Back to the future on service 18

Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire will be operating service 18 for first time since 2017

 Passengers on service 18 between the bus station, Williamson Park and Lancaster Farms, would be excused for feeling they had fallen through a time warp when their bus comes along next week. Their usual Stagecoach bus will be replaced by one from Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire, which last operated the route in 2017.

Stagecoach has been forced to introduce reduced "summer holiday" timetables on some of its own services due to a shortage of drivers, made worse by Covid-related sickness and a requirement to supply buses and drivers for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (read our previous post here). Transferring service 18 to another operator frees-up resources to continue operating the rest of the company's services, whilst Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire can accommodate the extra work due to lack of school services over the holiday. The arrangement will last for the next six weeks until the new school year.

The Bus Users' Group understands that Stagecoach fares will continue to be charged and that all Stagecoach pre-paid tickets will be accepted by the temporary operator.

We are pleased to see that our local bus operators are able to co-operate with one another in this way to ensure a service to the travelling public and that Lancashire County Council is allowing its contract with Stagecoach to be operated by Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire temporarily.

KLCH last ran the 18 in 2017 at a much-reduced level to today's service, which was introduced following a lengthy campaign by the Bus Users' Group and local councillors to persuade Lancashire County Council to spend the money provided by property developers under a planning agreement to improve the service, but which the council appeared to have earmarked for alternative projects.

You can read more about that campaign via this link.