These two relatively rural routes provide a vital service linking as they do the towns of Ripley and Belper via Ambergate (143) and Ripley and Crich (144).
Crich being best known as the home of ‘The Tramway Museum’ or ‘Tramway Village’ as it now prefers to be called.
The normal practice has been for both routes to be interworked with 1 bus.
When I first came to live locally, the Ripley-Belper service was operated by ‘Trent’ as its service No. 95 using Leyland Tiger Cubs with Metro Cammell-Wweymann or Saunders-Roe bodies.
The Ripley-Crich service on Saturdays only was run by a company called ‘Mylady Coaches’ who at that time ran it with Duple bodied Bedfod OB’s. During the rest of the week it was the province of Trent and its service No. 96 (Thanks to
Chris Barker for clarification re the 96 and 'My lady Coaches').
Over the years, the routes have stayed much as they were but as might be expected the operators and vehicles have changed.
At the start of 2014 the operator was K & H Doyle of Alfreton. Doyle’s began as a Ripley based operator in 1986 but moved to Alfreton where they found more suitable premises.
R556 UOT
A Dennis Dart SLF with UVG Urbanstar body is seen waiting departure in Belper. The Urbanstar was also marketed as the ‘Caetano Compass’.
On the 13th. of January, Doyle’s ceased operating. I new something was amiss when on the 14th. I saw a Doyle’s route being run by ‘yourbus’.
‘yourbus’ (yb) a relative newcomer in central Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire has in the last few years have built up quite a portfolio of routes operating out of their base in Heanor.
Asked to cover these and other routes on an emergency basis, ‘yb’ quickly stepped in using mainly ‘Wright Streetlite D/F’s.
MX62 GXE
A Wright 'Streetlte' D/F
Things seemed to be settling down with the new arrangements.
I was surprised therefore to see in Derbyshire County Council’s ‘Forthcoming changes to bus services’ to find that as from 30th March the operator was to change again. This time to ‘McEwens Coaches of Mansfield’.
‘McEwens’ were established in 1998 and in late 2013 came under the control of ‘Skills Coaches’ when Skills purchased a majority interest.
‘Skills’ are a well established coach operator dating back to 1919. In recent years they have also built up a substantial contract hire fleet of double deckers.
I am not aware of ‘McEwens’ operating in this part of Derbyshire before so it will be interesting to see how it works out.
MX07 BBZ.
An Optare Solo previously operated by ‘Robert’s of Hugglescote in Leicestershire
Intriguingly whilst waiting for the Crich bus to depart another ‘McEwens’ Solo turned up with 143 in its route number box.
X791 NWX
Which was previously operated by ‘K & H Doyle of Alfreton’. As the saying goes, ‘What comes around goes around’..........!
Almost as a postscript to this article, I was in Belper the following day and X791 NWX turned up again this time on the 142.
The 142 is a ‘yourbus’ route with 5 departures a day between Belper and Alfreton. ‘McEwens’ operate just one service per day on the 142 and this was it.
