Ribble Motor Services

Ribble Motor Services

Preserved Leyland Atlantean in Bolton Town Centre in May 2009
Parent	National Bus Company
Founded	1919
Ceased operation	1989
Headquarters	Preston
Service type	Bus operator

Ribble Motor Services was a large regional bus operator in the North West England based in Preston.

Ribble Motor Services commenced operating in 1919, and grew to be the largest operator in the region, with a territory stretching from Carlisle in Cumberland to southern Lancashire.

In 1961, the Scout Motor Services business was purchased, and absorbed into Ribble in 1968. The Standerwick business had been purchased in 1932.

Ribble operated dark red liveried buses through its BET Group ownership and when it passed into the ownership of the nationalised operator National Bus Company. In 1972 the National Bus Company introduced a corporate livery and Ribble vehicles changed to poppy red. The first batch of Leyland Nationals were delivered from the factory finished in dark red paint but were repainted into poppy red by the company before they entered service.

Prior to the deregulation of bus services in 1986, Ribble's territory was reduced with the company's north Cumbrian operations passing to Cumberland Motor Services, and the Merseyside operations to a recreated North Western. As part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, Ribble was sold on 2 March 1988 in a management buyout. In May 1989, Ribble was purchased by Stagecoach Holdings. In May 1989, Barrow Borough Transport was purchased.

In April 2001, Stagecoach sold the Ribble operations in Blackburn, Hyndburn, Clitheroe and Bolton to the Blazefield Group, which rebranded them as Lancashire United and Burnley & Pendle.