Blackpool 377
The 1990s was a famine for new double deck buses. Between the 1989 Leyland Olympians and 2002 Dennis Tridents, just one batch of six new Volvo Olympians arrived in 1994. Volvo had taken over Leyland Bus in 1988 and its Olympian chassis was relaunched under the Volvo mark in 1993 and unusually for Volvo still featured the Cummins L10 engine.
374-379 arrived in November 1994, the first non Leyland double deckers since the Guy Arabs of the 1930s. They were also the first, and only, Northern Counties bodied buses bought by Blackpool - perhaps slightly influenced by Fylde's preference - Blackpool having purchased its neighbour earlier in 1994. They were also the only buses delivered in the 1994 "green stripe" livery. 377 arrived on 10th and entered service on the 14th.
The sextet allowed Atlanteans 322-327 to be cascaded to Fylde to displace some of its older examples. The Volvos entered service on route 6 (Mereside to Grange Park) on 14 November alongside Atlanteans but soon suffered vandalism, so were quickly moved onto the 22/22A (Cleveleys-Lytham) alonsgide Optare Deltas. Evening and Sunday work included the 14/14A (Fleetwood to St. Annes).
The 22/22A ceased with the Metro network in April 2001, so the Volvos moved onto the new Line 14 (Fleetwood to St. Annes). Form here they were displaced onto Line 11 (Cleveleys to Lytham) by the 2002 Tridents. The batch was repainted into the 11’s turquoise and yellow scheme between January and August 2002. This was their first repaint at seven years old. 377 was treated in April.
Further new Tridents for Line 11 cascades the Olympians to spare buses and 377 was modified to the blue and yellow pool livery in March 2005.
During the Roberts era a solitary batch of Volvo B7RLEs in 2010 was the sole intake of new buses, investment was spread over second hand double deckers to rid the fleet of its remaining step entrance buses - primarily Leyland Olympians eventually leaving the Volvos as the last step entrance buses. 374-379 were increasingly consigned to school services and in September 2011 five (excluding 374) were fitted with seat belts for some baths contracts. 377 was repainted into the revised black and yellow livery in September 2011.
By summer 2016 only five remained, 379 having been withdrawn in 2014. Purchas of ten new Alexander Dennis double deckers (the first since 2006) and the impending prohibition of step entrance buses meant the remainder were due for withdrawal. 374, 375 and 377 were given a farewell running on Promenade service 1 on Saurday 23rd July 2016. 377 was the last to leave depot and the penultimate one to return (c1930) having worked the 1800 Fleetwood to Starr Gate.
The last three all survive - 374 is privately preserved, 375 with a school and 377 left Blackpool in October 2016 moving to a museum in Sunderland in the ownership of Tyne Tees Heritage Trust. It was purchased by FTT in August 2025 and returned to the Fylde on 27th August, where it will be restored to original livery.
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