| Founded | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Knowsley Park Way, Haslingden |
| Locale | Greater Manchester, Lancashire, West Yorkshire |
| Service area | England |
| Service type | Urban and interurban bus services, school bus, demand responsive transport |
| Destinations | Rawtenstall, Bacup, Haslingden, Rochdale, Bury, Manchester, Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn, Todmorden |
| Fleet | Around 110 buses |
| Operator | Rossendale Transport Ltd |
| Interim Managing Director | Alastair K Nuttall |
| Web site | Official Website |
Rossendale Transport is a bus operator running within the Borough of Rossendale (including the towns of Rawtenstall, Bacup, Whitworth and Haslingden) and into surrounding areas, including Rochdale, Bury, Manchester, Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn and Todmorden. The network of services in branded under the names Easyride or Rossendalebus, with vehicles and publicity carrying this name. The limited company "Rossendale Transport Ltd." is wholly owned by Rossendale Borough Council, which makes it one of the few remaining municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom today.
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Rossendale Transport can trace its history back to 1907 when both Rawtenstall and Haslingden Corporations (both independently) ran a motor bus within their boroughs. Both undertakings merged in 1968 to form Rossendale Joint Transport Committee and later in 1974 with the local government reorganisation which took place in that year the boroughs were merged, along with Bacup (which was already served by Rossendale buses; Bacup Borough not having its own bus company) and Whitworth to form the present Borough of Rossendale. The company then became the Transport department of the new Rossendale Borough Council.
On 26 October 1986 came the deregulation of bus services across the UK (outside London and not including Northern Ireland). As part of the 1985 Transport Act which empowered this deregulation, Rossendale Borough Council was required to set up an 'arms-length' company in order to continue operating buses. Rossendale Transport Limited, as the company is now known began trading on this date and over the last 20 years has expended greatly and now operates buses throughout Rossendale, Bury and Rochdale as well as operating into Burnley, Blackburn, Bolton and Todmorden.
Fears were raised at the beginning of 2009 about the council's intentions with regards to its continued ownership of the company,[1] culminating in a public protest outside the town hall to dissuade the council from selling.[2] However in July 2009 the council announced that it was retaining its ownership of the company, its valuation not having been met by potentially interested parties.[3]
Rossendale Transport's main depot and office facilities are situated in a modern unit on the Knowsley Park industrial estate in Haslingden (), close to the A56 bypass. The company moved here from its previous Bacup Road depot in Rawtenstall town centre in September 2008.[4] The previous occupant was an industrial filtration manufacturer, and the building consists of offices and maintenance facilities, along with an outside compound for overnight storage of buses.[5]
The company also operates from a depot on Corporation Road, Rochdale () which was established in September 1990 to support new routes introduced in the town following bus deregulation.[6] The site is on the western outskirts of the town centre, located next to the River Roch. Around 40 vehicles are based there.
The original bus depot on the south side of Bacup Road in Rawtenstall dated from 1933 (with an extension in 1938) replacing the former tram shed on the other side of the road—although the offices remained in use.[7] The depot has now been demolished and replaced with a Lidl supermarket, although the adjoining bus station facility remains in use pending redevelopment. Haslingden Corporation originally operated from a depot at John Street until its closure at the time of the merger in 1968.[8]
Rossendale Transport has a fleet of 105 active buses, consisting of 90 low floor single deck buses and 15 double deck buses (3 of which are low floor) as of 5 September 2011[update].[9] The single deck fleet provides the bulk of the company's scheduled bus network in conjunction with the low floor double deckers. The older step-entrance double deckers are mainly confined to school services, with the three coaches assigned to contract work.
| Chassis | Bodywork | Image | Number | Seating Capacity | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single deck | ||||||
| Dennis Dart SLF Dennis Dart SPD |
Plaxton Pointer Plaxton Pointer 2 |
20 | 33 or 37 or 40 or 44 | 1999–2000 | Low-floor Four vehicles formerly Blue Bus of Bolton, arrived 2002–2003 Three vehicles formerly South Lancs Travel, arrived 2009 |
|
| Optare Solo Slimline | Optare Solo Slimline | 23 | 24 | 2004–2005 | Low floor | |
| Dennis Dart SLF Dennis Dart SPD |
East Lancs Spryte | 17 | 39 | 2001–2002 | Low floor | |
| Scania L94UD | Wright Solar | 5 | 43 | 2005 | Low floor Formerly Reading Buses |
|
| Volvo B7RLE | Wright Eclipse Wright Eclipse 2 |
17 | 44 or 45 | 2003–2009 | Low floor formerly Volvo Bus demonstrators |
|
| MAN 14.220 | MCV Stirling | 3 | 40 | 2004 | Low floor Formerly 2 Travel (Pentrechwyth), arrived 2005 |
|
| Dennis Dart SPD | Alexander ALX200 | 4 | 44 | 2000 | Low floor Formerly Munro's (Jedburgh), arrived 2006 |
|
| Dennis Dart SLF | Caetano Nimbus | 5 | 35 | 2002 | Low floor Formerly Centra, arrived 2007 |
|
| Total (single deck) | 94 | |||||
| Double deck | ||||||
| Volvo Olympian | Northern Counties Palatine | 13 | 47 (upper) 29 or 31 (lower) 76 or 78 (total) |
1997–1998 | Eight vehicles formerly Metrobus, arrived 2003–2004 Five vehicles formerly London Central, arrived 2009 |
|
| Volvo B7TL | East Lancs Vyking | 2 | 47 (upper) 27 or 31 (lower) 74 or 78 (total) |
2000–2001 | Low floor One vehicle from Irish dealer stock, arrived 2007 One vehicle formerly Moffat & Williamson, Fife, arrived 2007 |
|
| Volvo B7TL | East Lancs Myllennium Vyking | 1 | 45 (upper) 28 (lower) 73 (total) |
2007 | Low floor From Irish dealer stock, arrived 2007 |
|
| Total (double deck) | 16 | |||||
| Coaches | ||||||
| Bova Futura | Bova Futura | 1 | 53 | 1997 | Driver training vehicle | |
| Total (coaches) | 1 | |||||
| Withdrawn Vehicles | ||||||
| Total (Withdrawn Vehicles) | 0 | |||||
| Total (all vehicles) | 111 | |||||
There are no vehicles known to be on order.
These are the bus services run by Rossendalebus:
| No. | From | To | Via | Depot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Rawtenstall | Balladen | Haslingden depot | Sunday daytime only | |
| 64 65 |
Rawtenstall | Todmorden (65) | Waterfoot, Edgeside, Bacup | Haslingden depot | |
| 167 | Norden | Manchester Piccadilly Gardens | Bamford, Heywood, Rhodes, Cheetham Hill | Rochdale depot | Your 167 Limited Stop. Extra peak journeys from First Manchester |
| 244 | Rawtenstall | Blackburn | Helmshore, Haslingden | Haslingden depot | |
| 273 | Burnley | Bolton | Water, Waterfoot, Rawtenstall, Edenfield, Ramsbottom, Holcombe Brook, Hawkshaw, Bradshaw, Tonge Moor | Haslingden depot | Monday-Saturday daytime only. Sunday daytime journeys run by Arriva North West (Rawtenstall-Bolton) |
| 431 | Rochdale | Stanneybrook | Rochdale depot | ||
| 433 434 |
Rochdale | Castleton | Belfield, Turf Hill, Kirkholt (434) | Rochdale depot | 434 runs one schoolday afternoon journey to Castleton, continuing to Rochdale via Sudden. Other journeys run by Tyrer Bus 433 runs one Monday-Saturday evening journey only. Sunday daytime journeys run by Tyrer Bus |
| 435 | Rochdale | Buckstones | Turf Hill, High Crompton, Shaw | Rochdale depot | One schoolday journey starts at Norden |
| 438 | Rochdale | Daniel Fold | Spotland Bridge | Rochdale depot | Evenings/Sundays only. Other journeys run by First |
| 440 | Rochdale | Syke | Rochdale Infirmary | Rochdale depot | |
| 441 | Rochdale | Foxholes | Rochdale depot | ||
| 443 | Rochdale | Elmsfield | Spotland Bridge, Shawfield | Rochdale depot | |
| 444 | Rochdale | Norden | Spotland Bridge | Rochdale depot | Sunday daytime journeys run by Tyrer Bus |
| 445 | Rochdale | Cutgate | Mellor Street | Rochdale depot | |
| 446 447 |
Rochdale | Wallbank | Shawclough | Rochdale depot | 447 runs Monday-Saturday early morning and early evening journeys. Sunday daytime journeys run by Tyrer Bus (447 only) |
| 451 | Peppermint Bridge | Rochdale | Newhey, Milnrow | Rochdale depot | Monday-Saturday early evenings only. Other journeys run by First and Tyrer Bus |
| 458 | Rochdale | Wardle | Smallbridge | Rochdale depot | One Monday-Saturday evening journey. Other journeys run by First and Tyrer Bus |
| 461 | Heywood | Bury | Heap Bridge | Rochdale depot | |
| 464 | Rochdale | Accrington | Whitworth, Bacup, Rawtenstall, Haslingden | Haslingden/Rochdale depots | |
| 466 | Norden | Bury | Bamford, Fairfield General Hospital, Topping Fold | Haslingden depot | |
| 468 | Rochdale | Tottington | Greave, Bamford, Fairfield Hospital, Jericho, Bury | Haslingden/Rochdale depots | Bury-Tottington runs evening and Sundays only. |
| 469 | Rochdale | Tottington | Bamford, Jericho, Bury | Haslingden depot | Evenings and Sundays plus one Monday-Saturday daytime journey. Sunday daytime journeys run Jericho-Tottington only. Other journeys run by First |
| 471 | Rochdale | Bury | Sudden, Heywood | Rochdale depot | One morning journey only. Other journeys run by First |
| 473 | Water | Bury | Edgeside, Waterfoot, Rawtenstall, Edenfield, Ramsbottom, Walmersley | Haslingden depot | Monday-Saturday evenings and Sunday daytime only |
| 475 | Hopwood | Bury | Heywood, Fairfield General Hospital | Haslingden depot | |
| 477 | Bury | Ramsbottom | Brandlesholme, Summerseat, Holcombe Brook | Haslingden depot | |
| 479 | Limefield Brow | Bury | Haslingden depot | ||
| 480 | Bolton | Bury | Bradshaw, Hawkshaw, Greenmount, Tottington, Walshaw | Haslingden depot | |
| 481 | Ramsbottom | Bury | Greenmount, Tottington, Walshaw, Holcombe Brook | Haslingden depot | |
| 482 483 |
Burnley (483) | Bury | Water, Waterfoot, Newchurch (483), Rawtenstall, Edenfield, Walmersley | Haslingden depot | Most journeys run as service 483. |
| 484 | Burnley | Bury | Network 65 Park, Hapton, Accrington, Haslingden, Edenfield, Ramsbottom, Walmersley | Haslingden depot | Burnley-Accrington section runs Saturdays only |
| 485 | Ramsbottom, Tanner's Brow | Bury | Peel Brow, Walmersley, Chesham | Haslingden depot | |
| 486 | Radcliffe | Bury | Ainsworth | Haslingden depot | |
| 487 | Nangreaves | Bury | Walmersley | Haslingden depot | |
| 494 | Ferngrove | Bury | Fishpool | Haslingden depot |
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