A poster requested a detailing of UK Norths Wilmslow Road operations - I can't find a UKN thread, so I've started one.
As far as I remember
1995 - Recommenced operations as UKN (from Mybus). Initially on the 42 (Manchester - east Didsbury). Later, operating on the 46/47 as far as Southern Cemetery. Night time only (4-5pm - 3-4am). Fleet of atlanteans, often with the fuel for the night stored under the stairs.......
1999 - entry into daytime operations. Initially on the 42, then the 43 as far as West Didsbury. The 46/47 night service had been dropped by around this time, with the 43 running instead. Wholesale fleet change to mix of single and double deck DAFs, including 4 new deckers. Newer buses branded student shuttle, despite I think at the time not having a student fare, or a weekly ticket!
The 44 is also picked up under tender around this time, but doesn't last long as stagecoach eventually register commercially along Parrswood road.
2001 onwards- expansion including onto some non - wilmslow road routes, with introduction of secondhand titans and olympians .
- tender picked up for 43N in 2003? - at the time the 43 had no nightbus.
- various expansions of last buses. 42 to stockport, 41 to Altrincham (then running as an 11 nightbus)
2004 - licence reduced (or further expansion refused), GM Buses started operations early 2005.
2005 - massive expansion, weekly ticket £2
2006 - licence revoked
(01/02/2019 20:23)djb Wrote: [ -> ]A poster requested a detailing of UK Norths Wilmslow Road operations - I can't find a UKN thread, so I've started one.
As far as I remember
1995 - Recommenced operations as UKN (from Mybus). Initially on the 42 (Manchester - east Didsbury). Later, operating on the 46/47 as far as Southern Cemetery. Night time only (4-5pm - 3-4am). Fleet of atlanteans, often with the fuel for the night stored under the stairs.......
1999 - entry into daytime operations. Initially on the 42, then the 43 as far as West Didsbury. The 46/47 night service had been dropped by around this time, with the 43 running instead. Newer buses branded student shuttle, despite I think at the time not having a student fare, or a weekly ticket!
The 44 is also picked up under tender around this time, but doesn't last long as stagecoach eventually register commercially along Parrswood road.
2001 onwards- expansion including onto some non - wilmslow road routes, with introduction of secondhand titans and olympians .
- tender picked up for 43N in 2003? - at the time the 43 had no nightbus.
- various expansions of last buses. 42 to stockport, 41 to Altrincham (then running as an 11 nightbus)
2004 - licence reduced (or further expansion refused), GM Buses started operations early 2005.
2005 - massive expansion, weekly ticket £2
2006 - licence revoked
Pretty much right yes. They also picked up a large amount of gmpte tenders, mainly schools but one early contract I remember well was the 169 evening tender.
They also opetared some of the 2002 commenwealth games shuttles using the brand new DAFS and some hired in single deckers from Merseyside.
They had various run ins with the TC. An early one was when they were caught running buses on red diesel. They attempted various times to increase their VA but failed so in the end set up a new company GM Buses ltd and immediately doubled the number of disks they could use.
Pretty certain they ran a Saturday only 250 between Piccalilly and Trafford Centre around 98/99. I recall using it once and paying about £1 (I think - I know it was fairly cheap) and this was an Atlantean.
(01/02/2019 22:52)St Helens Rider Wrote: [ -> ]Pretty certain they ran a Saturday only 250 between Piccalilly and Trafford Centre around 98/99. I recall using it once and paying about £1 (I think - I know it was fairly cheap) and this was an Atlantean.
The commercial and night routes I recall them using in the UKN era were:
11N- Altrincham to Gatley?
41+41N
42+42N
43+43N
44
46N
47N
86 (to hardy lane) 86N
135
192N
201N
250
X10/X11 (Glossop to Trafford centre) I
They also ran multiple tenders and school services in the early 2000s
After GMB started, they commenced
85+86c
192 (I don’t recall them on the daytime 192 in the earlier years but I’m sure they must have)
Anyone got a full list of what they operated vehicle wise?
(02/02/2019 12:49)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]Anyone got a full list of what they operated vehicle wise?
I believe this was the fleet list on the shutdown day. 171 isn’t listed. I believe it was for L237 CCW, but I can’t remember why I left the gap rather than listing it- perhaps the vehicle hadn’t arrived yet or never made the road?
100 - M605RCP
101 - M630RCP
102 - M763 RCP
103 - M822 RCP
104 - M833 RCP
105 - M845 RCP
106 - P902PWW
107 - P909PWW
110 - R396 XDA
111 - R397 XDA
112 - T164 AUA
113 - W176CDN
114 - W177CDN
115 - W178CDN
116 - T510 APS
120 - L28WLH
121 - L29 WLH
122 - L32WLH
123 - L34 WLH
124 - L38 WLH
125 - L39 WLH
150 - L242CCK
151 - L407GDC
152 - L254CCK
153 - L701FWO
154 - L838CDG
155 - L840CDG
156 - L247CCK
157 - L401FVN
158 - L402FVN
159 - L403FVN
160 - L404FVN
161 - L410GPY
162 - L411GPY
163 - L412GPY
164 - L413KEF
165 - L414KEF
166 - L416KEF
167 - M418PVN
168 - M427RDC
169 - M431RDC
170 - M433RDC
171 - ? -
172 - L406GDC
173 - M423PVN
200 - P340ROO
201 - P344ROO
202 - P351ROO
203 - P352ROO
204 - R354XVX
205 - R356XVX
206 - R357XVX
207 - R359XVX
208 - P342ROO
209 - P346ROO
210 - P338ROO
211 - P349ROO
212 - P350ROO
213 - R370DJN
214 - R371DJN
215 - R368DJN
216 - R364DJN
217 - R365RJN
218 - R366DJN
219 - P341ROO
220 - R367DJN
221 - R369DJN
222 - R919 WOE
223 - R920WOE
224 - R941YOV
225 - R942YOV
226 - R943YOV
227 - R944YOV
290 - P317KTW
300 - V651LWT
301 - V652LWT
302 - V654LWT
303 - V655LWT
I remember them, cowboy operator sumes these up, most if not all the drivers were foreign nationals with no route knowledge of Manchester, drivers would have been on minimum wage too, caused chaos in central Manchester when they started on the Wilmslow Road corridor just before they were ordered to close, came to ahead after a fatal incident with a cherry picker, closed down soon after that, turned out th, drivers working longer periods without required rest days, the directors falsified the evidence, directors were jailed over it.
I’m sure the R-DJN Olympians went to Stotts in Oldham, I remember coming home from school in 2013 on mid-staircase ELC Pyoneer Olympians.
(05/02/2019 18:59)acocker96 Wrote: [ -> ]I’m sure the R-DJN Olympians went to Stotts in Oldham, I remember coming home from school in 2013 on mid-staircase ELC Pyoneer Olympians.
Everything bar the ALX dafs was auctioned off in the weeks after they ceased operations and stotts acquired a number of the east lancs pyoneer olympians at a very good price and brought them up to their higher standards over a number of months.
I have these with UK North at an earlier stage of their history (no fleet numbers were used on some of them):
GDB 176 N LdAN/NC
HJA 112 N LdAN/NC
ONF 695 R LdAN/NC
UNA 822 S LdAN/PR
UNA 829 S LdAN/PR
ANA 217 T LdAN/NC
MNC 504 W LdAN/NC
MNC 507 W LdAN/NC
MNC 512 W LdAN/NC
MNC 527 W LdAN/NC
MNC 528 W LdAN/NC
ORJ 371 W LdAN/NC
KYN 288 X LdTN/Ld
SND 449 X LdAN/NC
SND 454 X LdAN/NC
SND 473 X LdAN/NC
SND 506 X LdAN/NC
NUY 594 Y LdTN/Ld
NUY 663 Y LdTN/Ld
OHV 784 Y LdTN/Ld
A 680 HNB LdAN/NC
A 711 LNC LdAN/NC
A 823 SUL LdTN/Ld
F 332 FWW DAF/Oe
200 AEF 221 Y LdON/ECW
201 AEF 222 Y LdON/ECW
202 AEF 228 Y LdON/ECW
203 AEF 229 Y LdON/ECW
204 CEF 230 Y LdON/ECW
205 CWR 507 Y LdON/ECW
206 CWR 508 Y LdON/ECW
207 CWR 512 Y LdON/ECW
208 CWR 522 Y LdON/ECW
209 CWR 523 Y LdON/ECW
210 WDC 218 Y LdON/ECW
211 HSB 696 Y LdON/Roe
212 CUB 70 Y LdON/Roe
213 EWY 80 Y LdON/Roe
220 A 235 GHN LdON/ECW
230 B 183 BLG LdON/ECW
260 E 220 WBG LdON/Ar
261 E 230 WBG LdON/Ar
270 F 247 YTJ LdON/Ar
271 F 249 YTJ LdON/Ar
272 F 440 AKB LdON/NC
280 G 302 UYK LdON/Ld
281 G 305 UYK LdON/Ld
282 G 309 UYK LdON/Ld
283 G 310 UYK LdON/Ld