Hyndburn Transport

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

i know some of the drivers who worked for hyndburn transport still drive for transdev or whatever theyre called ...cos they still say hiya to me when i get on ...

It'll be interesting to speak to some of the drivers at some stage so I'll come back on that one if that's ok? And see if something can be arranged.

Thanks!

[ocuana1939]

I have a copy of Accrington's Public Transport 1886-1986 by Robert Rush. Includes fleets from 1928-1986, Bus Routes etc.
I also worked on the system in the 60s.
I suppose this information is available still but you are welcom if needed'

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by ocuana1939

I have a copy of Accrington's Public Transport 1886-1986 by Robert Rush. Includes fleets from 1928-1986, Bus Routes etc.
I also worked on the system in the 60s.
I suppose this information is available still but you are welcom if needed'

I do have a copy of the book thanks, but would be interested in more about your experiences of working for the business. The 60's are before the time I'm looking for for my research (after the change to Hyndburn in '74), but there are definitely things I would like to learn about life from the employees' angle.

Were you a driver? engineer? I would like to get some background on what it was like to work for the department - the attitudes to the vehicles (there were one or two unusual types I recall), to the management, to the working practices etc. I assume nothing much changed in those respects when things changed to Hyndburn?

Appreciate your reply and if there are any thoughts about your time there that you would like to share, they'd be most welcome.

[gynn]

I was involved in the sale of Hyndburn Transport to Stagecoach in 1996, Paul. From memory, the Council had been advised that a sale was inevitable, and we commissioned a study by KPMG to determine the way forward, how to go about selling the Company and how much it was worth. If you can get hold of a copy of the report from the Council, it might give you some valuable information.

I don't know what the rules on confidentiality are, because it was all treated with great secrecy at the time. With the passing of time, such secrecy may no longer be necessary. The Council legal team will be able to advise you, and a request under the freedom of information rules might be possible.

[shillelagh]

Originally Posted by Paul Savage

It'll be interesting to speak to some of the drivers at some stage so I'll come back on that one if that's ok? And see if something can be arranged.

Thanks!

i only know that because i worked in the early 90s for rossendale transport ... hyndburns competitors ... i know them by sight but dont ask me their names .. ive slept since then ...

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by gynn

I was involved in the sale of Hyndburn Transport to Stagecoach in 1996, Paul. From memory, the Council had been advised that a sale was inevitable, and we commissioned a study by KPMG to determine the way forward, how to go about selling the Company and how much it was worth. If you can get hold of a copy of the report from the Council, it might give you some valuable information.

I don't know what the rules on confidentiality are, because it was all treated with great secrecy at the time. With the passing of time, such secrecy may no longer be necessary. The Council legal team will be able to advise you, and a request under the freedom of information rules might be possible.

That should provide a good level of information if I can get hold of a copy. The Council have referred me to the library saying they don't have any archive records at all of Hyndburn Transport so possibly time to call in our local councillor to do some digging I think!!

I'll be visiting the library in the next few days to see what they have - may even have the report with a bit of luck. I have quite a lot of press cuttings from the sale period which give some indication of what seemed to be a somewhat unsettled process involving the likes of Blackpool Transport, Rossendale and ultimately, Stagecoach. Be interesting to fit the pieces together properly!

Thanks for the information - I really appreciate people taking the time to help.

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

i only know that because i worked in the early 90s for rossendale transport ... hyndburns competitors ... i know them by sight but dont ask me their names .. ive slept since then ...

No problem! I can take a look at the Transdev folk directly and see if I can find some ex Hyndburn guys to speak to, now I know there are still some around.

Thanks again.

[gynn]

Originally Posted by Paul Savage

The Council have referred me to the library saying they don't have any archive records at all of Hyndburn Transport so possibly time to call in our local councillor to do some digging I think!!

I'll be visiting the library in the next few days to see what they have - may even have the report with a bit of luck. I have quite a lot of press cuttings from the sale period which give some indication of what seemed to be a somewhat unsettled process involving the likes of Blackpool Transport, Rossendale and ultimately, Stagecoach. Be interesting to fit the pieces together properly!

The Council normally only keeps files for about 7 years, so asking for a file from 16 years ago was always going to be a long shot. I remember a meeting with Tony Depledge from Blackpool Transport, and we spoke to Blackburn and Rossendale. There was also another of the big name companies, a rival to Stagecoach, whose name escapes me.

The Stagecoach offer was the only one on the table, which was controversial because Stagecoach's reputation at that time was not good.

[Bob Dobson]

Suggesd you check the catalogue of Lancashire Archives on the web. Ask the library to check their stock on the computer. Go to the upstairs desk, not the ground floor. Ask for Kath or John who have the most knowledge of the stock.

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by Bob Dobson

Suggesd you check the catalogue of Lancashire Archives on the web. Ask the library to check their stock on the computer. Go to the upstairs desk, not the ground floor. Ask for Kath or John who have the most knowledge of the stock.

I'm starting with the library tomorrow, so thanks for the contact names Bob; and the web is starting to become my second home - although with limited results so far.

But the project has quickly become real and whilst I'm very experienced in market research, looking into this subject is really something of a learning curve. So I'm very grateful for all the input received so far. As for your previous comment of 'grandmother and eggs', one thing I've learned in life is that you're never too old to learn!

Thanks again.

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by gynn

The Council normally only keeps files for about 7 years, so asking for a file from 16 years ago was always going to be a long shot. I remember a meeting with Tony Depledge from Blackpool Transport, and we spoke to Blackburn and Rossendale. There was also another of the big name companies, a rival to Stagecoach, whose name escapes me.

The Stagecoach offer was the only one on the table, which was controversial because Stagecoach's reputation at that time was not good.

Yes, Stagecoach had a reputation for forcing Councils into selling - Lancaster and Darlington I think were two such examples. Interesting to see they have such a good reputation these days!

I'm chasing the library lead this week, so hoping they may be able to come up with the report - and Bob Dobson has passed on a couple of names there which may help. I will of course let you know how that goes.

Meantime, a big thanks for your interest and help, and if you do think of anything else ....... !!

[Bernard Dawson]

I was involved as a Councillor when the decision to sell was made. Deregulation as you mentioned was one of the main contributory factors in the decision to sell, as it was for Local Authorities up and down the Country. I know one or two Authorities managed to hang on to their bus fleets, but not many. It was essentially about being being able compete financially following deregulation . As for some of the information your after, there a few of the people who were involved at the time still knocking about. But unfortunately some of those who were closely involved, certainly at a member level are no longer with us. I'll make enquires and see what I can come up with.

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by Bernard Dawson

I was involved as a Councillor when the decision to sell was made. Deregulation as you mentioned was one of the main contributory factors in the decision to sell, as it was for Local Authorities up and down the Country. I know one or two Authorities managed to hang on to their bus fleets, but not many. It was essentially about being being able compete financially following deregulation . As for some of the information your after, there a few of the people who were involved at the time still knocking about. But unfortunately some of those who were closely involved, certainly at a member level are no longer with us. I'll make enquires and see what I can come up with.

Thankyou Bernard - that is greatly appreciated. Any information would be of great use. I am seeing that there were a lot of 'politics' around at the time and the final sale appears to have been a bit controversial, but I want to avoid being judgemental and make the story a readable piece which folk can relate to.

As you say, it was a sign of the times following deregulation and the interest will be in how Hyndburn tried to cope with this and hold on to the public transport operation until it became impossible.

[ocuana1939]

We started off working as a Conductor collecting fares and issuing tickets then iwas taught to drive the busses. I did know quite a few of the oldies. Dick Owens was quite a character. Charlie Bell was the Accrington Corporation Driving Instructor. The depot was in Ellison Street. I was gone by the late 60s due to going to Australia. A lot of intrigue "On The Buses" as I recall. What type of history are you looking for?

[Paul Savage]

Originally Posted by ocuana1939

We started off working as a Conductor collecting fares and issuing tickets then iwas taught to drive the busses. I did know quite a few of the oldies. Dick Owens was quite a character. Charlie Bell was the Accrington Corporation Driving Instructor. The depot was in Ellison Street. I was gone by the late 60s due to going to Australia. A lot of intrigue "On The Buses" as I recall. What type of history are you looking for?

Thanks for your message.

From an employee viewpoint, I'd like to find out what it was like to work for Hyndburn Transport. From the outside, it seemed like a generally decent operation, but how was it really for the workforce? Things like relationships with management, what passengers really thought of the service (I'm sure drivers picked up on this?), what did drivers think of the fleet and how it was looked after - it's the 'inside story' I need to paint a picture of the business rather than examples of 'on the road' experiences.

My overall aim is to tell the story of the last years of Hyndburn Transport; how it changed from a typical council owned business (this is where the background information comes in); how it dealt with the pressures of deregulation and increased competition and why it finally died. I want to include insight from employees and management, policies, hard data on the fleet and its developments - anything which will help put meat on bones.