Preston Bus to withdraw Preston to Skipton 280 service

The Preston Bus service is to replace TransDev who were relying on a council subsidy — The Preston Bus service was taken on in 2016

A bus service which winds its way through the Ribble Valley looks set to be scrapped.

Preston Bus has announced it no longer wants to run the 280 service.

Going from Preston, to Clitheroe and onto Skipton, the bus route is set to be withdrawn on Saturday 15 June.

Rotala, the parent firm of Preston Bus, has decided to stop the service. It took on the 280 from TransDev in March 2016.

At the time, Preston Bus managing director said: “The fact Preston Bus is taking over the operation of service linking Preston with Yorkshire demonstrates my ambition to improve public transport in and around Preston.”

A statement from Preston Bus said of the decision: “Lancashire County Council have issued a tender, inviting bids from local bus operators to
ascertain the potential cost to replace the withdrawn commercial service. However, at this moment in time there is no guarantee a contract will be awarded.

“We’d like to thank the dedicated team of drivers on the 280 for their sterling efforts over the years. Reports from customers have been consistently outstanding.”

The bus firm said any unused portions of Gold EasiWeek and Gold Easi28Day tickets will be refunded on a pro-rota basis.

Do you use this service? What do you think of the decision? Let us know in the comments below