Nick Larkin reports on Cumbria Classic Coaches’ recent expansion
A heritage operator celebrating 21 years in business has expanded into providing local services, covering a different route on several days of the week.
Cumbria Classic Coaches uses former Southern Vectis 1990 all-Leyland Olympian, H728DDL on the routes, which is allowed until 2020 under DDA regulations as the vehicle is to coach specification. Vehicles from the heritage fleet are used on some journeys in the summer.
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“We are pleased to provide these routes, which otherwise probably wouldn’t be operated, and are planning to buy a DDA-compliant vehicle to continue operating them,” said Cumbria Classic Coaches Director Alison Morriss, who took over from her father, Will Hamer, last year.
“This is a sparsely populated area and all council subsidies have been withdrawn, but there’s enough demand for a weekly shoppers’ service on several routes, and there is beautiful scenery to attract tourists,” she added.
Monday sees a Brough-Kirkby Stephen-Tebay-Kendal 571 route and on Tuesday the Kirkby Stephen-Penrith 574 operates. On Wednesday it’s the 572 route operating from Ravenstonedale-Barnard Castle and on Thursday, it’s the 570 Ravenstonedale via Shap to Tebay and Kendal. In addition a 569 route from Ravenstonedale to Hawes will operate from 2 July to 29 October using classic buses.
A couple of the routes had previously been surrendered by other operators. Regular passengers are invited on day excursions, with reduced fares.
Cumbria Classic Coaches began after Will Hamer, who had a lifetime’s passion for vintage commercial vehicles and had previously owned a Leyland Tiger, was running tourist accommodation at Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. He bought a 1934 Leyland Lion with Burlingham-bodywork new to Alexander, registration WG2373, and realised there was a market for vintage private hires. A back-up was acquired in the form of 1950 Alexander-bodied Leyland Tiger, CWG286.
In the current fleet are two former Crosville vehicles, 1950 Weymann-bodied Leyland Tiger, LFM302 and 1959 Bristol LD with ECW bodywork, 627HFM. Another Tiger is 1948 new to Preston Corporation East Lancs-bodied CRN80.
AECs are represented with 1948 former Florence Motors Burlingham-bodied Regal III, JTB749, and UTC672, a 1954 Regent III new to Bamber Bridge Motor Services, which has East Lancs lowbridge bodywork.
Other vehicles have come and gone including the Leyland Lion, which was not enjoying intensive regular use so was sold and now resides at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust’s museum.
“We have no plans to acquire further vehicles at the moment,” said Alison. “The older vehicles need careful maintenance and our current fleet suits us.”
Private hires and film duties provide regular work for the fleet. “Wedding hire has really picked up over the past year though we had a dip about three years ago,” she continued. “Maybe it’s just trends, but we have got a lot of work by word of mouth and people seeing the vehicles when they attend events.”
Major support is given to the Cumbria Classic Vehicle Rally, held every Easter weekend.
Alison’s brother, Anthony Hamer, is also a director as well as drives vehicles and carries out bodywork and other maintenance. A ‘yard fitter’ is also employed to help look after the fleet.
Cumbria Classic Coaches has a rather contrasting sister operation, CC Coaches in Barrow-in-Furness, which runs minibuses on schools and other work, and was started in rather unusual circumstances.
“We bought my mum a minibus to holiday with friends in France,” explained Alison. “We were stuck with the vehicle afterwards and wondered what to do with it. We had an out of work driver friend in Barrow-in-Furness and we knew there was a gap in market there. We now have four minibuses.”
Cumbria Classic Coaches can be contacted on 01539 623524 or at www.cumbriaclassiccoaches.co.uk
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