Buses in Lancashire

Historical Boundaries and Changes

The boundaries of the current county of Lancashire were established in 1974 when the Furness district was lost to the newly formed Cumbria. Meanwhile Merseyside and Greater Manchester gobbled up much of the southern portion of the original county. However, some parts of the former West Riding of Yorkshire were gained.

Bus Operators and Industry Evolution

The major bus operator was, for many years, Ribble Motor Services. After sale it became part of the Stagecoach Group, though the East Lancashire operations were sold on to Blazefield, which later went to Transdev. Back in the 1970s many municipalities in Lancashire operated their own buses and these provided a great variety of vehicles and liveries. Most of the council-owned companies were eventually sold off leaving just one – Blackpool – with its large bus fleet and a modern tram system.

Until the 1986 deregulation of the bus industry, there were very few independents running stage services in the county. There were just Fishwick’s smart green buses around Leyland, Preston and Chorley. This company ceased trading in 2015, but others have entered the market, such as Pilkington’s in the Accrington area.

Photographic Collection

John Law has been photographing the county’s buses since 1974, building up a massive collection of images. He has put together the best and most interesting of these within this book.