Pilky Buses
 

I've just heard that Pilkington's have had their licence revoked which means that shortly there will be no Pilky buses running. Apart from the fact that all the drivers will be out of a job what about the bus routes (such as Fern Gore) where no other service operates? :confused:

Re: Pilky Buses
 

And so they should with their track record, the last inspection they had 15 out of 18 buses were unsafe, and an 81% mot failure rate, not accepted for any kind of transport Co.
What gets me though is they are allowed to finish their school contract, which lasts until 23rd july
It does say other company's are being lined up for the routes, might not be as cheap but will certainly be safer, i wouldn't fancy going down willows lane on a Pilky bus

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I suppose finishing the school contract has been permitted because no-one else could be found at short notice to fill the gap and children would be left unable to get to and from school.

Surely the buses which failed the MOT were taken off the road? I agree about the importance of safety. Just wondering what is now going to happen with the bus routes. It's a long steep walk up Ormerod Street. They go up and down Ormerod St with all its road humps which probably shakes a few things loose, not Willows Lane, and there are bus stops along the way up there.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

yep get on pilkys everyday and **** myself goin up and down dill hall.

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I'm certain we have been here before. Pilkys have had there license revoked before. Maybe 10 years ago or something like that, but they came back somehow...

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was that when they were blue and red buses and then stagecoace came along?

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Pilkys have never been blue and red, they where Corperation buses, far better than pilkys, but they had the plug pulled on them.

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Those were the good old days - ACT (Accrington Corporation Transport). You knew where you were with just one bus company plus the odd ones from Blackburn, Rossendale, Burnley etc.

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I think it's disgusting that they are allowed to finish the school contracts. What price is a child lifes worth? Sure county hall could do something about it. Even if it means providing taxi's, mini buses etc. for the children that are doing their GCSE's, and giving the rest of the children an extended holiday. If it was my children i would rather them be under my feet and losing a few weeks of education, then risk going on unsafe transport. It makes my blood boil to think that children will be travelling on their buses. Luckily my children have a choice of bus operators (when they can't be bothered to walk), but i have always told them under no circumstances do they get on a pilky bus. You only need to be driving behind one to see what state they are in.

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well ive went with pilkys for ages im not gonna stop because exactly what i thought has been comfirmed.

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I presume that the buses which are being allowed to continue to run until the end of the school year will have had to be made roadworthy (ie the nuts and what have you tightened up on the wheels). It would be totally irresponsible of the authorities to allow unsafe buses back on the road, not to mention the legal implications. I saw a Pilky bus today with yellow things on its wheel nuts. Maybe they've been there before and I never noticed but maybe it was something the vehicle inspectorate have done. I've travelled on a lot of Pilky buses and never felt unsafe. There was one Blackburn Transport bus a few weeks ago and THAT was a bit dodgy. I was glad to get off that one.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

to bee honest its a bus, if it was a plane i wouldnt fly innit, im sure theyll tighten up the wheels but im not sure how "unsafe" a door is that dosnt warn yoo when its opening......or didnt i read that right?

Re: Pilky Buses
 

has anyone noticed where pilky garage is based near aldi there are people at the age of 14 working on the buses surely thats not right

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Do you know for certain that they are 14? Are they doing mechanical work? It does seem very unlikely that a 14 year old would have the mechanical experience. But if they are only cleaning the buses then I see no problem with that from a safety point of view. How old does a person have to be before doing any work? I used to have a Saturday job when I was at school.

The open door thing does seem a bit petty when you bear in mind that not all that long ago buses didn't even have doors. Mind you, in those days they had a conductor who stood in the entrance when he wasn't collecting fares. It all started to go downhill when they brought out one man buses.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

There the mechanics:rolleyes:

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i just think theyre not maintained, the buses are ok just need maintaining.

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its not, everything is to do with safety and if a bus was being driven with no back window in it would not be safe for the passengers, especially children. I say back window because this is the emergency exit on some buses and this is the warning system they are talking about.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

hope we dont get cranberry coachways lol

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Ah now that DOES make sense. It sounded as though it referred to the door people use to get on and off the bus.

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Try Going Up Or Down Avenue Parade When A Pilky Bus Is On But Make Sure You Are In A Tank First.pilky Drivers Must Have Blinkers On [horse Type]. If They Opened The Side Window You Would See All The Birds Fly Out[ No Guessing Where They Have Come From]

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I suppose its there own fault, but i liked pilky buses as they are cheaper than others. Who will be running buses now to all the other parts of accrington? m&m?

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theyre worse lol, i was once on an m&m when the back seat detched (well the bit you sit on) and the driver said hed just stick it back on again :)

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How are they usually fixed? I've never looked. Bolted on?

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before i got i job i was thinking set up my own bus servierve with the prince tust about 10 yeay go
how far i got was to nearily on the way to apply for licnice put i got job offer instead
iam 28 male put now ithinkibg shall i run service if got the money from bank put what
iam worried if i go bancurt or not what do you think
i would get proper maiten and good bus
put stagecoach object at th time

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Well it's nice to hear some of the narrow minded views of some of our local residents and I am not going to deny that some buses are faulty.As a driver I do a physical check of my bus to ensure their are no major problems with it.The fact still remains that about 30 drivers with mortgages and families to provide for will soon be out of work and this is not our fault.The company has let us down and the public,even some of the other drivers are to blame but as I walk into the jobcentre at the end of July my conscience will be clear having the knowledge that everytime I set off to Bacup on the 464 my bus has been checked for major faults(although I am not a mechanic.)
As for 14 year olds fixing the buses,they simply just wash them.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Hi PilkyBusDriver. I've been told by an experienced bus driver that a lot of things that buses are "failed" for are not serious mechanical faults but things like a sign which isn't worded correctly (or has been semi obliterated by vandals).

It was way back in October by all accounts that the buses didn't pass and if they had been dangerous then I have no doubt they'd all have been whipped off the roads pretty sharpish. The fact that they weren't and that we've still been travelling in them and come to no harm surely proves that none were death traps.

The drivers all have my sympathy for the situation they are now in. I've always found Pilky bus drivers to be kind, courteous and very helpful.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

same i hate lancs united drivers, always trying to rip ya off :)

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Its right, they are very strict with buses, the tester even goes round with a stick and bangs the seats, if a lot of dust comes off he will fail it, rightly said about the signs too- all have to be readible and in the correct places. As for loose wheel nuts and faulty brakes there is no excuse, and a decent fitter will not have a 81% MOT failure rate, I once got to October without a failure and was gutted cause I was aiming for a 12 month 100% pass record

Re: Pilky Buses
 

The only thing i have against a lot of bus drivers is they will let people stand at the front of the bus talking to them while the bus is moving
i allways thought this was against the bus company policy and a lot of companys have a notice up saying not to talk to the driver while its moving
i have missed my stop on more than 1 occasion becouse they did not here the bell
please note i did not say ALL bus drivers just a few of them
other wise they do a great service
with the roads and the amount of trafic on the roads
i would not do there job for a big clock

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Not been on a bus in years.. Was suprised to find they are private. I thought they where corporation buses.

I would guess bus drivers are like wagon drivers. should be responsible for checking the bus every day and if not up to scratch then get it sorted and not drive it. OK in theory, but you wouldn't keep your job long if you refused to take your bus out every other day. I am talking tiny none safety threatening problems...

Like the man said.. probably a lot of safety concious good drivers now out of work... hardly fair :(

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Didn't the paper also say that the Pilkington family were going to set up another bus company run by one of the members of the family not banned? Will the current drivers not be employed by this company?

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Dont think so shortstuff, as far as i understand all family with an operating licence has had it taken off them. I did read tonight that it is up for sale though

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Pilkies buses have just gone through a thoroughly unfair slagging by the local papers which have obviously influenced the people that read their rubbish. and they say that ignorance is bliss - -

If their buses had an 81% failure rate, this would be unacceptable but for those not in the know, I would like to point out that the "MoT" is carried out by the Ministry and NOT by the local garage like your average car.

I have known coaches to fail because a sign on the courier seat read "crew use only" What is wrong with that? According to strict Ministry rules it should read "for crew use only" or maybe an emergency door that they deem as being "too stiff" when opening!

Talking of emergency doors, one of the "major" defects reported by the papers [/B]was[B]a faulty door, but if the report was properly reported, it would read that the alarm did not sound in the cockpit (ie: where the driver sits) when the emergency door is opened. Hardly a deathtrap but a certain failure as far as the Ministry are concerned!

Another cause of failure is if the interior or exterior is not clean. All PCV's require steam cleaning underthe vehicle before its test or automatic failure.

This is just a couple of small examples of how strict the Ministry are.

WOULD YOUR CAR PASS SUCH CLOSE SCRUTINY!!

I would not say that Pilkies should not be punished as they are fully aware of the standards required, but in the majority of similar cases I am aware of, the companies concerned have had a percentage of their "O" licenses withdrawn leaving them with a smaller fleet until they get their act together and rethink their maintenance problems.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Please overlook my mess up re: bold and underline, still getting used to it lol

Re: Pilky Buses
 

- - - and a little bit of hope for those unfortunate drivers, What normally happens is that they will "sell out" to another relative or trusted friend very cheaply who will apply and get some "O" licenses (not in any great quantity) and the end result is that come August, Pilkies will still be seen on the roads with the same management team but knowing they will be watched by the Ministry, will be hyper-sensitive to the condition of their PCV's.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I am sorry for the loss of jobs that the closure of Pilkingtons will cause but that is all. Of all the bus companies in the area I have found them to be the most reckless, rude, inconsiderate and down right dangerous on the road. If they maintain their buses like they drive it no wonder they have been banned. Having been cut up and given the v on more than one occasion by Pilky drivers ( without provocation ) and told to **** *** by the nice gentleman who answered the telephone when i rang to complain I am happy to say good riddance on behalf of many people in Hyndburn.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Busman sounds like he knows what he's talking about. What's an O licence?

The only times I have ever seen a bus driver behave in a possibly offensive manner is when some idiotic car driver overtakes them when they have already indicated to pull out, or forgets that if you can't see the bus mirrors then the bus driver can't see you.

They are human beings, not automatons.

My sympathy is with the Pilkington drivers. (not necessarily with the bosses) I think it was Willow who said that if these buses had actually been a danger to passengers there is no way they would still be operating until the end of a particular contract especially where children are concerned as I believe this is a schools contract they have been permitted to complete.

It seems that the bosses had been told once before to rectify certain things and simply hadn't brought the vehicles up to scratch. Perhaps they thought as the problems weren't severe it didn't matter. Now they know differently.

It could well be that another family member may have an unrevoked licence - someone not presently using it to operate this service. I was told something to the effect that an uncle may be in line to purchase some of the fleet.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

and told to **** *** by the nice gentleman who answered the telephone when i rang to complain I am happy to say good riddance on behalf of many people in Hyndburn.

That is totally out of order Perran, If what you say is true (and I do not disbelieve) then they (the management) have a total disregard for public services. Maybe this is the reason the Ministry were so hard on the company - - [I]but please do not blame the drivers, I am sure that they must be pressurised into keeping with timetables, I experienced 4 months with a large bus company down south and if you were running late by 15 minutes, your lunch hour was reduced from 45 mins to 30 mins!! end of story! You still start the P.M. shift at the same time, How many workers would put up with that?

Re: Pilky Buses
 

What about road works? Is any allowance made for the delays caused? Too many ruddy plastic cones on the roads round here at the mo.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Hi Gobsmacked,

An "O" license is short for Operators license and every PCV on the road should have one. (You will see it in the windscreen like a second tax disc) If an operator has 4 discs, they can only put onto the road 4 vehicles so a company that wants to expand must give a good account of itself before the Ministry grants more "O" licenses to them. Likewise, If they do not fulfill the conditions set by the Ministry, they will have the number of licenses reduced.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Ah busdriverspeak. ;)

Thanks for the explanation.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

The timetables set by bus companies are made months in advance and are totally inflexible. (They have to be as workers who catch the 08:30 bus expect that bus to arrive at 08:30 every day)

I have been in a situation on school holidays for instance where I have been forced to drive at 15 mph because there are no delays at bus stops (no kids) and traffic is much lighter because of the holidays, A journey from stop A to B normally takes 15 mins will only take 5 mins because of light traffic. What do you do? People on the bus complain because the driver is going slow (They see the opportunity of getting to work or home that much earlier) but people getting the bus at the next stop may only get to the stop a couple of minutes before the bus is due to arrive! The driver gets it in the neck whatever he does!!!

Likewise, If there are roadworks, a bus driver is supposed to work miracles and turn up on time with a double decker bus even if car drivers are delayed!

I have yet to see a double decker with wings lol

(can anyone do an emoticon for me re: bus with wings please?) Willow????

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Aaw Gobsmacked, PLEASE don't call me a bus driver, I only have 4 months torture as such. At the mo, I am a minibus driver simply because I am learning my way around the area but I am an experienced coach driver from down south.

I remember in my youth, Taxi driving, and a punter would approach and say "Are you the taxi?" What a stupid question!! Do I look as if I have 4 wheels on my legs? lol

Re: Pilky Buses
 

having run 5 coaches with my ex some 25yrs ago i have to agree with busman, it is a very strict inspection wot the mot do so unless your coaches or buses are up to their specks forget it ., after all the public use thes e forms of transport ////

Re: Pilky Buses
 

If you ran 5 coaches Mez does that mean you have five of these "O" licences? Now we've got one coach driver amongst us so maybe you two should get together and form a company to take over from Pilky's :D

Re: Pilky Buses
 

ooo the time tables do they not realise some poor old dear may take x number of mins to get on the bus, excuse me / there was a traffic jam sir some pratt broke down 20 mins late time table shot to pieces

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Similar old dear waiting at the bus stop - bus arrives - she says to (possibly by now stressed out) driver "Do you realise you are 20 minutes late young man?"

Of course he ruddy well does! He's driving the thing!

Re: Pilky Buses
 

up poor person, but thats life & the transport manager dosent look at it that way either so the poor driver is in for a telling off ( sorry got to put it nicely )

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Did you see my suggestion on the previous page Mez?

Re: Pilky Buses
 

no sorry i didnt, been in chat room all nite he he , will have a look

Re: Pilky Buses
 

it was some yrs ago that we, my ex who had the o licence i was office staff, but could drive the vehicles anyway just would not take my test, personal reasons , but i do agree with most of wots been said on both sides only to riterate that the m. o. t. are very strict, with every reason to be, after all its the lives of the public that are at risk, there was & always will be a dispute among drivers & management,& management & the minestery of transport. i will not add my views futher to this as its been such a long time since i was involved with it, i may even be out of my depths now. thanks

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Wasn't one of the reasons according to the papers that Pilky's lost their licence for not keeping to the timetable accurately and doing some other buses out of passengers because they got to the stops before them?

On the Rossendale route I've been on buses which stop for a time at Rising Bridge if they are ahead of schedule. Seems like a case of heads you win tails I lose.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I drive the 464 route and it's mostly "tails you lose".The Rossendale buses are every 10 mins,we are every 30 mins and most often the one 10 mins in front of mine will run late and the one behind will chase my bus.If my takings are down due to this my boss will moan.If I arrive on the bus station more than 5mins before i'm due out the station inspector will book me if I arrive later there will be two Rossendale 464's on the stand and I take no passengers.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I thought a 747 was one.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

Excellent reply "yerself" Luv it!!!

Re: Pilky Buses
 

With regard to my earlier post, I was not blaming the drivers for Pilky,s demise only listing my only experiences. I am sure they were under pressure and as with all drivers lose it at times. As for the "nice man on the phone" quote, it is absolutely true. I was ripping when I put the phone down but could do nothing. If the bosses act like that there is no hope.

In reply to the Gobsmacked my driving was in no way at fault, with the bus in question exiting the bus station on to Blackburn Road without stopping and almost writing my car off. Had i not spotted it first I would surely have been hit. I did not swear, shout, make signals etc However the bus driver seemed to think it was my fault and thus shot me the v and said something savoury which I did not catch.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I'm unsure of road priorities in that area. I know Peel Street and Blackburn Rd in front of the Town Hall/Market Hall are for buses only so I'm curious to know where you were coming from and where you were going. Who had right of way? I was standing on the corner one day by the video shop when some lunatic came bombing along from the roundabout like a bat out of hell and he shouldn't even have been on that road. Perhaps the driver mistook you for him. lol

There's no excuse for the way the boss spoke to you on the phone. Just think how different your opinion would have been if he'd been polite to you and promised to have a word with his driver(s).

Re: Pilky Buses
 

if they've had their licence back before then i don't think they'll be off the road too long. If they do come back then i just hope they get rid of the old buses and get brand new, up to date ones. i have never felt unsafe though.. but i was on a Lancashire united bus the other week and it felt like it was gonna tip over every time it went round a bend, it felt so unsafe (it was a double decker but ive been on them before and they haven't been that bad)

Re: Pilky Buses
 

My personal experiences of Pilky buses have always been good - the driver's have always been very polite and they're cheaper than other bus companies. The buses are not brand new but I have never felt unsafe either.

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I can't imagine how much a brand new bus costs but it's probably way beyond what they could afford to have all new buses and still charge reasonable fares. When it was Accy transport they didn't run all brand new buses either did they? I'm sure there are older and newer ones in the fleet.

Re: Pilky Buses
 

I am sure that most of you (gray-haired ones) saw "Summer Holiday" in the long distant past. Remember that bus with the open platform at the rear? They are still on the road in London 30+ years on! .... and still roadworthy!

Re: Pilky Buses
 

:confused: Speaking of the Blue & red Buses of the ACT why did some bright spark in Hyndburn Council get rid of them????? They looked alot better than the multi-colour swop-shops that were flying around the area the last time I was back home, maybe they should bring them back on the road...... :confused:

Re: Pilky Buses
 

It's all to do with de-regulation and the council not being in charge of buses now. Once anybody could set up a rival bus company loads of people did.

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Definately wasn't me but now you mention it, it's no wonder the drivers get miffed if that happens on a regular basis! I was coming round from Church St on to Blackburn Road and had priority and right of way. The driver was actually not looking in my direction at all and it was that fact that made me slow down. He slammed on when he saw me at the last minute.

:engsmil: