Transdev Blazefield

Stan Drews · 3 Nov 2019

njlawley said:
I've always found it odd that they were two separate companies, right from the very beginning. Even if they wanted figures separate, all that needs to be done is for each area to be a separate "cost centre", and everything could even be on two licenses (one for each TC area).

What’s odd about them being two separate companies, as that’s exactly what they were. Rest assured each depot within any of the larger organisations will have its own cost centre and relevant depot accounts. That isn’t really relevant to the ultimate legal identity or wider group accounting, but more to do with effective management of the depot performance.

RailUK Forums

radamfi · 3 Nov 2019

GM Buses used the Rochdale Weaver branding for minibus services in 1986 but that was short-lived and replaced by a more generic Little Gem which was used throughout GM. But even that was gone within a few years and minibuses were painted in plain orange without a separate branding from double decks.

RustySpoons · 3 Nov 2019

Alexbus12 said:
... Cringe, then again, not as bad as the Trax name.. Could someone explain what Trax is actually meant to symbolise.

Apparently 'Trax' is supposed to be a nod to the East Lancs Railway...

Rochdale Runners does seem a bit tacky to me though.

Alexbus12 · 3 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Does it have to symbolise anything? Top 10 retail brands in the UK do include things that are readily apparent - Dairy Milk or McVities but what do Kit Kat or Lego actually "symbolise"?

It doesn't have to be the Rochdale and District Automobile Service Co to be effective marketing.

Well considering practically every other brand they have seems to symbolise something in the local community, or the route they're running, I had thought this may have too...

Alexbus12 · 3 Nov 2019

RustySpoons said:
Apparently 'Trax' is supposed to be a nod to the East Lancs Railway...

Rochdale Runners does seem a bit tacky to me though.

I appreciate the reply, thanks.

TheGrandWazoo · 3 Nov 2019

Alexbus12 said:
Well considering practically every other brand they have seems to symbolise something in the local community, or the route they're running, I had thought this may have too...

Hotline? The Shuttle? Cityzap?

Alexbus12 · 3 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Hotline? The Shuttle? Cityzap?

Oh I do apologise, I should have said there are a lot of routes with brands that have relevance in the local area.

TheGrandWazoo · 3 Nov 2019

Yeah, and as I said, there's examples in the retail world of brands that have specific relevance (like Dairy Milk chocolate) and more abstract ones (like Kit Kat). Same goes for bus brands so for every Brontebus or WitchWay or Leeds City or Nimrod, there's a CityZap or Comet (Derbyshire/Herts) or Excel (North Somerset) or Kingfisher (Potteries).

Alexbus12 · 3 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Yeah, and as I said, there's examples in the retail world of brands that have specific relevance (like Dairy Milk chocolate) and more abstract ones (like Kit Kat). Same goes for bus brands so for every Brontebus or WitchWay or Leeds City or Nimrod, there's a CityZap or Comet (Derbyshire/Herts) or Excel (North Somerset) or Kingfisher (Potteries).

....ok

Stan Drews · 3 Nov 2019

Just wait until the Bury B...s brand is released to the wider world!

TheGrandWazoo · 3 Nov 2019

Stan Drews said:
Just wait until the Bury B...s brand is released to the wider world!

Is it inspired by Steve Dale (former Bury FC owner)?

markymark2000 · 3 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Hotline? The Shuttle? Cityzap?

In fairness, CityZap. Leeds and York are cities and your 'zap' between them on a Fast bus....

The others I can't help with.

RustySpoons · 3 Nov 2019

markymark2000 said:
In fairness, CityZap. Leeds and York are cities and your 'zap' between them on a Fast bus....

The others I can't help with.

A fair few years ago it was known as Shuttle 662 - I think it was the original brand/livery worn by the current 'Shuttles' when they were new, long before their refurbs.

Hotline is pretty irrelevant. It was nothing much more than a repaint, nothing hot about it! The buses are pretty much the same spec as they were when they ran on the Witch Way, except they now have WiFi.

TheGrandWazoo · 3 Nov 2019

markymark2000 said:
In fairness, CityZap. Leeds and York are cities and your 'zap' between them on a Fast bus....

The others I can't help with.

More a response to this...

Alexbus12 said:
symbolise something in the local community, or the route they're running

.... so whilst you’re right, it’s not symbolising something local (like WitchWay) nor the route (like the 464).

Bus brands, or any brands, don’t have to be literal! Christ, we had years of Western National being a contradiction in terms

Andyh82 · 3 Nov 2019

RustySpoons said:
A fair few years ago it was known as Shuttle 662 - I think it was the original brand/livery worn by the current 'Shuttles' when they were new, long before their refurbs.

It started back in Blazefield days as the ‘Airedale Shuttle’

RustySpoons · 4 Nov 2019

Andyh82 said:
It started back in Blazefield days as the ‘Airedale Shuttle’

Cheers for the accurate info Andy.

njlawley · 4 Nov 2019

Stan Drews said:
What’s odd about them being two separate companies, as that’s exactly what they were.

Only because they were part of a single company - i.e. Stagecoach Ribble.

TheGrandWazoo · 4 Nov 2019

njlawley said:
Only because they were part of a single company - i.e. Stagecoach Ribble.

Ah but were they?

Was Burnley and Pendle absorbed into Ribble? I confess I can’t remember.

TheGrandWazoo · 4 Nov 2019

Andyh82 said:
It started back in Blazefield days as the ‘Airedale Shuttle’

Indeed it was in the later days of the big K livery. However, it has been just Shuttle for a good few years?

Tetchytyke · 4 Nov 2019

Stan Drews said:
Just wait until the Bury B...s brand is released to the wider world!

I'm waiting for the Burnley Dingles brand :lol:

TheGrandWazoo · 4 Nov 2019

Tetchytyke said:
I'm waiting for the Burnley Dingles brand

...more importantly, why are you now tetchy?

njlawley · 4 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Ah but were they?

Was Burnley and Pendle absorbed into Ribble? I confess I can’t remember.

It was. I think it was originally just a trading name of Stagecoach Ribble, but in later days it was certainly ditched in favour of one pan-Lancashire fleet name.

TheGrandWazoo · 4 Nov 2019

njlawley said:
It was. I think it was originally just a trading name of Stagecoach Ribble, but in later days it was certainly ditched in favour of one pan-Lancashire fleet name.

I was thinking legally?

Certainly when sold to Blazefield, B&P and LU were separate legal entities from the start. Was thinking that there may have been some separation if one set of drivers had better terms than others.

Stan Drews · 4 Nov 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
I was thinking legally?

Certainly when sold to Blazefield, B&P and LU were separate legal entities from the start. Was thinking that there may have been some separation if one set of drivers had better terms than others.

Yep, always been separate entities. I think some people are getting confused by trading names.
With regard to Ribble and B&P, it was more of a case that Ribble was integrated into B&P.

SCH117X · 5 Nov 2019

The Rochdale Runners are, or at least the first two are, c 10 year old Enviro 200s - MX59 AVB and YX10 BFA

duncombec · 5 Nov 2019

RustySpoons said:
A fair few years ago it was known as Shuttle 662 - I think it was the original brand/livery worn by the current 'Shuttles' when they were new, long before their refurbs.

Hotline is pretty irrelevant. It was nothing much more than a repaint, nothing hot about it! The buses are pretty much the same spec as they were when they ran on the Witch Way, except they now have WiFi.

I can't find any evidence now, but was there not some play on words between the fact it "shuttles" backwards and forwards regularly, and the "shuttle" of a loom, making reference (among others) to Salt's Mill?

RustySpoons · 24 Nov 2019

There's a lot of talk going round of both the RedEx and the Red4 being withdrawn in January, none of which has been denied by Transdev despite people asking. There are changes being finalised for January that will 'see some new links and other alterations' according to AH. I can see both the RedEx and Red4 disappearing, merging or rerouting...

Alexbus12 · 24 Nov 2019

RustySpoons said:
There's a lot of talk going round of both the RedEx and the Red4 being withdrawn in January, none of which has been denied by Transdev despite people asking. There are changes being finalised for January that will 'see some new links and other alterations' according to AH. I can see both the RedEx and Red4 disappearing, merging or rerouting...

#Amazing

Deerfold · 24 Nov 2019

It's been a while since Transdev tried anything innovative. It's been back to cuts for some time.

RustySpoons · 24 Nov 2019

Deerfold said:
It's been a while since Transdev tried anything innovative. It's been back to cuts for some time.

Can't disagree. Blazefield really did move the game on in the 2000s, they really did stand out amongst the competition. Transdev just seem to be as good as the competition, rather than leading it.

Transdev Blazefield

Established Member

RailUK Forums

Established Member

Member

Member

Member

Veteran Member

Member

Veteran Member

Member

Established Member

Veteran Member

On Moderation

Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Member

Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Member

Veteran Member

Established Member

Established Member

Member

Member

Member

Veteran Member

Member