Skipton bus station explained
Skipton bus station serves the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the town centre, just off Keighley Road, and has eight stands. The main bus operators are Transdev Blazefield (operating as the Keighley Bus Company), Burnley Bus Company, Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire and Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire. Services that are not sustainable on a commercial level are provided by North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) minibuses.[3]
National Express and Megabus also serve the bus station.[4] [5] Previously, Pride of the Dales,[6] Pennine Motor Services[7] and First Leeds operated services here.
History
The original bus station was opened on 8 May 1950;[8] it was named after Waller Hill Beck that runs underneath it.[9]
A replacement was built on the same site, which opened in January 2009;[10] North Yorkshire County Council and Craven District Council invested £1.2 million in the facility.[11] [12]
Services
Skipton bus station is currently served by multiple routes and operators:[13]
- Routes 12, 14, 16, 16A, 72A, 73, 78A, 210 and 211 serve the bus station and operate to local areas such as Embsay and Malham. These routes are operated by North Yorkshire County Council, using minibuses.
- Service M6 is operated by Burnley Bus Company; this replaced the short lived Pendle Wizz, itself a replacement for service X43. The service is operated using a fleet of Optare Versa vehicles and connects Skipton with Barnoldswick, Colne, Nelson and Burnley.
- Services 64 and 66 connect Skipton with Ilkley and Keighley respectively; both of these services are operated by Keighley Bus Company. Service 64 was launched as the replacement for service 784. The 784 was first operated by First Leeds during the pandemic, but transferred to Yorkshire Coastliner in late 2020. The service was the replacement for service X84 which now runs between Leeds and Ilkley. The 66 is usually operated using a dedicated fleet of Wright Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs which transferred from Burnley Bus Company in 2021. The first vehicles dedicated to the service were a fleet of Optare Versas, which were new in 2016; these vehicles are now used on Flyer services from Leeds Bradford Airport which do not serve Skipton.
- Service 72, also operated by Keighley Bus Company, connects the town with the Grassington Yorkshire Dales National Park Centre;t is usually operated using an Optare Solo SR.
- The town's only 7-day bus link to a city is service 280 which is operated by Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire and connects the town with Earby, Barnoldswick, Clitheroe and Preston. The service used to operate to Southport before being cut back to Preston. The service would transfer from Transdev Lancashire United to Preston Bus, before passing to Stagecoach in 2019.
- Services 580 connects Skipton with Gargrave, Hellifield, Long Preston and Settle. Some buses work through to Kirkby Lonsdale and Lancaster, albeit with route number changes to 581, then 81 or 82. Refer to DalesBus website for times etc.
- On Saturdays, Harrogate Bus Company operates service 59 which connects the town with Harrogate; this is a DalesBus contract intended to replace service X59 which used to connect the towns. (Service suspended from 16 March 2023 due to the A59 road being closed at Kex Gill.) [14]
- On Sundays, Skipton is also served by service 864, which connects the town with Ilkley, Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford. Service 873 runs through the local villages and also connects the town to Ilkley.
Notes and References
- https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/bus-timetables – search for Skipton
- picture of old bus station on same site https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Pennine_Motors_coaches_in_Waller_Hill_bus_station_Skipton%2C_North_Yorkshire_30_May_1990.jpg
- Web site: Council. North Yorkshire County. 21 November 2018. Fleet Services to keep bus services running. 4 October 2020. North Yorkshire County Council. en-GB. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315231741/https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/article/fleet-services-keep-bus-services-running. live.
- Web site: Skipton bus station open. 21 January 2009. North Yorkshire County Council. 3 May 2010. 10 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101210041803/http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9227. live.
- Web site: Stagecoach expands megabus.com services. busandcoach.com. 9 November 2011. 26 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120512110257/http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=5348&categoryid=0. 12 May 2012.
- Web site: Pride of the Dales – keeping dales communities on the move.. 4 October 2020. Craven Herald. en. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315231737/https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/16139648.pride-dales---keeping-dales-communities-move/. live.
- Web site: Craven and Valley Life. 6 August 2014. The Last Bus Ever. 4 October 2020. Craven and Valley Life. en-US. 17 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220817201650/https://www.cravenandvalleylifemagazine.co.uk/last-bus-ever. live.
- News: 9 May 1950. £16,500 bus station is opened at Skipton. 5. Bradford Observer. 28 July 2021.
- timetableworld.com. look for bus timetables, then West Yorkshire Road Car, find a timetable with Skipton on it. The beck name (Beck = local name for stream) is visible on OSGB maps, which you can view free at streetmap.co.uk
- News: Bus station opening put back. Sutcliffe . Robert . 23 December 2008 . Yorkshire Post. 3 May 2010.
- News: Go-ahead for bus station. Speak. Jenny. 6 June 2008. Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 3 May 2010. A £1.2 million plan to revamp Skipton's rundown bus station has been given the go-ahead.. 30 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120930002731/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/2325788.goahead_for_bus_station/. live.
- News: Skipton bus station delay but parking is free. 28 December 2008. Craven Herald. The bus station revamp has cost £1.2 million and has been a joint project with Craven District Council, which owns the site.. 3 May 2010. 24 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724134605/http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/3999642.Skipton_bus_station_delay_but_parking_is_free/. live.
- Web site: Stops in Skipton . Bus Times . 2023 . 28 August 2023 .
- https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate/network-changes/90aa5d50-b242-4740-bf0f-4fe83296f965
