Bedford-Morecambe service leaflet Summer 1972

In the early 1960s Yelloway Motor Services and Premier Travel established through services from the North West of England to East Anglia via the East Midlands. One of the timings on this joint operation ran on Summer Saturdays from Bedford to Blackpool via Northampton, Market Harborough and Leicester from where it travelled via the M1 and M6 Motorways to Preston, St. Annes and Blackpool.

In the latter part of the decade two other holiday services began which also originated in Bedford and these operated to the other main Lancashire seaside resorts of Morecambe and Southport. These services were also shared with Ribble Motor Services and Midland Red. Whilst the service to Morecambe ran for a number of years that to Southport was very short lived.

The Morecambe service timetable for the Summer of 1972 is shown here. (The original leaflet was a single A5 white sheet printed in magenta on both sides).

Between Bedford and Leicester all three services shared the same route and had common timings. The Premier Travel vehicle working the Blackpool service conveyed all passengers south of Leicester with Midland Red providing the vehicle(s) north thereof. (A disclaimer here regarding the Southport service. It wasn’t as successful as the others so was cancelled after a short time and, whilst only hearsay, I think that the few passengers that did use it may have been carried on the other coaches to either Charnock Richard or Preston to then complete their journey on a feeder vehicle to Southport).

In the evening homeward passengers from the Morecambe and Southport services would be conveyed on their respective coaches as far as Leicester from where they would complete their journey on the Premier Travel coach that worked the Blackpool-Bedford service.

The Yelloway and Premier Travel joint services carried service numbers allocated in the Premier Travel service numbering series. The Morecambe service was service 85 and the Southport service was service 86.