Blackburn Bus Company boosts night-time economy with new evening journeys

Credit: Transdev

In a bid to enhance the night-time economy and provide improved travel options, The Blackburn Bus Company, an East Lancashire bus operator, has announced that it is set to launch new evening journeys on its popular routes. Commencing from 7 January 2024, the initiative aims to foster increased connectivity and reliability for night owls heading to Blackburn town centre.

Working in collaboration with Lancashire County Council, The Blackburn Bus Company is introducing a series of changes to circular routes 6 and 7, connecting Accrington with Blackburn via Great Harwood or Oswaldtwistle. Notable enhancements include the introduction of a new later Monday to Saturday evening journey on route 6, departing Blackburn Bus Station at 23:03 and travelling through Rishton, Great Harwood, Clayton-le-Moors and Accrington.

Sunday evenings will witness the addition of new journeys departing Blackburn towards Great Harwood and Accrington every hour from 19:03 until 23:03. Similarly, services from Accrington will run from 18:38 and every hour until 21:38.

Additional changes will be implemented, including the retiming of buses on route 4 between Blackburn and Leyburn Road to run later than current schedules. The Valleyline service connecting Shadsworth, Blackburn and Clitheroe will undergo modifications to evening and Sunday times, along with minor adjustments on Saturday mornings, all aimed at enhancing service reliability.

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Tony Fiocca, The Blackburn Bus Company’s General Manager, expressed delight at the partnership with Lancashire County Council, stating, “We’re delighted to be able to make improvements to our evening timetable on routes 6 and 7 in partnership with Lancashire County Council, to run more buses, more often on Sunday evenings, plus a late evening service from Blackburn to Great Harwood and Accrington seven days a week.”

In order to encourage more passengers to choose public transport, single trips on the new evening journeys will be priced at £1 after 19:00 every evening. This not only makes bus travel an economical option but also contributes to road safety by offering a convenient alternative for travellers to reach home without the hassle of driving or parking.

The new timetables will be made available soon at Blackburn Bus Station’s travel centre, on the company’s website and on the Transdev Go mobile app.