Avon Buses

Avon Buses is the third largest bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 operating company on the Wirral Peninsula

Wirral Peninsula

Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Based in Prenton

Prenton

Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England and a 'post town' in the CH postcode area. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within...

, Merseyside

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

, the company has an all-single deck fleet of about 38 vehicles as of May 2011, most of them low-floor.

History

Avon Coaches, as the company was previously known, was founded in 1985 by present proprietor Larry Smith. By 1995 it had six buses and ran mostly school contracts plus one local route. The newest buses were two Leyland Titans

Leyland Titan (B15)

The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport.-Development:...

.

Since then the company has undergone radical changes from operating School contacts to local commercial services. The business has expanded with services starting in Crosby

Crosby, Merseyside

Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...

, Fazakerley

Fazakerley

Fazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062...

 and their former outstation in Bootle

Bootle

Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles  to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...

. A name change to Avon Buses was made in late 2004/2005.

Avon Buses took over former Arriva North West

Arriva North West

Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....

 routes 421 & 422, renumbering them to 22 and 22A. Avon then decided to renumber service 22A to 24 so it would not confuse its passengers with Helms Coaches service 23. They also took over five other groups of routes at the same time. After Helms Coaches service was withdrawn earlier this year Avon Buses decided not to up the frequency of routes 22 and 24 but add an additional Sunday 23 service from Heswall

Heswall

Heswall is a town in Wirral, in the county of Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the time of the 2001 Census, the total population of the ward was 16,012 , which included the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton...

 to Chester Bus Exchange, which was eventually withdrawn in April 2011.

Operations

The company operates mainly commercial local bus services, primarily on the Wirral, including two to Chester. One commercial service is also operated on the opposite side of the Mersey, between Fazakerley and Crosby. A few tendered services are operated in the early mornings, evenings, and Sundays.

Much of Avon Buses' expansion in recent years has come from commercialising tendered services.

Services

Services operated as of October 2011:

No.	From	To	Via	Notes
10	New Brighton New Brighton, Merseyside New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...	New Brighton	Liscard Liscard Liscard is an area of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The most centrally located of Wallasey's townships, it is the main shopping area of the town, with many shops located in the Cherry Tree Shopping Centre... , Claughton Claughton, Merseyside Claughton is a residential district in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is close to the main shopping area of Birkenhead town centre, and Birkenhead Park is partly located within its boundaries. Administratively, Claughton is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral... , Noctorum Noctorum Noctorum is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the 2001 Census the population of Noctorum was 4,990 .... , Upton Upton, Merseyside Upton is a village in the parish of Overchurch on the Wirral Peninsula, England, situated close to Birkenhead. At the 2001 Census, the population was 15,731 , although as a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, encompassing a larger area, it was recorded as 16,200.-History:Upton was... , Arrowe Park Hospital, Claughton, Liscard	Circular Service.
10A	New Brighton	New Brighton	Liscard, Claughton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Upton, Noctorum, Claughton, Liscard	Circular Service.
11	New Brighton	Arrowe Park Hospital	Liscard, Claughton	Morning/Evening and Saturday service.
12	Birkenhead Birkenhead Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...  Bus Station	Birkenhead Bus Station	Claughton, Woodchurch Woodchurch Woodchurch is an area of the Wirral Peninsula, in England, which is sometimes considered a suburb of Birkenhead. Administratively, Woodchurch is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West... , Arrowe Park Hospital, Noctorum, Claughton	Circular service.
12A	Birkenhead Bus Station	Birkenhead Bus Station	Claughton, Noctorum, Arrowe Park Hospital, Woodchurch, Claughton	Circular service.
17	Moreton Moreton, Merseyside Moreton is a town on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England. In the 2001 Census, it had a population of 17,670 ....	Clatterbridge Hospital	Saughall Massie Saughall Massie Saughall Massie is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is bordered by Greasby, Meols, Moreton and Upton. The village is part of the Moreton West & Saughall Massie Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wallasey... , Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Bebington Bebington Bebington is a small town and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies south of Liverpool and west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula...	Saturday service 117 operated by Arriva North West Arriva North West Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
18	Birkenhead Bus Station	Moreton	Claughton, Bidston Bidston Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire... , Sandbrook Estate	Through journeys possible with Route 17.
22	West Kirby West Kirby West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...	Chester Chester Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...  Bus Exchange	Newton Newton, Merseyside Newton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. It is a part of the suburban town of West Kirby.... , Greasby Greasby Greasby is a large village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the Greasby, Frankby & Irby Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West... , Irby Irby, Merseyside Irby is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The village covers an area of 20 square kilometres. To the north of Irby lies the associated hamlet of Irby Hill... , Heswall Heswall Heswall is a town in Wirral, in the county of Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the time of the 2001 Census, the total population of the ward was 16,012 , which included the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton... , Parkgate Parkgate, Cheshire Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that lies in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the North West of England... , Neston, Willaston, Mollington Mollington, Cheshire Mollington is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, It is located two miles north of the city of Chester, with approximate boundaries formed by the A41 Liverpool-Chester trunk road and Shropshire Union...
24	West Kirby	Chester Bus Exchange	Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Neston, Burton, Mollington
40 40A	Saughall Massie	Mill Park	Moreton, Bidston, Birkenhead, New Ferry New Ferry New Ferry is a small town located on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Situated to the east of Bebington, it is part of the Bromborough Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South... , Bromborough Bromborough Bromborough is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bebington and to the north of Eastham...	Evening and Sunday service.
77 77A	Woodside Woodside - Australia :*Woodside, South Australia, a town*Woodside, Victoria, a town*Woodside Petroleum, an Australian company- Canada :*Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King...  Bus Station	West Kirby	Birkenhead, Tranmere Tranmere, Merseyside Tranmere is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire... , Storeton Storeton Storeton is a small village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is situated to the west of the town of Bebington and is made up of Great Storeton and Little Storeton, which is classified as a hamlet... , Heswall, Thurstaston Thurstaston Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral... , Caldy Caldy Caldy is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England, located to the south east of West Kirby. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
80	Woodside Bus Station	Arrowe Park Hospital	Birkenhead, Woodchurch	Monday - Friday evenings and Weekends only.
83	Birkenhead Bus Station	Birkenhead Bus Station	Prenton Prenton Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England and a 'post town' in the CH postcode area. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within... , Arrowe Park Hospital, Greasby, Newton, West Kirby, Hoylake Hoylake Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea... , Meols Meols Meols is a village on the northern coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is contiguous with the larger town of Hoylake, situated immediately to the west. Formerly, Meols was in the county of Cheshire, although since 1 April 1974 it has been a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the... , Moreton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Prenton	Operates between Birkenhead (Woodside) and Greasby only on Saturdays.
83A	Birkenhead Bus Station	Birkenhead Bus Station	Prenton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Arrowe Park Hospital, Prenton
84	Clatterbridge Hospital	Mill Park	Spital Spital, Merseyside Spital is a suburban area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is located mid-way on the Wirral Peninsula, and is mostly incorporated into the town of Bebington and the most westerly point of Spital forms the most northern edge of Bromborough.Spital is primarily a... , Bromborough	Through journeys possible with Route 85.
85	Heswall	Mill Park	Brimstage Brimstage Brimstage is a village located in the centremost part of the Wirral Peninsula, England, east of Heswall and west of Bebington. The village is located in the Clatterbridge Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South.At the time of the 2001 Census,... , Thornton Hough Thornton Hough Thornton Hough is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England, of pre-Conquest origins and historically a part of Cheshire. The village grew during the ownership of Joseph Hirst into a small model village and was later acquired by William Lever... , Raby, Clatterbridge Hospital	Through journeys possible with Route 84.
86	Leasowe Leasowe Leasowe is an area on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, in the north west of England, near Moreton and between Wallasey and Meols. Leasowe was part of the old County Borough of Wallasey, and is now within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, the Wallasey parliamentary constituency and the New...	Mill Park	Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Gayton Gayton, Merseyside Gayton is a village in Wirral, Merseyside, England, located between Heswall and Parkgate. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South... , Thornton Hough, Clatterbridge Hospital, Spital, Bromborough	Monday - Saturday evenings only.
87	Leasowe	Eastham Eastham -People:*Ashley Eastham , English footballer*George R. Eastham , English footballer*George E. Eastham , English footballer and son of the George R. Eastham*Harry Eastham , English footballer and brother of George R...  Ferry	Moreton, Meols, Hoylake, West Kirby, Newton, Greasby, Irby, Heswall, Gayton Gayton, Merseyside Gayton is a village in Wirral, Merseyside, England, located between Heswall and Parkgate. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral South... , Thornton Hough, Clatterbridge Hospital, Spital, Bromborough	Sundays only.
90	Woodside Bus Station	Prenton	Birkenhead, Oxton Oxton, Merseyside Oxton is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Originally a village in its own right, it became part of the Municipal Borough of Birkenhead upon its creation in 1877...	Circular service.
110	New Brighton	Clatterbridge Hospital	Liscard, Woodside, Birkenhead, Bebington	Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...  service. Monday - Saturday morning journeys, daytime service operated by Arriva North West.
112 113	New Ferry	New Ferry	Bebington Station, Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington	Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...  service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
122	Crosby Crosby, Merseyside Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...	Fazakerley Fazakerley Fazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062...	Netherton, Black Bull	Saturday service operated by Peoplesbus.
138 139	Meols	Meols	Hoylake Station, West Kirby Station, Newton	Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...  service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
181	Arrowe Park Hospital	Leasowe Station	Upton Village, Moreton Cross, Sandbrook Estate	Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...  service. Monday - Saturday daytime.
197	Woodside Ferry Terminal	Woodside	Claughton Village, Noctorum Estate	Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...  service. Monday - Saturday morning journeys.
293	Woodside Ferry Terminal	West Kirby	Birkenhead, Noctorum, Upton, Arrowe Park Hospital, Greasby, Newton	Merseytravel service. Evening and Sunday service.
492 495	Woodside Bus Station	Woodside	Birkenhead - Beechwood/Noctorum Circle	Merseytravel service. Circular service. Evening and Sunday service. Daytime service operated by Arriva North West.

Fleet

The bulk of the fleet consists of Dennis Dart SLF and more recently Alexander Dennis Dart 4 chassis with a mixture of bodywork: East Lancs Spryte

East Lancs Spryte

The East Lancs Spryte is a single-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was designed to body the Dennis Dart chassis, but a handful had been built on others, for example, the Volvo B6...

, Plaxton Pointer

Plaxton Pointer

The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m...

, Plaxton Pointer 2, MCV Evolution

MCV Evolution

The MCV Evolution is a single-decker bus bodywork built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles. It was unveiled in late 2004.This body is based on the frame of the Stirling but has been drastically restyled, incorporating a new roof-dome , and other new mouldings...

 and Marshall Capital

Marshall Capital

The Marshall Capital was a single-decker bus body built by Marshall between 1997 and 2003. It was typically placed on the Dennis Dart SLF chassis, but it was also built on other chassis and used to rebody older chassis....

. There is a solitary remaining Plaxton Primo

Plaxton Primo

The Plaxton Primo is a type of small low-floor bus based on the Enterprise Bus Plasma. It was launched by Plaxton in 2005.It is the result of close co-operation between Enterprise Bus Ltd and Plaxton. The fully welded stainless steel integral chassis final assembly is supplied in right hand drive...

.

Low-floor buses started arriving in the fleet in 1997, the first being a Dennis Dart with an East Lancs Spryte body (R54OCK). The low-floor fleet grew rapidly with more new Dennis Darts being joined by a number of Dennis Lances with Berkhof bodies and a larger number of Marshall minibus integrals. The fleet now is 100% low-floor, the last step-entrance vehicle in the fleet was a Dennis Dart

Dennis Dart

The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....

with Plaxton Pointer bodywork which came from Stagecoach (N63KBW).

External links

• Merseyside Dennis Dart Webste - Avon Buses Fleetlist