The Bowland Transit Club is a group of people who care about the Bowland Transit bus service and believe it should continue for the benefit of the local community, the local economy and visitors to the area.
As individuals, we believe we can make a difference – by helping to promote and publicise the service to local people and to visitors, by distributing literature, by organising guided walks and other events to help both the County Councils and the bus operator to retain and develop the network for local communities and visitors alike.
Please join The Bowland Transit Club to help our campaign to ensure that this valuable service prospers in the future – for details of how to do see below.
Changes to the Bowland Transit from 31st March 2008
Getting more People onto the Buses
How The Bowland Transit Club will Work
Bowland Transit Guided Walks Programme
Bowland Transit Club Application Form
Email the Bowland Transit Club
What is Bowland Transit?
Bowland Transit is the little white buses that wind their way between Clitheroe, Slaidburn and Settle, through the rolling hills and pastures of the Forest of Bowland. They are a lifeline for local communities, for villages such as Slaidburn, Tosside and Dunsop Bridge, getting people to work, school and the shops. What’s more, they also brings in visitors, who not having cars or leaving their cars at home, contribute far less to pollution, accidents and congestion. True sustainable tourism is car free tourism where people come by bus and train, walk, cycle, use the “Green networks” of paths and green lanes which are such a feature of Bowland.
Click here for timetable details.
There is also a B12 bus which on Thursdays in summer heads westwards from Clitheroe to Chipping and smaller communities to Garstang market.
The Bowland Transit was named as one of the top scenic bus journeys in Britain in a recently published book by David McKie – something we all know, but nice when such recognition comes from an outside source.
Getting more People onto the Buses
Everyone knows that the more visitors travel on a rural bus service, the better it performs financially. A range of attractive bargain fares such as the popular Ribble Valley Day Ranger ticket cuts the cost of travel. For only £5.00 for a day’s travel (£2.50 for children and £10 for families), you can travel on any bus in the Ribble Valley including the Bowland Transit. What not many people realise is that the ticket is also valid on many linking services within Lancashire outside the Ribble Valley, such as from Burnley, Blackburn, Accrington, Preston into the Ribble Valley. You can buy the ticket on the first bus you use.
The Bowland Transit is now free to senior citizens with bus passes. This is a wonderful opportunity for Bowland Transit and the Forest of Bowland to be discovered by many more people who would otherwise have no choice of travel. But younger people too can make use of the bus network to access some of the grandest, wildest landscapes in the North of England, especially with the new CROW Act Access Area now being available. The bus is ideal for linear or point to point walks, away from the restrictions imposed by the car to do only circular walks (though a car can also be used, combined with bus travel, for linear walks). The Bowland Transit offers true freedom, without causing additional environmental problems and traffic pollution.
How The Bowland Transit Club Works
The Bowland Transit Club is centred around our mailing list, for regular mail outs (which might also be by e-mail) giving you news of what is happening on the Bowland Transit network over the next few months. We will let you know about the proposed programme of guided walks over the spring and summer months, at time of writing this is likely to alternate between shorter walks on Wednesdays and longer walks on Saturdays. We will also keep you informed of anything else that is going on, such as local events accessible by the Bowland Transit bus network, and on other buses in the area.
The Bowland Transit Club is an entirely independent body, providing a means of communication between those of us who believe at the present time of rapid climate change, rural public transport services such as the Bowland Transit are vital for the social and environmental well being of the countryside.
The Bowland Transit Club is “hosted” by the Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, an entirely independent, “social enterprise” company that is not allowed to use any profits except for its social objectives. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Yorkshire Dales Society, the Settle-based independent environmental charity, in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Public Transport Users Group, bus users who care equally about services across the boundary into Lancashire.
The Bowland Transit Club works closely with Lancashire and North Yorkshire county councils and with the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to help promote the service.
How You Can Help
You can help first and foremost by joining the membership list if you haven’t already done so, and travelling whenever you can on the Bowland Transit and encouraging other people to travel on the Bowland Transit and join The Bowland Transit Club.
To join The Bowland Transit Club please complete the application form and send to:
The Secretary, Bowland Transit Club, The Town Hall, Cheapside, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD23 9AJ
A small membership charge will be introduced from 1st September 2008, to cover the expenses involved in running the club. Naturally if you’d like to make a further donation towards our costs, it will be gratefully received and any cheques should be payable to the Bowland Transit Club and sent to the above address.
We would also welcome any offers of assistance, maybe distributing literature, helping with guided walks or lobbying local councillors, including your parish councils
We are also keen to hear your views, ideas and suggestions – how could the service be improved?, what can we do to better promote the service?
