Rosso (Rossendale Transport Limited) is a bus operator providing local services in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
,
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 Lancashi ...
and
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
Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operato ...
, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
and West Yorkshire.
History
The company's history dates back to December 1907, when both Haslingden Corporation Transport and Rawtenstall Corporation Transport first ran a motor bus within their boroughs. In 1968, both undertakings merged to form the Rossendale Joint Transport Committee.
Following local government reorganisation in April 1974, the boroughs were merged, along with nearby
Bacup and
Whitworth, forming the present-day
Borough of Rossendale
Rossendale () is a district with borough status in Lancashire, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and ...
.
In 1986, as part of the
deregulation of bus services and to comply with the
Transport Act 1985, the company's assets were transferred to a new legal entity.
The company expanded over the following twenty years, operating local buses in
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
,
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
and
Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England:
Places
*Rossendale Valley, a river valley
*Borough of Rossendale, a local government district
*Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
, as well as neighbouring
Blackburn,
Bolton,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
and
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...
.
In September 1990, a new depot was established in Rochdale, in order to support new routes introduced in the town following the deregulation of bus services.
In September 2008, the company's main depot and office facilities were moved from
Rawtenstall to
Haslingden, with the former buildings subsequently demolished.
In early 2009, concerns were raised about the council's intentions, in relation to their continued ownership of the company. It culminated in a public protest outside Rawtenstall Town Hall, with the aim of dissuading Rossendale Borough Council from selling. In July 2009, the council announced that it was retaining its ownership of the company, with an acceptable valuation not having been met by any potentially interested parties.
In August 2013, the network was rebranded, with a new livery design of red, orange, yellow and white. At the same time, the company was renamed Rosso.
Following the granting of approval on 20 December 2017, the company was sold by
Rossendale Borough Council Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England:
Places
*Rossendale Valley, a river valley
*Borough of Rossendale, a local government district
*Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
on 12 January 2018.
The sale saw the company's 240 staff and 102 vehicles join
Transdev Blazefield
Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operato ...
– a move which saw the investment of £3 million in a new fleet of high-specification vehicles for routes in and around Bury, Rochdale and Rossendale.
In April 2018, the company's Haslingden depot, which opened ten years earlier, was closed. Staff and vehicles were reassigned within the business to nearby depots across Lancashire.
Services and branding
464
The 464 service operates between
Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via
Rawtenstall up to every 15 minutes, with a half-hourly frequency during the evening and on Sunday. This route is operated by a fleet of
Optare Versa single-deck vehicles branded in a two-tone purple and pink livery. Features include free Wifi, USB and wireless charging and audio-visual next stop announcements.
Bury Bolts
The Bury Bolts brand encompasses a number of local services operating in and around the town of
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of
Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery. Routes Include:B1 (
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
- Woodhill - Burrs - Summerseat - Ramsbottom - Peel Brow), B2 (Bury - Fernhill - Chesham - Limefield - Nangreaves), B3 (Bury - Pimhole - Ferngrove) & B4 (Bury - Pimhole - Fairfield - Jericho - Heywood).
Irwell Line
The Irwell Line brand encompasses two services, which operate along the
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley in North West England extends from the Forest of Rossendale through the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.
Geology
Shallow seas covered most of south-east La ...
. The routes operate between
Blackburn (481) or
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
(483) and
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
via
Rawtenstall. Services are operated by a fleet of
Volvo B7RLE/
Wright Eclipse Urban
The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body that was built by Wrightbus between 1999 and 2019. The second-generation Eclipse 2 was launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister desig ...
single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone teal and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi, USB charging and audio-visual next stop announcements.
Lakeline
The Lakeline brand encompasses two services (457 and 458), which operate between
Littleborough and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via
Smallbridge. Services are operated by a fleet of
Wright Streetlite single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone blue and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Rochdale Runners
The Rochdale Runners brand encompasses a number of local services operating in and around the town of
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of
Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery.
Rossendale Rovers
Launched in January 2021, Rossendale Rovers is a brand encompassing a number of local services operating in and around the
Rossendale Valley
The Rossendale Valley is in the Rossendale area of Lancashire, England, between the West Pennine Moors and the main range of the Pennines. The area includes the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries (between Rawtenstall a ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of
Optare Solo single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery. Features include audio-visual next stop announcements.
Tottington Line
Tottington Line is the brand for service 469, which operates between
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
and
Tottington up to every 15 minutes, with a half-hourly service during the evening and on Sunday. The service is operated by a fleet of Wright Streetlite single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Trax
The Trax brand encompasses two services (467 and 468), which operate between
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via
Bamford at a combined half-hourly frequency. Services are operated by a fleet of Wright Streetlite single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone orange and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Fleet and operations
Depots
As of April 2022, the company operates from a single depot in
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
, as well as sharing
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
depot with
The Burnley Bus Company.
Vehicles
As of April 2022, the fleet consists of in the region of 100 buses. The fleet consists of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by
Alexander Dennis,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is a Northern Ireland based bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman ...
.
References
Sources
* Postlethwaite, H. (2007). ''Rossendale Transport: A Centenary Celebration 1907–2007''. Venture Publications. .
External links
*
Rossendale Transport Limitedon
Companies House
Rossowebsite
{{Transport in Greater Manchester
Bus operators in Greater Manchester
Bus operators in Lancashire
Borough of Rossendale
Transdev
Transport companies established in 1907
1907 establishments in England