• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

M & M Coaches

Status
Not open for further replies.

SCH117X

Established Member
Joined
27 Nov 2015
Messages
1,543
Another one to cease operations

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.u...truggling_Accrington_bus_firm_after_40_years/

A BUS company which has been in Accrington for around 40 years will end its services tomorrow.

M & M Coaches, in Craven Street, has announced that after a poor few years of business it will stop running buses around East Lancashire.

All 30 members of staff, drivers and the support team have been forced to find alternative work.

Transport manager Bob Tuffnell, who has worked for M & M Coaches for 19 years, said: “I’m gutted. We have been hit big by charges on bus departures, operator fees, changes in regulations that are coming through, along with the fact we just can’t afford to keep running anymore.

“I feel that the government have realised that they should never have privatised the bus industry and now they are trying to find a way back.”

The bus company provides nine services throughout East Lancashire...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Stan Drews

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2013
Messages
1,569
Are they the company who ran some morning minibuses from Accrington to Clitheroe on the 231 service?

Yes, that was one of their services. The majority of their services were still operated by step entrance minibuses, despite the DDA regulations, because they removed some seating to make them under the 22 seat threshold.
 

NorthernSpirit

Established Member
Joined
21 Jun 2013
Messages
2,184
I do believe that they also ran the Accy town service. Makes you wonder if they didn't have the funds to replace their step entrance Beevers.
 

Stan Drews

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2013
Messages
1,569
I do believe that they also ran the Accy town service. Makes you wonder if they didn't have the funds to replace their step entrance Beevers.

I think that was just one of many problems they were facing.
They were at a Public Inquiry earlier in the year, which has never been concluded, which normally indicates they were given a period of time to address whatever the issues were - financial/maintenance/reliability. It's quite possible that period had elapsed, and potential for action was close?
Also strong suggestions that a large tax bill was due to be paid by today, so if true, that could indicate a winding up order was imminent.
I'm not aware they had any DDA compliant vehicles, and I believe DVSA had been monitoring in the area relatively recently, so once again they may have realised the time was up on their 'loop-hole'?
It really was an operator at the very bottom of the scale as far as quality was concerned. However, they had nice cheery chappy regular drivers that knew their punters, so that probably helped with public perception.
None of the areas they served is far from an alternative route, so only those who aren't able to walk those relatively short distances are likely to suffer - and that other quality operator in the area -Pilki's - is reportedly taking on some of the routes anyway.
 

Andyh82

Established Member
Joined
19 May 2014
Messages
3,489
They had started introducing MPDs and Solos to the fleet, but more than half were still beavers (and Alexander AM/ALX100 etc)

They used to operate a driver has a bus all day policy so if you were in Accrington around lunchtime thee would be a line up of 10 beavers all parked up behind each other on the back street behind the old bus station as the drivers had their lunch.
 

SCH117X

Established Member
Joined
27 Nov 2015
Messages
1,543
So blaming the charges at Accrington bus station was probably a cover story.
 

randyrippley

Established Member
Joined
21 Feb 2016
Messages
5,082
So blaming the charges at Accrington bus station was probably a cover story.

If you are referring to the interview in the Accrington Observer with Lancashire County Councillor Gareth Molineux, then based on past history you should take any comments he makes to be dosed with a high probability of alternative versions of truth.
 

ARN556B

Member
Joined
12 Aug 2013
Messages
30
Location
Morecambe
Details as shown in N & P's

Public Inquiry (51834) held at The Public Inquiry Room, Suite 4, Stone Cross Place, Stone Cross Lane North, Golborne, Warrington, WA3 2SH on 11 February 2016 at 10:30(Previous Publication:(2729)
)PC1104629 SI
M & M COACHES LTD
Director(s): ROBINA IQBAL, MOHAMMED IQBAL. DEPOT, CROWN STREET , ACCRINGTON BB5 0RW
PSV - S17 - Licence revoked with effect from 27 September 2016.
 

randyrippley

Established Member
Joined
21 Feb 2016
Messages
5,082
Any chance of M&M getting back into business probably just went out the window.
Some local youths just had a smashing time in the depot.......
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.u...depot_and_take_coach_for__car_park_joyride_/#

"POLICE have released CCTV footage of the moment two youths broke into coach depot in Accrington, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The two suspects went on a rampage in the coach car park, breaking into the vehicles and ramming them into each other."
 

Mugby

Established Member
Joined
25 Nov 2012
Messages
1,917
Location
Derby
If their licence was revoked with effect from last September, have these vehicles been standing in a yard, apparently serviceable, ever since?
 

the101

Member
Joined
16 Jun 2015
Messages
325
If their licence was revoked with effect from last September, have these vehicles been standing in a yard, apparently serviceable, ever since?
Presumably so, although you would imagine that at least one or two no longer have MoTs.

I am always surprised to read stories where someone with presumably no experience of driving a bus has managed to get one started, get a gear and make it move. Years ago Crosville at Chester had an occasional problem with one of theirs going walkabout late at night and being abandoned several miles away. In the end the guilty party was someone who had rather more experience with buses than may have been expected.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top