We’re heading to the opposite side of Transdev territory for today’s winner on #AYearOfBuses – it’s The Blackburn Bus Company’s Red Express.
Red Express is one of The Blackburn Bus Company’s flagship interurban routes. Using a fleet of smartly branded high-spec double deckers, it connects Accrington with Ramsbottom and Manchester, up to every 30 mins through the daytime.
A long-standing route cross-county route, the X41 has been through quite a few changes over the years, but its mission has remained the same – to swiftly carry folk from East Lancashire into Manchester, plugging a gap where there’s traditionally been at best, a woefully inadequate competing rail service.
The route was revitalised in 2016 with heavily refurbished Wright-bodied Volvo B7TLs, painted in a striking red and blue Best Impressions-designed livery, launching both the route, and Transdev’s exciting new vision for buses in Blackburn and Lancashire.