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The Witch Way is the branding for long-standing English bus route X43, which runs between Nelson and Manchester. The service is currently operated by Transdev in Burnley & Pendle. The route has operated continuously since 1948. It was previously operated by Ribble Motor Services, Stagecoach North West and Burnley & Pendle, while GM Buses briefly competed with Stagecoach on the route. During its history it has served several places no longer on the present route, including Bury, Colne, Skipton and the Trafford Centre. The service was rebranded as The Witch Way in 2005 to coincide with the introduction of new vehicles. It had previously been unbranded. Between 1982 and 1986 the route was known as ''Timesaver'', with buses carrying dedicated liveries. ==History== Route X43 was introduced between Colne and Manchester by Ribble Motor Services in 1948, replacing another route between Burnley and Manchester. In the early 1950s it was extended to start from Skipton. In 1978, the route was rerouted to use the new M66 motorway, bypassing Bury. Some journeys continued to serve the traditional route, as route number 743. Ribble Motor Services was privatised in 1986 in a management buyout. In April 1989 it was sold to Stagecoach.〔(Stagecoach Holdings plc and Lancaster City Transport Limited ) Monopolies & Mergers Commission December 1993〕 In 1992, in response to competition on route 192, GM Buses used its Charterplan coaching subsidiary to compete with route X43 between Manchester and Burnley. The competition ended in 1994 following Stagecoach's withdrawal from route 192.〔 Stagecoach went on to acquire the southern half of GM Buses in February 1996. For a short time in the late 1990s, the route operated through to Keighley, this ceased in 1999. In 1998 the route was extended south of Manchester to the Trafford Centre. A further change in 2000 saw the northern end of route X43 rerouted to avoid Barnoldswick, prompting some criticism from local residents. Stagecoach's operations in the Burnley area were sold to the Blazefield Group on 15 April 2001 and rebranded as Burnley & Pendle.〔(Burnley & Pendle Travel Ltd - a Blazefield Company ) BCN Society〕In June 2001 one X43 journey in each direction was extended through to Skipton and Hawes on summer Sundays. This proved relatively successful, and the single-deck coach initially used was replaced by a double-decker. It continued to operate into 2003, but was withdrawn at the end of September.〔 Fares on the route increased by 30% in the two years up to August 2004, prompting some passengers to abandon the route in favour of a car sharing scheme. Despite this, the route saw an average of 12% yearly growth between 2001 and 2004. In August 2005, the route was upgraded with new vehicles and rebranded as The Witch Way. The service frequency was increased to every 20 minutes, with a Saturday frequency of every 30 minutes and a Sunday frequency of one bus per hour, while the extension to the Trafford Centre was withdrawn. The section of route between Nelson and Colne was also abandoned, prompting criticism from local councillors, although the parallel "Mainline" routes 20-29 were increased in frequency to partially replace these journeys. Blazefield was sold to Transdev in January 2006.〔(Transdev acquires Blazefield Group ) ''Bus & Coach Professional'' 7 January 2006〕〔(A new stop for Blazefield ) ''Yorkshire Post'' 9 January 2006〕 During the first six months after the new vehicles were introduced, passenger numbers on the remaining section of route increased by 24.1%, with total passenger numbers up by 16.1%. The route was shortlisted for a UK Bus Award in October 2006, going on to win the Viacom Outdoor Bus Marketing Campaign of the Year award.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=2006 winners )〕 In October 2011, the Witch Way services underwent a revamp with an increase of journeys between Burnley and Manchester, running every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday daytime, but with a reduction of journeys between Nelson and Manchester, running every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday daytime. Route X44, which differed from the regular route by additionally serving Edenfield, was also withdrawn from service, being partly replaced by route X8, which ran between Burnley, Rawtenstall and Manchester via Bacup, and First Greater Manchester's route X35, which was extended from Stubbins.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Changes to services in Burnley and Pendle from3oth October 2011 )〕 On 1 November 2013, all buses were replaced with Volvo B9TL's which received a new Black, white and grey livery. These buses currently serve the X43. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Witch Way」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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