Author: Jim

Passengers waiting for buses at the stops in Common Garden Street in Lancaster city centre should find it a more comfortable experience following the installation of new seating by Lancashire County Council.

This replaces the previous benches that many passengers found uncomfortable and difficult to use due to their low positioning and lack of armrests.

The need for the new seats was recognised by Lancaster City councillors, who asked LBUG member and city councillor Abi Mills to pursue the matter in her role as the council’s disability champion. After much research and extensive consultation with potential users the “Broxap Ilford” design (illustrated above) was chosen.

However, with both the city and county councils strapped for cash and the Marketgate Centre’s owners not seeing it as their role, the project was held up due to lack of funding.

Lancaster Bus Users’ Group was able to identify the Bus Service Improvement Plan, administered by the “Enhanced Partnership” of bus operators and councils in Lancashire, as a potential source and an application for funding proved successful.

Another example of the Bus Users’ Group working together with the city and county councils to improve facilities for passengers,

Lancaster will once-again be connected to the Yorkshire Dales by bus after a two-year absence from next month when Lonsdale Buses will begin operating service 80 between Lancaster and Hawes.

In a change from previous years the service will run on Saturdays between 3rd May and 18th October with two round trips each day.

Connections

Connections will be made with trains on the Settle & Carlisle line at Ribblehead. Buses will meet the “Yorkshire Dales Explorer” train from Rochdale and Manchester at either end of the day to convey passengers to and from Hawes from where further bus connections are available on the Wensleydale Voyager 156 service to Leyburn and the “Garsdale Station Shuttle” 113 to Hardraw and Garsdale station. There are no connections to Swalesdale or Richmond this year. Service 156 does continue to Catterick, from where a connection to and from Richmond is available, but the timetables are such that only a very short stay is possible in the town.

Round Trips

As well as providing a facility for Lancaster residents to reach the Dales, a second round trip from Hawes will make it possible for people to make an afternoon’s visit to Lancaster and will restore a direct link between Ingleton and the city on Saturday afternoons.

Fares and Concessions

The Dales Rover ticket, which most passengers have used in previous years is only available on Sundays & Public Holidays and will not therefore be valid. However, the £3 maximum single fare cap will apply as will the under-19s offer of a maximum £1 fare per journey.

At the time of writing the position on concessionary passes was unclear and apparently under negotiation. In previous years North Yorkshire County Council, illegally in our view, did not allow their use on Dales Buses from Lancaster on the spurious grounds that these were provided solely for “tourists”. However the new service provides for a range of journey purposes, including shopping and hospital visiting in Lancaster and we would hope that the new North Yorkshire Council and Lancashire County Council would see sense and accept them.

Links

Please follow the links for more information

Timetable for service 80 Lancaster – Hawes

Map of Dales Bus services Summer 2025

Dales Area Bus and Train Times Booklet Summer 2025