkham, Knott End, Poulton-le-Fylde
Fleet 170 buses, 58 trams
Chief executive Jane Cole
Website www.blackpooltransport.com
East Lancs Myllennium Lolyne-bodied Dennis Trident in Blackpool in June 2013

Blackpool Transport Services[1] (BTS) 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 and Cleveleys. It is owned by Blackpool Borough Council.

History

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 went back to the older name of 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 Flexity 2 trams but is featured at the top of the central doors on the modernised Balloon trams.

Bus fleet

Blackpool Transport currently has a fleet of around 139 vehicles as of April 2016 Vehicles include Optare excels, around 5 examples of these remaining. Optare solo's with around 38 examples of these. Dennis tridents around 53 of these. along with around 19 daf examples. 14 Volvos, with 5 wright eclipse bodies types and the remaining centro plaxton bodies. 10 (15 plate) Mercedes Citaro's with free wifi and usb charging ports and audio visual next stop announcements, wood effect floor and E-leather seting. Around June/July BTS will take delivery of 10 new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 buses, also including same features as the Citaro's .[4]

Tram fleet

Blackpool Transport operates the Blackpool tramway with a fleet of 16 modern Flexity 2 trams, 9 modernised 'Balloon' trams and various assorted heritage trams.[5] Advertising has always been popular on trams, especially on the traditional trams.

Bus routes and branding

Between 1933 and 2001, the fleet livery on the buses was green and cream, with different arrangements of the two colours decade after decade.[6]

Between 2001 and 2010 each line (service) had its own individual route colour which was painted with a contrasting colour of yellow, and there were also black generic painted buses which were used on any line if a branded vehicle could not be used for any reason. Each bus stop also featured the line colour and timetables were also colour-coded.

Route branding was discontinued on Monday 26 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 on Sunday 25 July 2010 after 84 years in service; Optare Deltas 106, 107 and 112 performed the last duties. Line 2 was axed around March 2015 with service 12/13 replacing parts of its route to Poulton via Staining. 12/13 them selves being axed a year later due to the withdrawal of LCC funding.

Since 2002 local bus services have not used the 1960s bus station located on Talbot Road, however bus stops north and southbound are located just out side of it, where the majority of the bus network serve here. The town centre Blackpool Transport offices were relocated to Market Street. With the new service changes, many services now serve different town centre stops. Service 1 stops at North Pier and Blackpool Tower in both directions. Services 2C, 15 and 16 terminate at Corporation Street with 10/17 to Poulton and 14 to Fleetwood also on this street. Service 3 & 4 northbound, Topping street and Dickson road, southbound Dickson road and Abingdon street. Southbound service 5,7,10,11,14 and 17 using Market street. Service 9 terminates on Clifton with 11 and 7 Northbound. [7]

Gallery

Buses

Trams

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Companies House extract company no 2003020 Blackpool Transport Services Limited
  2. ↑ Blackpool Transport Timeline Blackpool Transport Services Limited
  3. ↑ Brown, Stewart J (November 1995). Buses in Britain 2: The Mid Nineties. Capital Transport. pp. 54–55. ISBN 1-85414-181-3.
  4. ↑ "Unofficial Blackpool Transport Bus Fleet List". Fylde Bus Blog. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Unofficial Blackpool Transport Tramcar Fleet List British Trams Online
  6. ↑ Bus fleet liveries Lancastrian Transport Trust
  7. ↑ Bus service information Blackpool Transport Services Limited

External links

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