39-511: X43 or X-43 may refer to: Lancashire bus route X43 , or The Witch Way, long-standing bus route in England NASA X-43 , unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
78-667: A deal valued at £2.85 million (equivalent to £6,552,000 in 2023). Initially branded Stagecoach Burnley & Pendle, the company was encompassed within Stagecoach Ribble in May 2000. In April 2001, Stagecoach sold their operations in Blackburn , Bolton and Clitheroe to the Blazefield Group , which rebranded them as Burnley & Pendle and Lancashire United. The sale was valued at £13 million. Following
117-401: A different route between Burnley and Rawtenstall , via Water and Waterfoot in the upper Irwell Valley . In the early 1960s these journeys were 4-hourly and started/ended at Burnley . By the 1970s frequency had declined to a southbound morning and northbound evening peak working, but it survived to be renumbered 753 when X43 became 743. It was withdrawn along with the 743. A variation of
156-399: A reduction between Nelson and Manchester to every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday daytime. Route X44, which differed from the regular route by additionally serving Edenfield , was also withdrawn from service. On 1 May 2016 the route saw several changes. Faster buses were introduced at peak time between Manchester and Burnley, and the route was extended twice an hour beyond Burnley to Skipton via
195-532: A separate brand, in September 2009, Transdev Northern Blue was integrated into the Transdev Burnley & Pendle business. In July 2017, the company was again rebranded, now operating as The Burnley Bus Company . In July 2017, a rebrand of the company commenced. Starting with the introduction of a new fleet of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles for Mainline, one of the vehicles was branded in
234-451: Is the branding for long-standing English bus route X43 , which runs between Burnley and Manchester . The service is currently operated by The Burnley Bus Company . The route has operated continuously since 1948. It was previously operated by Ribble Motor Services , Stagecoach North West and Burnley & Pendle , while GM Buses briefly competed with Stagecoach on the route. During its history it has served several places no longer on
273-422: The Blazefield Group on 15 April 2001 and rebranded as Burnley & Pendle . In June 2001 one X43 journey in each direction was extended through to Skipton and Hawes on summer Sundays. This proved relatively successful, and the single-deck coach initially used was replaced by a double-decker. It continued to operate into 2003, but was withdrawn at the end of September. Fares on the route increased by 30% in
312-529: The M62 was introduced, branded as CityZap. Similar to the other CityZap service between York and Leeds operated by sister company Yorkshire Coastliner , the service aimed to attract motorists and provide a competitive alternative to the railway. The service was notable for its use of sat-nav equipment to choose the quickest route and avoid congestions. The service operated with a fleet of four Wright Eclipse Urban 2 bodied Volvo B7RLE vehicles, branded for
351-467: The 17th century. Coinciding with the high-specification nature, the service was advertised with the slogan "business class as standard". In November 2013, new vehicles were introduced to the route, in the form of 15 Wright Gemini bodied Volvo B9TLs . These buses carried a new two-tone gunmetal-grey coloured livery, dedicatedly branded for the route. Additionally, the new vehicles debuted the introduction of free WiFi, which allows passengers to connect to
390-607: The August 2005 rebranding, when the extension was withdrawn. The most recent variation was route X44, which ran until October 2011. It ran via Edenfield between Rawtenstall and the M66 motorway. This allowed commuters and shoppers to travel to/from Manchester with the service running several journeys during the day Mondays to Saturdays. The service was partly replaced by route X8, which ran between Burnley, Rawtenstall and Manchester via Bacup , and First Greater Manchester 's route X35, which
429-738: The Blazefield Group, along with 305 vehicles. Locally, the company was rebranded under the name Transdev in Burnley & Pendle. In August 2006, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council announced that after 125 years of municipal ownership, Blackburn Transport had been sold to Transdev Blazefield. The sale was finalised in January 2007. This was followed in August 2007 by both Accrington Transport and Northern Blue being acquired, with both operators' staff and combined 65 vehicles transferring to Transdev. After initially being maintained as
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#1732797207833468-519: The Burnley & Pendle Joint Transport Committee. In 1986, as part of the deregulation of bus services and to comply with the Transport Act 1985 , the company's assets were transferred to a new legal entity named the Burnley & Pendle Transport Company. Deregulation opened Burnley & Pendle's routes to competition from other operators, with Blackburn Transport , Tyrer Tours and Victoria Coaches establishing competing services. To stave off
507-531: The M65 and Colne. Nelson, however, is no longer served by off-peak X43 buses, although services remain during peak hours. A Sunday extension of the route to Grassington was introduced; these services had already operated, but had previously used route number 872. In May 2020, it was announced that the X43 would be curtailed to Burnley. A new service, branded Pendle Wizz, was introduced between Burnley and Skipton, following
546-649: The X43 and introduce a new set of Leyland Olympians in response to the competition from Charterplan in 1992. The route was marketed as The Mancunian , with the Olympians carrying the name alongside Stagecoach corporate livery. New Dennis Javelins were later introduced to replace the Olympians. The route was briefly operated with articulated coaches in 1996, but this proved short-lived owing to restrictions on their use in Rawtenstall, with services returning to Javelin operation. The Javelins were transferred away from
585-476: The company to Stagecoach Holdings . Burnley Council was unhappy with the decision, and stated that they would never consider selling their share. In response, Stagecoach proposed up a multi-million pound investment plan for the area, but Burnley Council could not meet their share unless it cut other council-supported services. Burnley Council eventually reversed their decision in March 1997 and sold out to Stagecoach,
624-476: The competition, five AEC Routemaster double-deck vehicles were purchased, with each named after a character from the television series EastEnders . Burnley & Pendle also successfully tendered a number of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive -contracted bus services, allowing for operations to extend to Blackburn , Bury , Manchester , Preston , Rawtenstall , Rochdale and Skipton . In April 1996, Pendle Borough Council sold their share of
663-753: The driver of the car suffered minor injuries. The driver of the bus was shaken but unhurt. The accident was recorded on the dashcam of a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction to the bus. Burnley Bus Company The Burnley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire , England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield , which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire . In August 1924, Burnley Corporation Transport operated their first bus service between Rawtenstall and Burnley Summit. The Burnley, Colne & Nelson Joint Transport Committee
702-604: The early 1950s it was extended to start from Skipton . In 1978, the route was rerouted to use the new M66 motorway , bypassing Bury. Some journeys continued to serve the traditional route, as route number 743. Ribble Motor Services was privatised in 1986 in a management buyout . In April 1989 it was sold to Stagecoach . In 1992, in response to competition on route 192 , GM Buses used its Charterplan coaching subsidiary to compete with route X43 between Manchester and Burnley. The competition ended in 1994 following Stagecoach's withdrawal from route 192. Stagecoach went on to acquire
741-483: The extension to the Trafford Centre was withdrawn. The section of route between Nelson and Colne was also abandoned, prompting criticism from local councillors, although the parallel "Mainline" routes 20-29 were increased in frequency to partially replace these journeys. Blazefield was sold to Transdev in January 2006. During the first six months after the new vehicles were introduced, passenger numbers on
780-513: The former allocation of Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TL double-deck vehicles introduced in October 2013. Vehicles are branded in a two-tone orange and black livery, with features including free WiFi, USB and wireless charging, tables and audio-visual next stop announcements voiced by Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine . In November 2017, a limited-stop express service running directly between Leeds and Manchester via
819-616: The internet during their journey. On 13 December 2020, a brand new fleet of 14 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC double-deck vehicles were introduced to the route. These buses are fitted to the company's Sky Class specification, and are dedicatedly branded for the route in a two-tone orange and black livery. Features include free WiFi, USB and wireless charging, group seating with tables, individual seating upstairs, an on-board library and audio-visual next stop announcements, voiced by Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine . There has been five alternative routes similar to route X43 operated in
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#1732797207833858-418: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=X43&oldid=933256134 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lancashire bus route X43 The Witch Way
897-822: The new two-tone orange livery. This was followed shortly after by a refurbished fleet of Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE single-deck vehicles being repainted into the new livery. Local bus services operating in and around the town of Burnley are encompassed within The Burnley Bus Company brand, with buses serving Stoops (1), Higherford , Nelson & Colne (2), Nelson (2A), Pike Hill (3), Worsthorne (4), Harle Syke and Rosegrove (5) and Accrington (9). The Mainline brand encompasses six services, which operate between Accrington (M1), Clitheroe (M2) and Burnley via Padiham , as well as between Burnley and Trawden (M3), Keighley (M4), Barnoldswick (M5) and Skipton (M6) via Nelson and Colne . In July 2017,
936-444: The past. When route X43 was diverted away from Bury in 1978, some journeys continued to serve the town. These were numbered 743 and were operated by Ribble Motor Services with a mixture of coaches and buses. Route X43's infrequent extension to Skipton was also transferred onto route 743. The route was withdrawn in 1985 due to a fall in passenger numbers which coincided with the rebranding of the main route as Timesaver . Route X53 took
975-560: The present route, including Bury and the Trafford Centre . The service was rebranded as The Witch Way in 2005 to coincide with the introduction of new vehicles. It had previously been branded as The X43 and before then was unbranded. Between 1982 and 1986 the route was known as Timesaver , with buses carrying dedicated liveries. Route X43 was introduced between Colne and Manchester by Ribble Motor Services in 1948, replacing another route between Burnley and Manchester. In
1014-618: The remaining section of route increased by 24.1%, with total passenger numbers up by 16.1%. The route was shortlisted for a UK Bus Award in October 2006, going on to win the Viacom Outdoor Bus Marketing Campaign of the Year award. In October 2011, the Witch Way services underwent a revamp with an increase in journeys between Burnley and Manchester, running every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday daytime, but with
1053-479: The route is the Singing Ringing Tree near Burnley. Route X43 was initially served with a mixture of double-deck Leyland Titans and single-deck Leyland Tigers . In the early 1960s these were replaced by new Leyland Leopards . From 1974 coaches were used on the route, with Leyland Leopards again the preferred choice. In 1982 a small number were branded for the route, using the name Timesaver and
1092-498: The route operating via the Rossendale Valley between Rawtenstall and Burnley was introduced in 2002, taking the number X45. It was operated with route branded Volvo B10M coaches, but was cancelled after a year because of low patronage. In early 2002, route X43 journeys which extended beyond Manchester to the Trafford Centre were renumbered to X42 to distinguish them from the short workings. This pattern continued until
1131-406: The route shortly prior to Stagecoach's sale of the operation to Transdev, and the service was briefly operated with 15-year-old Leyland Olympians. In July 2001, a fleet of 15 new Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL low-floor buses , which were specified with features that were unusual to ordinary buses at the time such as wheelchair spaces, high-backed seating and CCTV cameras, were introduced to
1170-472: The route. In August 2005, the route was again re-launched alongside its new brand identity – "The Witch Way" – with 16 new Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs entering service. These buses carried a red, grey and black livery dedicatedly branded for the route and were installed with high-specification interiors, including coach-style leather seats. They were also each named after the Pendle witches from
1209-507: The sale, Blazefield purchased a total of 15 Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL double-deck and 25 Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE single-deck vehicles for Burnley & Pendle as part of a fleet renewal programme; prior to the sale of Burnley & Pendle, many of the newer vehicles Stagecoach purchased for the fleet were transferred to other subsidiaries, with Burnley & Pendle receiving older vehicles as replacements. In January 2006, French-based transport group Transdev acquired
X43 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-543: The same route as the X43. In April 2023, Pendle Wizz was replaced by the introduction of service M6 – an expansion to Burnley's Mainline bus network. Route X43 currently runs between Burnley and Manchester, serving the intermediate communities of Rawtenstall and Prestwich . The service makes use of both the M60 and M66 motorways, and connects two notable educational establishments: Alder Grange Community and Technology School and Burnley College . Another point of interest on
1287-590: The services were rebranded and upgraded to a fleet of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone orange and burgundy livery. Features include free WiFi, USB and wireless charging and audio-visual next stop announcements. The Witch Way is a flagship service, which operates between Burnley and Manchester via Rawtenstall and M66 . The service is operated by a fleet of high-specification Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 MMC double-deck vehicles, which were introduced into service in December 2020, replacing
1326-483: The southern half of GM Buses in February 1996. For a short time in the late 1990s, the route operated through to Keighley , this ceased in 1999. In 1998 the route was extended south of Manchester to the Trafford Centre . A further change in 2000 saw the northern end of route X43 rerouted to avoid Barnoldswick , prompting some criticism from local residents. Stagecoach's operations in the Burnley area were sold to
1365-559: The tagline Regular Motorway service . In 1984 the route was converted to double-deck operation using new Leyland Olympians painted in a unique white and blue livery with Timesaver branding. Four Leyland Tiger coaches in a yellow and red livery also using the Timesaver name, arrived a year later. The route branding was replaced by Stagecoach's corporate image of white with red, orange and blue stripes following their takeover of Ribble Motor Services in 1989. Stagecoach would rebrand
1404-444: The two years up to August 2004, prompting some passengers to abandon the route in favour of a car-sharing scheme. Despite this, the route saw an average of 12% yearly growth between 2001 and 2004. In August 2005, the route was upgraded with new vehicles and rebranded as The Witch Way. The service frequency was increased to every 20 minutes, with a Saturday frequency of every 30 minutes and a Sunday frequency of one bus per hour, while
1443-557: Was able to take over control of the bus to prevent a serious accident. She won several awards for this action, including an award for Outstanding Bravery at the 2006 Pride of Britain Awards , a Vodafone Life Savers Award, a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Vellum, a Chief Constable's Commendation. In October 2020, a blue SUV pulled out from a side in front of an X43 travelling along the A682 near Clowbridge Reservoir . Three passengers and
1482-465: Was established in April 1933, merging the three municipal tramway and bus operations of the respective towns. The tramway network was progressively abandoned, with the last line closing in May 1935. Following local government reorganisation in April 1974, the boroughs of Colne and Nelson were amalgamated to form the present-day Borough of Pendle . Subsequently, the transport operation became known as
1521-508: Was extended from Stubbins . In November 1999, a bus travelling on the route from Manchester to Barnoldswick was involved in a crash with a car travelling in the opposite direction in Earby . Four passengers and the car driver suffered minor injuries. In September 2006, the driver of an X43 on the M60 motorway fell unconscious while the vehicle was moving. Irene King, a 47-year-old passenger,
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