Stephensons of Easingwold has ceased trading, announcing that it would be unable to operate any of its services from January 22, 2018.
The operator told North Yorkshire County Council on Friday, January 19, that it would be unable to operate its county council contracts from the following Monday, according to the Yorkshire Post.
The company operated both school and local bus services under contract to the council, as well as providing a commercial bus network. Council officers worked over the weekend to ensure there were replacement bus services for 900 pupils entitled to free school transport in the Ryedale, Harrogate and Hambleton districts.
Yorkshire County Council said the 27 school contracts in North Yorkshire have been covered. However, the council said six subsidised local bus services in the Thirsk and Malton area – the 60, 60A, 59, 194, 181 and 190 – would not be in operation ‘for the foreseeable future.’ Connexions Buses has since taken on the 181.
The 27 school services are being covered by York Pullman (six services), Proctors Coaches (four), Abbotts of Leeming (two), Compass Royston (two), Esk Valley Coaches (two) Harrogate Coach Travel (two), Morse Coaches (two), PNP Coaches (two), EYMS (one), Reliance Motor Services (one), Perrys (one), Winns Bros (one) and Yorkshire Coastliner (one).
Transdev Blazefield announced that its Coastliner service would take over operation of the 29 and 31/31x services from Easingwold and Helmsley to York, running to the same timetable.
A spokesperson for Coastliner told Minster FM: “We were approached by North Yorkshire County Council who informed us that Stephensons are unable to operate from January 22. We volunteered to step in on these routes to ensure no loss of service.”
County Cllr Don Mackenzie said: “We are doing all we can to minimise disruption and to restore services as swiftly as possible.”
