| logo | |
| image An Avon Buses Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart with MCV Evolution bodywork in Ness Gardens, Cheshire | |
| Founded | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | North Cheshire Trading Estate, Prenton, Wirral |
| Service area | Merseyside & Cheshire |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | Contracts & Commercial |
| Hubs | West Kirby, Birkenhead, Arrowe Park Hospital, Heswall, Chester, Crosby, Clatterbridge Hospital |
| Fleet | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Primo |
Avon Buses is the largest independent commercial bus operating company on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Based in Prenton, Merseyside,[1] the company has an all-single deck fleet of about 38 vehicles as of May 2011, all of them low-floor.
History
Avon Minis, as the company was originally known, was founded in August 1981 by present proprietor Larry Smith. By 1995 it had six buses and ran mostly school contracts plus one local route. The newest buses were two Leyland Titans.[2]
Since then the company has undergone radical changes from operating School contacts to local commercial services. The business has expanded with services starting in Crosby, Fazakerley and their former outstation in Bootle. A name change to Avon Buses was made in late 2004/2005.
Avon Buses took over former Arriva North West routes 421 & 422, renumbering them to 22 and 22A. Avon then decided to renumber service 22A to 24 so it would not confuse its passengers with Helms Coaches service 23. They also took over five other groups of routes at the same time. After Helms Coaches service was withdrawn earlier this year Avon Buses decided not to up the frequency of routes 22 and 24 but add an additional Sunday 23 service from Heswall to Chester Bus Exchange, which was eventually withdrawn in April 2011.[citation needed]
Operations
The company operates mainly commercial local bus services, primarily on the Wirral,[3] including two to Chester. One commercial service is also operated on the opposite side of the Mersey, between Fazakerley and Crosby. A few tendered services are operated in the early mornings, evenings, and Sundays.
Much of Avon Buses' expansion in recent years has come from commercialising tendered services.
Services
Services operated as of June 2017:
| No. | From | To | Via | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | New Brighton | Arrowe Park Hospital | Liscard, Claughton, Noctorum, Upton and Arrowe Park Hospital | Monday-Saturday Daytime |
| 10A | New Brighton | New Brighton | Liscard, Claughton and Arrowe Park Hospital. | Monday-Saturday |
| 16/16A | Moreton Cross | Clatterbridge Hospital | Manor Drive, Arrowe Park Hospital | Monday-Friday Daytime
Saturday services operated by Arriva |
| 17/17A | Moreton Cross | Clatterbridge Hospital | Saughall Massie, Arrowe Park Hospital | Monday-Friday Daytime
Saturday services operated by Arriva |
| 18 | Birkenhead Bus Station | Town Meadow Lane | Claughton, Bidston, Sandbrook Estate, Moreton Cross | One single am Journey extends from Birkenhead to Liverpool |
| 22 | Moreton Cross | Chester Bus Exchange | Newton, Greasby, Arrowe Park Hospital, Heswall, Parkgate, Neston, Willaston, Mollington | Rereouted to serve Arrowe Park and Arrowe Brook Road replacing withdrawn daytime 83 (September 2016) |
| 30 | Liverpool ONE | Dingle | Toxteth | New Merseytravel service to be taken over from Stagecoach from July 2017 |
| 57 | Liverpool | Netherton | Bootle Strand, Litherland | |
| 77 77A |
Woodside Bus Station | West Kirby | Birkenhead, Tranmere, Storeton, Heswall, Thurstaston, Caldy | |
| 80 | West Kirby | Newton Circular | Frankby | |
| 81 | Woodside Bus Station | Greasby Village | Saturdays Only. | |
| 82 | West Kirby | Caldy Circular | ||
| 83 | Liverpool | Prenton Dell | Birkenhead Bus Station, Prenton Hall Road | |
| 83A | Birkenhead Bus Station | West Kirby | Prenton Hall Road, Arrowe Park Hospital, Moreotn Cross | Monday - Friday Only. |
| 84 | Clatterbridge Hospital | Mill Park | Spital, Bromborough | Through journeys possible with Route 85. |
| 85 | Heswall | Mill Park | Brimstage, Thornton Hough, Raby, Clatterbridge Hospital | Through journeys possible with Route 84. |
| 88 | Heswall or Neston | West Kirby | Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Gayton, Parkgate | Some evening and all Sunday services extend from Heswall to Parkgate (23rd April 2017) |
| 88A | Heswall | West Kirby | Newton, Greasby,Thurstaston Cross, Heswall | Five journeys Monday - Saturday |
| 90 | Woodside Bus Station | Prenton | Birkenhead, Oxton | Circular service. |
| 91
92 |
Birkenhead Bus Station | Claughton Circular | Singleton Avenue, Holm Lane, Oxton, Claughton | New service replacing withdrawn routes 12 & 93 (23rd January 2017) |
| 103 | Waterloo Station | Liverpool ONE Bus Station | Millers Bridge, Great Howard Street | New service replacing withdrawn Merseytravel route 103 (23rd April 2017) |
| 107 | Town Meadow Lane | New Brighton | Leasowe, Wallasey Village, Liscard Village | One single am Merseytravel service |
| 122 | Crosby | Fazakerley | Netherton, Black Bull | Monday - Friday commercial service |
| 135
235 |
Dingle Mount | Netherton, Magdalene Square | Liverpool ONE, Bootle Strand, Oxford Road(135), Hawthorne Road(235), Netherton Way | Commercial daytime service, journeys extended from Bootle to Dingle From 23rd April 2017 |
| 135 | Bootle | Aintree Station | Bootle Strand, Oxford Road, Walton Vale | Evening and Sunday service |
| 144 | Bootle | Netherton, Magdalene Square | Seaforth, Litherland, Ford | Monday - Saturday daytime commercial service. Evening and Sundays Merseytavel service |
| 159 | Bootle | Fazakerley | Seaforth, Netherton Magdalene Square, Old Roan | Evening and Sunday service, daytime service operated by HTL |
| 164 | Woodside Ferry Terminal | New Ferry, Shorefields | Borough Road, New Ferry | Merseytravel service. Monday - Sunday evening journeys. |
| 164 | Belle Vale | Belle Vale Circular | TBC | New commercial service to start July 2017 |
| 202 | Dingle Mount | Broadgreen Hospital | Liverpool Womens Hospital, Lawrence Road, Alder Hey Hospital | Commercial daytime service, runs in one direction only. |
| 203 | Woodside Ferry Terminal | Seacombe Ferry | Birkenhead, Arrowe Park Hospital, Moreton Cross, Wallasey Village, Liscard Village | Merseytravel service running on Sunday mornings only. |
| 204 | Dingle Mount | Broadgreen Hospital | Liverpool Womens Hospital, Smithdown Road, Alder Hey Hospital | Commercial daytime service, runs in both directions. |
| 207 | Woodside Ferry Terminal | New Brighton | Larid Street, Moreton, Leasowe, Wallasey Village, Liscard Village | One am Merseytravel service |
| 208 | New Brighton | Woodside or Town Meadow Lane | Liscard Village, Wallasey Village, Leasowe, Town Meadow Lane, Laird Street | Four am Merseytravel service |
| 293 | Woodside Ferry Terminal | West Kirby | Birkenhead, Noctorum, Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Greasby, Newton | Merseytravel service. Evening and Sunday service. |
| 411 | Woodside Ferry Terminal | New Brighton | Birkenhead, Birkenhead Park, Seacombe Ferry | Merseytravel evening service. Daytime service operated by Arriva North West. |
| 492 495 |
Woodside Bus Station | Woodside | Birkenhead - Beechwood/Noctorum Circle | Merseytravel service. Circular service. Evening and Sunday service. Daytime service operated by Arriva North West. |
| 613
618 628 649 650 652 698 711 |
Various School Services | Various Locations | Some of these school journeys are either operated commercially or contracted to Merseytravel | |
| C5 | Dingle Mount | Royal Liverpool Hospital | Toxteth | One single Merseytravel service to be taken over from Cumfybus from July 2017 |
| X22 | West Kirby | Chester | Heswall, Neston, Parkgate | One single Monday - Friday service |
Fleet
The bulk of the fleet consists of Dennis Dart SLF and more recently Alexander Dennis Dart 4 chassis with a mixture of bodywork: East Lancs Spryte, Plaxton Pointer, Plaxton Pointer 2, MCV Evolution and Enviro 200. There is a solitary remaining Plaxton Primo. Recently added to Avons fleet are two Plaxton Presidents registered Y173 NLK and Y174 NLk along with two ex First ALX 400's registered W742 DWX and W757 DWX which both feature leather seating.
Low-floor buses started arriving in the fleet in 1997, the first being a Dennis Dart with an East Lancs Spryte body (R54OCK). The low-floor fleet grew rapidly with more new Dennis Darts being joined by a number of Dennis Lances with Berkhof bodies and a larger number of Marshall minibus integrals. The fleet now is 100% low-floor, the last step-entrance vehicle in the fleet was a Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer bodywork which came from Stagecoach (N63KBW).
Livery
All vehicles are painted in a livery of cream with blue skirt and black around the windows.
Early 2016 Avon featured a new livery on four newly acuired Enviro 200's.
Gallery
See also
References
- ↑ VOSA - Operator search details for licence
- ↑ Brown, Stewart J (November 1995). Buses in Britain 2: The Mid Nineties. Capital Transport, 87. ISBN 1-85414-181-3.
- ↑ Wirral Bus Companies - all bus companies operating on Wirral!
External links
Template:Commons category
Template:Bus companies in North West England