Throwing a Six to start

Today we started our new service 6 operating between Grange Park Estate and Blackpool Town Centre, via Layton, every 15 minutes. The service represents an interesting throwback to earlier years when service 6, operated by Blackpool Transport, ran to Grange Park - although its ancestry owes more to Mereside estate than Grange Park.
Our new 6 operates 07:25 to 17:10 from Grange Park with the last departure from Blackpool Town Centre departing at 17:35. Unlike almost all BTS services operated from Grange Park over the last generation or so, our service 6 provides a more direct link into Blackpool, operating along Talbot Road as opposed to either Caunce Street (BTS 11) or via Victoria Hospital & Newton Drive (BTS 2A).

356 was the first bus to depart from Grange Park on the new service 6. The bus is depicted here in poor winter light.
 

Service 12 has now finished for the winter after a busy summer and open tops 69 & 326 are back in store. In other fleet news, 617 (X617JCS) entered service on 12s last week.


617 finally entered service on 30 October after passing its MoT and having been treated to a repaint in Catch22Bus fleet livery earlier in the year.