The Keighley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. It is a subsidiary of
Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...
and West Yorkshire.
History
When founded, the company was part of
Tilling & British Automobile Traction. In 1927, following the company's expansion, Tilling & British Automobile Traction was renamed
West Yorkshire Road Car Company
The West Yorkshire Road Car Company was a major bus operator operating in North Yorkshire, North and West Yorkshire between 1906 and 1987.
History West Yorkshire
The Harrogate Road Car Company was formed in 1906, running at first steam buses in ...
, to reflect the wider service area provided.
In 1948, along with other companies that were then part of the Tilling Group, West Yorkshire Road Car Company was nationalised.
In 1968, West Yorkshire Road Car Company became a subsidiary of the
National Bus Company.
In September 1987, AJS Group purchased
West Yorkshire Road Car Company
The West Yorkshire Road Car Company was a major bus operator operating in North Yorkshire, North and West Yorkshire between 1906 and 1987.
History West Yorkshire
The Harrogate Road Car Company was formed in 1906, running at first steam buses in ...
from the
National Bus Company. The business was subsequently split into smaller companies, one of which became Keighley & District Travel.
In August 1991, Keighley & District Travel was included in the purchase of AJS Group by
Blazefield Group, following the sale of seven of the company's eight remaining bus firms at the time – a deal valued at £2.2 million.
In January 2006, French-based operator
Transdev
Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a French-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020.
History
The group was formed by the merger of ...
acquired the Blazefield Group, along with 305 vehicles. Locally, the company was rebranded under the name Transdev in Keighley.
In July 2016, the company was again rebranded, now operating as The Keighley Bus Company.
Services and branding
The Keighley Bus Company
The process of rebranding to The Keighley Bus Company commenced in July 2016, which saw the introduction of a two-tone green livery, as well as the investment of in the region of £2 million in new vehicles.
A number of local bus services operate under this brand, including services 62 (
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...
and
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west o ...
), 67 (
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
and Keighley) and 72 (
Grassington
Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharf ...
and
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the Riv ...
). The two-tone green livery is also used as a base for other brands, including Brontë Bus and Keighley Jets.
AireLine
The AireLine brand is used on service 60, which operates between
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...
and Keighley via
Shipley, running along the route of the
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
. The service is operated by a fleet of
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo from 2002 until 2018. It superseded the Volvo Super Olympian and the Volvo B7TL. The 2-axle version has been superseded by the Volvo B5TL in 2014 and the 3-axle version has been su ...
/
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a Low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus body that was built by Wrightbus since 2001, based on the single-deck Wright Eclipse design. The second-generation Eclipse Gemini 2 was launched in 2009, followed by the ...
double-deck vehicles, branded in a red and green livery. Features include free WiFi, USB charging and audio-visual next stop announcements. The service was previously operated by
Optare Versa
The Optare Versa is a low-floor midibus that was manufactured by Optare at its Sherburn-in-Elmet factory. In total 883 were produced between 2007 and 2018.[Haworth
Haworth () is a village in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines, south-west of Keighley, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages inc ...]
and Keighley. Services then extend hourly to
Stanbury (B1),
Oakworth
Oakworth is a village in West Yorkshire, England, near Keighley, by the River Worth. The name "Oakworth" indicates that the village was first established in a heavily wooded area.
Oakworth railway station is on the route of the Keighley and ...
(B2) and
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest ...
(B3). The service is operated by a fleet of
Volvo B7RLE
The Volvo B7RLE is a low-entry single-deck bus chassis manufactured by Volvo. It was superseded by the Volvo B8RLE in 2013.
Specifications
The Volvo B7RLE is similar to its predecessor, the B10BLE. In essence the B7RLE is the front section of t ...
/
Wright Eclipse Urban single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging. The service was previously operated by a fleet of
Wright StreetLite
The Wright StreetLite is a low-floor midibus introduced by Wrightbus in 2010. It was originally available in only one body style (wheel forward) before the door forward and StreetLite Max variants were introduced in 2011 and 2012 respectively. ...
single-deck vehicles, which served the route between May 2015 and May 2017.
DalesWay
The DalesWay brand is used on service 66, which operates between Keighley and
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the Riv ...
. The service is operated by a fleet of Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 double-deck vehicles. Features include free WiFi, USB charging and next stop audio-visual announcements.
In February 2021, DalesWay was permanently upgraded to a double-deck vehicles, following an increase in passenger numbers prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Prior to the upgrade, the service was operated by a fleet of
Optare Versa
The Optare Versa is a low-floor midibus that was manufactured by Optare at its Sherburn-in-Elmet factory. In total 883 were produced between 2007 and 2018.[market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...]
of Keighley. Services are operated by a fleet of
Mellor Strata minibuses and
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
single-deck buses, which are branded in a two-tone green livery. Features include free WiFi, USB power and audio-visual next stop announcements. Though their hasn't been any official annoucment from the company, the Keighley Jets livery has seemingly been retired from its fleet, though the routes still maintain their K prefix and features mentioned above.
Otley Dash
In October 2017, took over operation of service 965 (
Otley
Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 20 ...
and
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
) from
First Leeds. Initially encompassed under the Wharfedale Links brand, the service was rebranded Otley Dash in March 2021. It is operated by
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green and yellow livery.
The Shuttle
The Shuttle brand is used on service 662, which operates between Bradford and Keighley via Shipley. The service is operated by a fleet of Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse Urban single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone blue livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Wharfedale Links
In October 2016, the company gained the contract for services 963 (
Holt Park and
Wharfedale Hospital
Wharfedale Hospital (formerly known as Wharfedale General Hospital) is located in the market town of Otley, West Yorkshire, England, and is managed by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
History
The facility has its origins in an infirm ...
), 966 (
Guiseley
Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds.
It sits in th ...
and
Yeadon) and 967 (
Leeds Bradford Airport
Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, about northwest of Leeds city centre, and about northeast from Bradford city centre. It serves Leeds and Bradford and the ...
and
Menston
Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Men ...
), which operate under the which operate under the Wharfedale Links brand. The services are operated by a fleet of Optare Solo single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green and yellow livery.
Fleet and operations
Depots
As of April 2022, the company operates two depots in the market town of
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west o ...
.
Vehicles
As of April 2022, the fleet consists of in the region of 125 buses. The fleet consists of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by
Optare
Switch Mobility (originally called Optare) is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with ...
,
Wrightbus and
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
, as well as minibuses manufactured by
Mellor Mellor is a surname.
Notable people with this surname
* Alan Mellor (born 1959), English cricketer
* Anne K. Mellor (born 1942), feminist scholar of Romantic literature
* Chip Mellor (born 1950), President and General Counsel of the Institute for J ...
.
Notes
References
External links
*
Keighley & District Travelan
Transdev Blazefield Limitedon
Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are in ...
The Keighley Bus Companywebsite
{{Transdev
Bus operators in West Yorkshire
Keighley
Transdev