Avon Buses

Avon Buses

An Avon Buses Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart with MCV Evolution bodywork in Ness Gardens, Cheshire
Founded 1985
Headquarters North Cheshire Trading Estate, Prenton, Wirral
Service area Merseyside & Cheshire
Service type Bus
Routes Contracts & Commercial
Hubs West Kirby, Birkenhead, Arrowe Park Hospital, Heswall, Chester, Crosby, Clatterbridge Hospital
Fleet Dennis Dart SLF
Dennis Dart
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart
Volvo B6LE
Volvo B6

Avon Buses is the third largest bus operating company on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Based in Prenton, Merseyside[1], the company has an all-single deck fleet of about 38 vehicles as of May 2011, most of them low-floor.

Contents

History

Avon Coaches, as the company was previously known, was founded in 1985 by present proprietor Larry Smith. By 1995 it had six buses and ran mostly school contracts plus one local route. The newest buses were two Leyland Titans.[2]

Since then the company has undergone radical changes from operating School contacts to local commercial services. The business has expanded with services starting in Crosby, Fazakerley and their former outstation in Bootle. A name change to Avon Buses was made in late 2004/2005.

Avon Buses took over former Arriva North West routes 421 & 422, renumbering them to 22 and 22A. Avon then decided to renumber service 22A to 24 so it would not confuse its passengers with Helms Coaches service 23. They also took over five other groups of routes at the same time. After Helms Coaches service was withdrawn earlier this year Avon Buses decided not to up the frequency of routes 22 and 24 but add an additional Sunday 23 service from Heswall to Chester Bus Exchange, which was eventually withdrawn in April 2011.

Operations

The company operates mainly commercial local bus services, primarily on the Wirral,[3] including two to Chester. One commercial service is also operated on the opposite side of the Mersey, between Fazakerley and Crosby. A few tendered services are operated in the early mornings, evenings, and Sundays.

Much of Avon Buses' expansion in recent years has come from commercialising tendered services.

Services

Services operated as of October 2011:

No. From To Via Notes
10 New Brighton New Brighton Liscard, Claughton, Noctorum, Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Claughton, Liscard Circular Service.
10A New Brighton New Brighton Liscard, Claughton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Upton, Noctorum, Claughton, Liscard Circular Service.
11 New Brighton Arrowe Park Hospital Liscard, Claughton Morning/Evening and Saturday service.
12 Birkenhead Bus Station Birkenhead Bus Station Claughton, Woodchurch, Arrowe Park Hospital, Noctorum, Claughton Circular service.
12A Birkenhead Bus Station Birkenhead Bus Station Claughton, Noctorum, Arrowe Park Hospital, Woodchurch, Claughton Circular service.
17 Moreton Clatterbridge Hospital Saughall Massie, Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Bebington Saturday service 117 operated by Arriva North West
18 Birkenhead Bus Station Moreton Claughton, Bidston, Sandbrook Estate Through journeys possible with Route 17.
22 West Kirby Chester Bus Exchange Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Parkgate, Neston, Willaston, Mollington
24 West Kirby Chester Bus Exchange Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Neston, Burton, Mollington
40
40A		 Saughall Massie Mill Park Moreton, Bidston, Birkenhead, New Ferry, Bromborough Evening and Sunday service.
77
77A		 Woodside Bus Station West Kirby Birkenhead, Tranmere, Storeton, Heswall, Thurstaston, Caldy
80 Woodside Bus Station Arrowe Park Hospital Birkenhead, Woodchurch Monday - Friday evenings and Weekends only.
83 Birkenhead Bus Station Birkenhead Bus Station Prenton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Greasby, Newton, West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols, Moreton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Prenton Operates between Birkenhead (Woodside) and Greasby only on Saturdays.
83A Birkenhead Bus Station Birkenhead Bus Station Prenton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Arrowe Park Hospital, Prenton
84 Clatterbridge Hospital Mill Park Spital, Bromborough Through journeys possible with Route 85.
85 Heswall Mill Park Brimstage, Thornton Hough, Raby, Clatterbridge Hospital Through journeys possible with Route 84.
86 Leasowe Mill Park Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Gayton, Thornton Hough, Clatterbridge Hospital, Spital, Bromborough Monday - Saturday evenings only.
87 Leasowe Eastham Ferry Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Gayton, Thornton Hough, Clatterbridge Hospital, Spital, Bromborough Sundays only.
90 Woodside Bus Station Prenton Birkenhead, Oxton Circular service.
110 New Brighton Clatterbridge Hospital Liscard, Woodside, Birkenhead, Bebington Merseytravel service. Monday - Saturday morning journeys, daytime service operated by Arriva North West.
112
113		 New Ferry New Ferry Bebington Station, Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington Merseytravel service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
122 Crosby Fazakerley Netherton, Black Bull Saturday service operated by Peoplesbus.
138
139		 Meols Meols Hoylake Station, West Kirby Station, Newton Merseytravel service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
181 Arrowe Park Hospital Leasowe Station Upton Village, Moreton Cross, Sandbrook Estate Merseytravel service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
197 Woodside Ferry Terminal Woodside Claughton Village, Noctorum Estate Merseytravel service. Monday - Saturday morning journeys.
293 Woodside Ferry Terminal West Kirby Birkenhead, Noctorum, Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Greasby, Newton Merseytravel service. Evening and Sunday service.
492
495		 Woodside Bus Station Woodside Birkenhead - Beechwood/Noctorum Circle Merseytravel service. Circular service. Evening and Sunday service. Daytime service operated by Arriva North West.

Fleet

The bulk of the fleet consists of Dennis Dart SLF and more recently Alexander Dennis Dart 4 chassis with a mixture of bodywork: East Lancs Spryte, Plaxton Pointer, Plaxton Pointer 2, MCV Evolution and Marshall Capital. There is a solitary remaining Plaxton Primo.

Low-floor buses started arriving in the fleet in 1997, the first being a Dennis Dart with an East Lancs Spryte body (R54OCK). The low-floor fleet grew rapidly with more new Dennis Darts being joined by a number of Dennis Lances with Berkhof bodies and a larger number of Marshall minibus integrals. The fleet now is 100% low-floor, the last step-entrance vehicle in the fleet was a Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer bodywork which came from Stagecoach (N63KBW).

Livery

All vehicles are painted in a cream with blue skirt livery.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ VOSA - Operator search details for licence
  2. ^ Brown, Stewart J (November 1995). Buses in Britain 2: The Mid Nineties. Capital Transport. p. 87. ISBN 1854141813. 
  3. ^ Wirral Bus Companies - all bus companies operating on Wirral!

External links