Ribble Motor Services, which once ran bus services in an area that stretched from the Mersey to the Scottish border, was founded in June 1919. In 1969 it became part of the state-owned National Bus Company, but continued to operate under the "Ribble" name.
It was broken-up into a number of smaller companies and privatised in 1988 and after a short-lived period of ownership by its former management the largest part was sold to Stagecoach in 1989 following which the "Ribble" name disappeared.
But the company has never been forgotten and next weekend will see a number of events celebrating what would have been its 100th birthday.
Firstly, on SATURDAY 25th MAY, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancs. will be holding an Open Day at the White Lund depot, with preserved Ribble buses in attendance as well as a number of other attractions:
FREE shuttle bus services, operated by "heritage" vehicles, will run to the depot from Lancaster and Morecambe bus stations as shown on the following timetable.
Then on SUNDAY 26th MAY, the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust will be holding its annual Bus Running Day in Morecambe.
This year's event will be on a larger scale, due to the anniversary celebrations, and will be centered on Morecambe FC's ground at the Globe Arena on Westgate, in addition to the usual vehicle display on Morecambe promenade. The Globe Arena can be reached by buses 6 and 6A from Morecambe and Lancaster, but the event includes frequent FREE heritage bus services to the Arena from Happy Mount Park, Heysham, Morecambe Promenade and Broadway.
Full details of the Bus Running Day are available on the RVPT website (click this link)