I think there are a few reasons: scenic bus routes (which hulleys run quite a few of) attract enthusiasts; Hulleys have a habit of buying buses then getting rid not long after, so they have a lot of fleet changes to keep up with; they also have frequent timetable changes; the X57 Snake service brought a lot of attention to the company back in 2021 as it was very ambitious and linked 2 big cities together: they are notoriously unreliable so there is a lot to complain about
That's what 104 years of service gets you! Speaking personally since my interest in buses matured about 35 years ago the changes in the industry have been incredible....yet in a little corner of Derbyshire I could rely on seeing a blue and cream bus (until recently when it might be any colour or just not turn up!).
Yes, that would be fairly standard. If you fail to complete your shifts you are considered to have quit without notice which would mean you are no longer eligible for employee benefits like transfer opportunities (TUPE), redundancy etc (which the more controlled manner of the closure would suggest may actually appear). You can also find, in these circumstances where you are moving to an operator who will be replacing work so don't need you until the after your last scheduled day, that if you walk out before the completing your last shifts you lose your new job offer as you have shown yourself to be unreliable, as operators will be taking over work it is in their interests for services to continue until they take over so a driver leaving early damages them as well as their current employer.
More info: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/counc...-operators-to-take-on-7-supported-routes.aspx
The 257- is that the full timetable? It doesn't look like Linburg coach travel have many buses?
There have definitely been instances in other closures where drivers have turned up for work on a morning to find the gates locked and the owners scarpered.
This is something that was very confusing and I don't think I saw cleared up. Aside from the school / college runs, the 257 is commercial.
Depends on the outcome of the PI, but I can’t see DCC going for it.
Two big surprises in there for me - Andrews going back in to service work is a bit of a surprise (though geographically makes perfect sense), but Linburg likewise I honestly didn't see coming. Aside from schools work, I think the last time they operated any contracted work was the 505 (Sheffield - Millhouses Tesco) work which now sits with Stagecoach as part of the 6.
Agreed re the 257.
So much for the theory that it would represent a Stagecoach takeover of the area! While of course they may take on some of the commercial services, I wonder if they didn't bid for the rest, or were just undercut by the smaller operators?
From what I read on these pages, I would suggest that DCC only supported journeys on the 257 that ran via Bradwell. The timetable suggests these only run at school times to/from Hope College.
It won't have helped. Without guaranteed contract income they would find it hard to come by credit. It's probably fair to say that the removal of the contracts hastened their demise, but whether they would have survived much longer is doubtful.
Hardly unique to Hulleys! Stagecoach just pass complaints on to the depot and you never hear a thing back. It would be nice if there was a more visible way to track and monitor this.
Likely also the morning / afternoon runs to Lady Manners in Bakewell.
It’s normally a condition of contract though that complaints from passengers are dealt with at operator level.
Have to say I'm extremely surprised that the receivers would allow any such event to go ahead but it would suggest that not all drivers are as annoyed as previously suggested and at least some good will remains.
In a world where the major groups dominate bus services, in a small corner of England, a small independent has provided services for over 100 years. I live probably about 150 miles from the Peak District, but I know of them, and have seen them when I visited the area. There are a handful of small independents which I like to follow or have followed - Western Greyhound, PSV Southdown, Go-Coach etc, and Hulleys was another. Maybe it's their quirkiness, their entrepreneurial spirit, their resilience, but whatever it is, their loss will be missed. I wish the staff well.
Which livery is that exactly? From memory the Solos are in at least three different colour schemes. 4, 10 and 13 are in the blue and cream, 6, 25 and 28 are in blue and yellow, and 9 is in a special livery for the 110/111 service.
Blue and cream. Not having been in the area for a few years now, I was unaware of the other liveries.
If anyone registering the remaining commercial element included the school journeys in their registration, would the council then have to cease the contract with Linburg due to the contract then replicating a commercial service, therefore leaving the commercial operator to have them to themselves and therefore helping the rest of the route's viability?
Yes, if a commercial registration is put over a tendered provision that would usually see the tendered elements removed.
Indeed this was the case when Lynx took on the work of Stagecoach in Kings Lynn back in 2018. They recruited sufficient Stagecoach drivers and Julian Patterson made clear to them 'stay there until the close of operations, and then come over to us. You have a job here waiting for you after that date.'
It would though depend on whether the Education Authority would agree to purchase season tickets for eligible pupils and whether the timetable suits the needs of the pupils. In my area, the Council does not purchase separate scholars tickets on contracted routes, the conditions of contract specifying pupils be carried free of charge.
Indeed - there was very much an expectation that it would go to the existing players, but this seems unexpected. Is it known for how long these tenders are? (i.e. are they a few months, a year, etc.?) It may be possible to do a lot with hired vehicles if it's for less than a year, for example. I certainly recall seeing Andrews in my second-hand Peak District Timetable book from the 90-00s, but can't recall much "bus bus" work from Linburg.
Which is why the small operators get squeezed out. Maybe this is why Hulleys fascinated so many people, there being few left. Even in the world of franchising, tenders are being won by the big boys and from the council's point of view I can understand why.
This does raise another question though - Hulleys sold scholar passes. I can't recall if they are per term or for the full year, but I wonder if whoever takes over will honour them? And also offer a similar deal in the future.
It's often the way in these situations that operators honour existing passes until expiry. Although, not always done.
