Lancashire Travel - St Helens

[MPTE1955]

RE: Lancashire Travel - St Helens

(02/08/2013 09:22)Gillmoss 0324 Wrote:  

(29/07/2013 22:45)sth77 Wrote:  Bit of a long shot here, but can anyone help with me with gaining the fleet numbers and registrations for the Metrobus and fleetlines (I think they were) that St Helens depot gained at the start of the Lancashire Travel branding.

I know some where the following, but I can't remember exactly what we got. Any help would be appreciated.

metrobuses
0016
0018
3502
3506

fleetlines
0374
0405

0016/0018 were registered VRG416/418T. They arrived around the autumn of 1993 and for a few months were at Gillmoss before transferring over to St Helens. They were from London Buses but were new to the Tyne & Wear PTE and I think around 1995/96 MTL sold them on to (I think) to Ensign Bus's London Pride sightseeing operation.

The ex TWPTE/Busways fleetlines came in around that time and were split between Fareway and Lancashire Travel. Fareway's replaced life expired ex-GMPTE ones and still had the yellow/blue livery but didn't have fleetplates. Lancashire Travel's had Merseybus maroon livery/fleetplates and served mainly St Helens local routes until around the Autum 1994 when most of the batch transferred to Fareway also gaining MTL corporate colours by 1995.

The older/secondhand Metrobuses tended to be used on local St Helens services although in 1994 the ex West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses did run on the 10/510's alongside the 0801-825 batch and the 0251-260 Northern Counties/Olympian's and in 1994 Lancashire Travel did receive the UKA-V and Alexander bodied Metro's from Gillmoss too.

The ex Newport and (I think) West/South Yorkshire Metrobuses also transferred to MTL Fareway at some point towards the end of 1995/early 1996 and stayed there until approximately the begining of 1997 when MTL Fareway was being closed down and merged with Gillmoss. Some (perhaps all) UKA-V's went to London Coaches sightseeing operation and the Alexander Metro's to Heysham Travel before being sold on to other operators like MK Metro/Classic Coaches.

Yeah it was an intersting time for SH with some of those secondhand acquisitions and hope this helps.

Just to add in, the VRG-T's were 0015 - 0018, and I actually was sad to see these go as they appeared to be quite quick.