Blackburn’s outer circle buses to return

Blackburn’s outer circle bus route scrapped in 2016 will start to run again next month – with a new service to and from Ewood Park for midweek Rovers home games.

The re-instated service will travel through Whitebirk, past the Royal Blackburn Hospital, to Witton Park and then up to Pleckgate.

It will begin operating on Sunday May 4 and run on average every 40 minutes at peak times and every 75 minutes at off peak times, from Monday to Friday.

On weekends and bank holidays, it will operate approximately hourly.

The original outer circle service was axed in August 2016.

The new service is thanks to Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which saw the local authority secure £3.7million of government grant to improve bus services across the borough and bring back routes that haven’t been in use for a long time.

In December, the council announced that three new bus services linking sheltered accommodation with Blackburn town centre had been reinstated: the M9 Blackburn bus station – Griffin – Blackburn Circular; the M10 Blackburn bus station to Warrenside Close; and the M11 Blackburn bus station – Tockholes – Belmont.

The new outer circle service includes a few improvements on the original one including the mid-week Ewood Park addition,

The 5A will still run anticlockwise around the town, with the 5C running clockwise.

The 55A and 55C services will also run on a similar route, with minor variations, operating alternatively at peak times on Monday to Friday.

The service aims to ensure a wider coverage to businesses and out-of-town shopping areas.

In addition when Blackburn Rovers have a midweek game the 5A and 5C will operate in each direction, departing Ewood fifteen minutes after the final whistle.

The service will be operated by Vision Bus Ltd.

The firm’s general manager Tony Murphy said: “Vision Bus is absolutely thrilled to bring these historic routes back to life for our local communities.

“We’re revved up with excitement and can’t wait to hit the road running!”

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Cllr Phil Riley said: “I’ve been a big supporter of reinstating this bus route.

“It’s a fantastic service that allows people to get to those harder to reach places.

“And being able to offer a suitable option home for Rovers supporters is an added bonus!”

The authority’s growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood said: “Turning proposals from the bus service improvement plan into reality has been top of the agenda for a few years now.

“Not only have we been reinstating bus routes, but we’ve also been busy upgrading bus stops and key junctions to reduce journey times for bus users.

“It’s now over to residents to ensure they future proof these services by utilising them.”