Accrington's Pilkington Bus company has announced it will be investing half a million pounds in new buses and personnel to fulfil a contract recently awarded by Lancashire County Council.
County Councillor Alan Schofield who represents Ribble Valley South West states,
It's a win-win solution for bus operators and their passengers."
Lancashire County Councillor Alan Schofield, Ribble Valley South West, commented:
"We want to celebrate this investment of nearly £3 million. It's great news for everyone involved. It means better connectivity and an improved service for the whole community and further afield."
The new contract, worth in the region of £3 million, is great news for everyone, keyworkers, residents, students and visitors to the region.
Alan Pilkington, Pilkington Bus Managing Director, said:
"We're proud to be offering this new service to the public. It's a vote of confidence from Lancashire County Council (LCC). We've been partnering with LCC since 1979 and we've come to be a preferred supplier because we always provide a 100% service."
The new routes, that began operating in July, will greatly improve transport links around the Ribble Valley, Blackburn and East Lancashire. The new services will be:
· Clitheroe to Chipping (The existing 2-hour service will increase in frequency to every hour, 7 days a week including all day on Sunday)
· Blackburn, Mellor
· Blackburn, Mellor, Brockhall
· Blackburn, Mellor, Brockhall, Clitheroe
The new contract comes at a very good time for Pilkington Buses. The current health crisis has caused challenges for the company in terms of social distancing and the temporary suspension of school run services.
The company has been operating buses in the area for 50 years and in that time they've built a reputation for safety, reliability, and cleanliness. Recently, confidence in public transport has taken a hit because of the coronavirus pandemic, but members of the public can be assured that Pilkington Bus is taking the threat of Covid-19 seriously.
Mr Pilkington explained:
"We are doing everything we can to keep the public safe. That's why we've been taking extra measures to ensure the cleanliness of our vehicles and we're making sure the public comply with the government's obligatory facemasks on public transport."
Local Rochdale based bus manufacturer, Mellor, supplied two of its popular low-floor Strata buses as part of the the vehicle deliveries.
Area Sales Manager, Jane Dransfield, said:
"We're delighted to be supporting Pilkington Bus and other local bus operators as they recover from extremely challenging circumstances."
“Our size appropriate bus range provides the ideal solution for local bus operators, especially on rural routes, where smaller capacity vehicles provide the flexibility and cost-effectiveness to ensure routes remain viable and frequencies are maintained."
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