Rosso (Rossendale Transport Limited) is a bus operator providing local services in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tamesid ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
and
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exis ...
, England. It is a subsidiary of
Transdev Blazefield
Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operato ...
, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...
and West Yorkshire.
History
The company's history dates back to December 1907, when both Haslingden Corporation Transport and Rawtenstall Corporation Transport first ran a motor bus within their boroughs. In 1968, both undertakings merged to form the Rossendale Joint Transport Committee.
Following local government reorganisation in April 1974, the boroughs were merged, along with nearby
Bacup
Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, ea ...
and
Whitworth Whitworth may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Whitworth, County Durham, a former civil parish in England
**Whitworth Hall, County Durham
*Whitworth, Lancashire, a town in England
*Whitworth Art Gallery, an art gallery in Manchester, England
*Whitw ...
, forming the present-day
Borough of Rossendale
Rossendale () is a district with borough status in Lancashire, England, located along the River Irwell and spanning a large valley. It is located south of Burnley and east of Blackburn. The borough borders Greater Manchester to the south and b ...
Transport Act 1985
The Transport Act 1985 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It introduced privatised and deregulated bus services throughout Great Britain and came into effect in October of 1986.
The Act was created as a response to growing concern ...
, the company's assets were transferred to a new legal entity.
The company expanded over the following twenty years, operating local buses in Bury,
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
and
Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England:
Places
*Rossendale Valley, a river valley
*Borough of Rossendale, a local government district
*Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
, as well as neighbouring
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and nort ...
,
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ce ...
,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
and
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Hal ...
.
In September 1990, a new depot was established in Rochdale, in order to support new routes introduced in the town following the deregulation of bus services.
In September 2008, the company's main depot and office facilities were moved from
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the cent ...
to
Haslingden
Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the ...
, with the former buildings subsequently demolished.
In early 2009, concerns were raised about the council's intentions, in relation to their continued ownership of the company. It culminated in a public protest outside Rawtenstall Town Hall, with the aim of dissuading Rossendale Borough Council from selling. In July 2009, the council announced that it was retaining its ownership of the company, with an acceptable valuation not having been met by any potentially interested parties.
In August 2013, the network was rebranded, with a new livery design of red, orange, yellow and white. At the same time, the company was renamed Rosso.
Following the granting of approval on 20 December 2017, the company was sold by
Rossendale Borough Council Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England:
Places
*Rossendale Valley, a river valley
*Borough of Rossendale, a local government district
*Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
on 12 January 2018. The sale saw the company's 240 staff and 102 vehicles join
Transdev Blazefield
Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operato ...
– a move which saw the investment of £3 million in a new fleet of high-specification vehicles for routes in and around Bury, Rochdale and Rossendale.
In April 2018, the company's Haslingden depot, which opened ten years earlier, was closed. Staff and vehicles were reassigned within the business to nearby depots across Lancashire.
Services and branding
464
The 464 service operates between
Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals ...
and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the cent ...
up to every 15 minutes, with a half-hourly frequency during the evening and on Sunday. This route is operated by a fleet of
Optare Versa
The Optare Versa is a low-floor midibus that was manufactured by Optare at its Sherburn-in-Elmet factory. In total 883 were produced between 2007 and 2018.
Bury Bolts
The Bury Bolts brand encompasses a number of local services operating in and around the town of Bury. Services are operated by a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery. Routes Include:B1 ( Bury - Woodhill - Burrs - Summerseat - Ramsbottom - Peel Brow), B2 (Bury - Fernhill - Chesham - Limefield - Nangreaves), B3 (Bury - Pimhole - Ferngrove) & B4 (Bury - Pimhole - Fairfield - Jericho - Heywood).
Irwell Line
The Irwell Line brand encompasses two services, which operate along the Irwell Valley. The routes operate between
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and nort ...
(481) or
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the cent ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of Volvo B7RLE/ Wright Eclipse Urban single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone teal and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi, USB charging and audio-visual next stop announcements.
Lakeline
The Lakeline brand encompasses two services (457 and 458), which operate between Littleborough and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via Smallbridge. Services are operated by a fleet of
Wright Streetlite
The Wright StreetLite is a low-floor midibus introduced by Wrightbus in 2010. It was originally available in only one body style (wheel forward) before the door forward and StreetLite Max variants were introduced in 2011 and 2012 respectively. ...
single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone blue and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Rochdale Runners
The Rochdale Runners brand encompasses a number of local services operating in and around the town of
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery.
Rossendale Rovers
Launched in January 2021, Rossendale Rovers is a brand encompassing a number of local services operating in and around the
Rossendale Valley
The Rossendale Valley is in the Rossendale area of Lancashire, England, between the West Pennine Moors and the main range of the Pennines. The area includes the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries (between Rawtenstall ...
. Services are operated by a fleet of
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/ midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that ...
single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone yellow livery. Features include audio-visual next stop announcements.
Tottington Line
Tottington Line is the brand for service 469, which operates between Bury and Tottington up to every 15 minutes, with a half-hourly service during the evening and on Sunday. The service is operated by a fleet of Wright Streetlite single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone green and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Trax
The Trax brand encompasses two services (467 and 468), which operate between Bury and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
via
Bamford
Bamford is a village in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England, close to the River Derwent. To the north-east is Bamford Edge, and to the north-west the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden Reservoirs. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 1, ...
at a combined half-hourly frequency. Services are operated by a fleet of Wright Streetlite single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone orange and yellow livery. Features include free WiFi and USB charging.
Fleet and operations
Depots
As of April 2022, the company operates from a single depot in
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
, as well as sharing
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...
As of April 2022, the fleet consists of in the region of 100 buses. The fleet consists of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by Alexander Dennis, Optare,
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are ...