Blue Bus

Region

United Kingdom

Associated With

Arriva - acquiring company

Defining Feature

Independent local services linking Horwich, Bolton and surrounding towns

Status

Defunct - Acquired by Arriva in 2005

Overview

Blue Bus was a Horwich independent running local services between Horwich and Bolton from 1991.

An archived history dates its passenger-service launch to early May. Routes 573, 574, 575 and 577 served separate Horwich estates, providing a reported 15-minute service along the Bolton–Horwich corridor. Route 715 later linked Wigan, Westhoughton and Bolton.

Arriva acquired the Bolton operation in July 2005. Companies House records the legal company’s change of name to Rojay Services Limited later that year.

Why It Mattered

A 15-minute independent network on the Horwich–Bolton corridor gave separate estates a named alternative to GM Buses. By the time of Arriva’s acquisition, the operation had grown beyond its initial services: The Journal’s July 2005 report described 86 vehicles and 218 employees.

Early Horwich Services

• An archived specialist history places Blue Bus’s early base at a former railway works in Horwich and dates the start of passenger services to early May 1991.
• Routes 573, 574, 575 and 577 reportedly ran every 15 minutes along the Bolton–Horwich corridor, serving separate Horwich estates.
• On 18 November 1991, route 715 began as a commercial hourly Blue Bus service linking Wigan, Westhoughton and Bolton.

Fleet Appearance and Photographs

• The specialist history describes Blue Bus’s cream-and-two-tone-blue livery.
• A photograph records vehicle 11 at Bolton Deansgate on 27 July 1991, close to the reported start of passenger operations.
• A later photograph identifies vehicle 115, registration H115 ABV, on 19 May 2004.

Acquisition and Company Record

• Company no. 02732657 was incorporated on 20 July 1992, after the reported 1991 start of Blue Bus passenger services.
• The Journal reported that Arriva completed its acquisition of Blue Bus and Coaches of Bolton during July 2005 for £2.9 million.
• The report described the acquired business as having 86 vehicles and 218 employees; Companies House records its later change of name to Rojay Services Limited on 1 November 2005.

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