Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire has reported a good turnout of spectators on Sunday 14 September to view a parade of historic buses that marked the centenary of its 555 service in the Lake District.
That saw four restored members of the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust fleet run along the Lancaster to Keswick route accompanied by one of the Alexander Dennis Enviro400s that were delivered to the operator in 2023.
Members of the public were able to view the parade and board vehicles during stops in Kendal, Grasmere, Thirlmere and Keswick. Stagecoach follows various previous operators as custodian of the 555, which was launched as the Westmorland Main Service in 1925. It now carries around one million customers per year.
Vehicles joining the Enviro400 were a 1965 Leyland Leopard with Weymann bodywork; a 1962 Leyland PD3 with Metro-Cammell body; a 1976 Leyland Atlantean with Park Royal bodywork; and a 1996 Volvo B10M with Alexander PS body. All have been restored by the Trust.
Speaking about the successful day, Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire Managing Director Tom Waterhouse says: “It has been absolutely fantastic. I have been really taken aback by how many people have come out on the route taking photographs and waving at the drivers. It has been special.
“It is important that when we have iconic routes like the 555, which has served communities in this part of the world for over a century, we actually celebrate that fact and the staff who over those 100 years have operated the route and served local communities.”
Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust Company Secretary Lance Jobson adds that the Trust is not a static museum but seeks to restore vehicles “to bring that moving piece of history back to people.”
He continues: “We come to events like this where we take the vehicles out and showcase them to the public. People love it, and they really enjoy getting on an old vehicle.”
