On Saturday I had a good trip around the Bishop Auckland area in search of small independent operators using an Arriva day ticket. It had been my first trip out in some time due to work and family commitments. The day began well with Wright bodied Arriva 1442 working the 08.30 X12 from Gateshead to Durham. This was a good, fast journey; the bus did not have many passengers and handled the route without any problems. We arrived in Durham on time and managed to get the correct bay in the bus station. I noted on the way that minibus operator Wilson based at Barley Mow has changed his fleetname to A & J Travel and is now operating two Ford Transits.

The number 6 service to Cockfield was pulling in behind us at Durham so I jumped on. This was operated by Arriva 1524 which is fitted out to Sapphire standard. The journey again was good with no problems. The bus followed the route well and I enjoyed the scenery. Plenty of shoppers heading to Bishop Auckland were picked up along the way. The bus arrived at Bishop Auckland on time where I alighted. I was hoping for further trips on Sapphire vehicles as the day progressed.

After a short wait at Bishop bus station (where I did a bit spotting), I caught Arriva 1425 operating the 9.50 number 1 to Darlington. This was a short journey as I alighted at Saint Andrews Road after a few minutes. My first port of call was to be GMC Taxis based at St Peters Close. Armed with my A to Z map I set out in search of their operating centre. I headed along the old railway which is now a public footpath and passed the TA Centre. I noticed the Cadet Force had a small contingent of Ford Transits in it’s yard, so spotted these vehicles on the way. The footpath was nice walking through the autumn leaves in the sunshine. I also passed the Arriva garage which is for sale. I shortly arrived at GMC’s base on a new housing development and spotted the two vehicles present.

I then headed towards South Church Enterprise Park. On the way I walked through the historic churchyard where a wedding was about to take place. It did not take long to reach the enterprise park (which has a good view of the church). On arrival I visited the Patient Transport depot of North East Ambulance Service. There were a number of Renault Master minibuses parked up along with a Peugeot people carrier. My plan was then to get the bus to Eldon Lane but I had a bit of a wait. I therefore decided to have a walk up the hill instead.

At Eldon Lane I visited the premises of Dene Valley Community Transport. Their depot is built on the course of a former mineral railway which used to serve a local colliery. There were a couple of Ford Transits present and I was able to get some OK photos of them. I explored the village for a short time before catching Arriva 1506 working the 10.55 number 5 service. This passed through Close House and Eldon. These villages are seriously down on their luck. They were proud mining communities which now are a shadow of their former selves with many boarded up houses. It made me wonder why is mass immigration encouraged when decent hard working families have been thrown on the scrap heap with little long term support.

After a short ride enjoying the good views I alighted in the centre of Shildon. I had not visited this town since the early 1990’s and at first lost my bearings as there had been quite a bit of redevelopment. My first port of call was Humbles Coaches in Robson Street. This operator used to have quite a large fleet but now just has a single LDV. Close by was taxi firm Birds which has a number of minibuses running on taxi plates. I then took a short work to Shildon Methodist Church which is the home of Shildon Community Transport. Unfortunately there were no vehicles present. Next I took a walk through a park and along another former colliery railway which is now a footpath. I was heading for Dalton Crescent, which is the home address of two PSV operators. These are Ebdon (Dial A Cab) and Matthews & Aldworth (DA Taxis). I was pleased to find 5 vehicles parked in a garage block behind the operators’ homes. These were various kinds of minibuses operating on taxi plates.

With the aid of my trusty A to Z I then set out to find Hackworth Industrial Estate which is the official operating centre for Dial A Cab. After a bit of hunting around, I found their depot near a large scrap yard. There were 3 minibuses present, 2 of which were PSVs. The guy on site had no objection to me looking around. Next I visited Holly Lodge care home which is owned by the Executive Care Group. The latest PSV Circle fleet book states they have a small minibus fleet but no vehicles were present. My final stop in Shildon was Princess Street. This the official operating centre of DA Taxis. Unfortunately no vehicles were present at this location either.

My next bus was Arriva 1425 working the 12.17 number 1 service. This service was busy with people heading into Bishop; however the bus made short work of the steep hill heading out of Shildon. I returned to Bishop Auckland and alighted at Cabin Gate. Next I headed up Woodhouse Lane. My first stop was the Law Courts which are the home to non-psv operator Dreamcatcher PSP. This not for profit training company runs a small minibus fleet and I had no problems spotting their vehicles. My next stop was the Butterwick Hospice. This charity operates a single Peugeot Boxer minibus called George on a non-psv basis. I then walked up the hill to St Johns School. The school operates a single LDV on a Section 19 Permit. At 15 years old, it was probably the oldest non-psv I spotted all day. Next to the school is Bishop Auckland College. This has recently been rebuilt and looks very impressive. The college operates 4 minibuses which were parked in the grounds. These are two Ford Transits and two Peugeot Boxers. By this time it was around 13.00 so I ate my packed lunch on the playing fields next to college. However a load of small dogs caught the smell of my sandwiches and their owners had to pull them away from me.

After a good rest I headed up to Etherley Dene. First I visited minibus operator Millward on Rochester Close. This operator has the official trading name of Swiss Cabs on the VOSA website. However he runs a single Ford Transit using the fleet name of AM Travel. The vehicle is White with blue vinyls and looks rather good. Next it was a short walk to the premises of McDonald Travel. This operator used to run full size coaches from a base on the Coundon Industrial Estate. However he now just runs minibuses and taxis from his home address. A Ford Transit and Renault Master were present when I visited.

I’d just missed the bus back into the centre of Bishop and was faced with an hour’s wait. I therefore decided to walk back via Etherley Lane. This did not take long and I was able to cut the corner off by walking through the hospital grounds. On the way I visited King James I Academy. This school operates a Volvo B10-M on a Section 19 Disk. The vehicle is kept at Garnett’s yard on the Romanway Industrial Estate. They also have a fleet of 5 minibuses which comprise Ford Transits and Peugeot Boxers. The site is currently in the process of being redeveloped and the old school buildings are well worth a look for their beautiful architecture. Next I visited the Scouts on Kingsway who have a single Ford Transit. I also passed the New Christian Centre which used to have a small minibus street. However no vehicles were present. Next I visited the Market Place and Castle where I took some photos of the interesting and ancient buildings. I then had a good look around the shops and found a great old-fashioned bookshop on Bondgate. I returned to the bus station and spent a good half hour spotting and getting photos. I always enjoy Bishop due to the number of independent operators that serve the town. On this visit I was not disappointed with stock from SB, Eden and Weardale present.

My next bus was Optare 2823 on the 14.20 56 service. This was a good ride through former mining villages. The view over Spennymoor from near Ferryhill is most impressive. The journey was marred slightly by a drunken guy getting on at Ferryhill and taking to himself for the remainder of the journey. I alighted at Stobbs Cross near West Cornforth. The last time I passed this location Wilkinson (B&W Travel) had his fleet of LDVs parked up in a yard. I was hoping to get further details and photos but regrettably no vehicles were present. Scarlett Band was my next objective. The staff had no issues with me looking around. There were 12 vehicles present, mainly Optares. There were also wheelchair enabled minibuses present which looked like they are used on schools contracts. These wear an all-over white livery. After thanking the staff, I made my way to The Cornforth Partnership. This charity based on the High Street operates a single LDV for the benefit of local people. The vehicle was parked up near a public house.

After a short wait I caught Optare to 2820 working the 15.27 56 service to Bowburn. This bus also had a drunken guy on who again was taking to himself. His face looked like he had recently been given a real hiding with deep cuts near his eyes. He got off at Coxhoe, shortly afterwards we passed the yard of Talbots Transport which had a number of minibuses present. This operator is in the process of applying for a PSV O-licence, the vehicles currently run on taxi plates.

At Bowburn I visited the premises of two small independents Bowman (Anne’s Cars) and Sanderson (K&C Travel). These operators are located close to one another; however neither had any vehicles present. I therefore walked through the village. I passed the DJ Evans Youth Club. This charitable organisation runs two vehicles on Section 19 Permits. They are based at Meadowfield near the original Lee’s Coaches garage. They trade as Derrick Youth Bus and one of their vehicles is a dual door Dennis Dart which I think used to be operated by Stagecarriage Limited of Middlesbrough. Next I passed the Bowburn Care Centre; this for profit nursing home owns a small fleet of Renault Masters which are kept in a yard at the rear of the building. My final call in Bowburn was Medical Services North East. This for profit ambulance company owns a number of patient transport minibuses. These are mainly Renault Masters. I was able to get a partial view of their yard from the adjoining waste ground. Many of the vehicles have 999 in their registrations. They are located next to the Durham Brewery which produces some fine ales.

After a short walk back to the main street I was hoping to catch the 1601 X12 back to Durham. However this was running late, so it was another Optare. This time it was 2810 on the 16.08 56 service. I relieved to see there were no drunks on this service. The bus became very busy at Houghall where a large number of students boarded next to the sports centre. I alighted in Durham bus station after a present journey. As usual for a Saturday afternoon, the station was packed with buses queuing up to reach the stands.

I did a good bit of spotting at Durham; there was plenty of variety in terms of liveries and types of buses. At 16.30 I had the pleasure of seeing the steam locomotive Countess of Sutherland slowly cross the railway viaduct. Despite not having much interest in trains, I could not help but be stunned at the sight of this impressive locomotive and it’s rake of dark red carriages heading Southwards. A large crowd of all ages gathered to watch and take some people were taking photos.

I then caught Arriva 1415 working the 16.50 X12 service to Chester-le-Street. This was pretty much on time despite the large number of passengers who alighted at Durham. The journey was short and pleasurable, and the bus arrived at Chester on time. My plan was to get off at the top of the bank and then make my way to the GNE depot visiting a number of minibus operators on the way. This I figured would take an hour. I visited the small ambulance station and spotted a couple of patient transport minibuses. I then began to make my way to the premises of Pita (MSP Executive Travel). At this point my right knee stated to badly ache. By the time I reached their premises on Rydal Road, I could barely walk and had to keep sitting on garden walls to rest. I therefore decided to cut my visit short and hobbled back down to the top of town. My final bus of the day was Arriva 1443 on the 17.36 X12. This bus was on time and I was one of only two passengers until we reached Birtley. A number of people heading onto Newcastle for a night out boarded there. I got off at Gateshead and had very slow agonising walk home followed by a long relaxing bath.

The day in general was a very enjoyable one and the Arriva day ticket I thought was great value. I would definitely do this trip again. There are so many operators in the Bishop Auckland district I could have spent all day there. Garnetts, Eden, Hubery and Michael’s Travel all spring to mind. My knee is a bit better now and I’ve had a careful walk today. I do not know when my next outing will be, I’m very busy work wise at the moment.

I hope you enjoyed the review.

Charles