Hulleys of Baslow
 | |
 | |
| Founded | 29 April 1921 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 26 March 2025 |
| Headquarters | Baslow, Derbyshire, England |
| Service area | Derbyshire South Yorkshire |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Routes | 16 (December 2014) |
| Destinations | Baslow, Bakewell, Matlock, Buxton, Chesterfield, Glossop, Sheffield |
| Fleet | 19 (March 2025) |
| Managing Director | Alf Crofts |
| Website | https://hulleys-of-baslow.co.uk |
Hulleys of Baslow is an independent bus company based in Baslow, Derbyshire, England.
History
[edit]
The origins of Hulleys can be traced back to 1914 when Henry Hulley purchased a Ford Model T and commenced running a taxi service based from Baslow. On 29 April 1921, a Ford Model T bus purchased by Henry Hulley began operating a service from Baslow to Chesterfield via Cutthorpe. In 1925 a service from Bakewell to Youlgreave commenced. By 1934, further growth through the acquisition of several small independent operators had seen the fleet expand to seven buses and coaches, with excursions operated to York, Skegness, Southport and Blackpool. A formal company named Henry Hulley & Sons Ltd was eventually founded on 25 January 1938.[1]
Founder Henry Hulley died in 1955, with the business passing his children and a coach being purchased in his memory. Hulleys' longstanding Baslow to Chesterfield service was withdrawn on 25 July 1970 due to falling passenger numbers, with routes serving Grindleford railway station, operated since 1939 following the takeover of Maurice Kenyon of Grindleford, also abandoned. On 7 August 1978, Jack, Ben and Nina Hulley, the children of Henry Hulley, sold Hulleys of Baslow to fellow independent coach operator JH Woolliscroft & Sons, who rebranded Hulleys as Silver Service and moved operations to their Darley Dale depot.[1]
On 10 March 2020, ownership of Hulleys was transferred to company driver Alf Crofts.[2] The company's coaching operations were withdrawn during 2020 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later in April 2021, Hulleys celebrated its centenary with the launch of the X57 Snake service between Sheffield and Manchester via the Snake Pass, the purchase of a new vehicle and the painting of existing vehicles in heritage liveries.[1][3]
In late 2023, Hulleys of Baslow purchased Kent-based independent operator Go-Coach of Swanley from owner Austin Blackburn. The branding of Go-Coach's fleet and routes remained separate from the main Hulleys operation, and on 28 February 2025, after over a year of ownership, Hulleys had sold Go-Coach back to Austin Blackburn through a management buyout performed by Blackburn.[4]
On 23 March 2025, after the company had been stripped of four Derbyshire County Council bus operating contracts for continually running the services unreliably, with the routes being reassigned to other operators,[5] it was announced that Hulleys of Baslow, after 103 years of service, was to cease its bus operations on 26 March, with a insolvency practitioner being appointed to help close down the company.[6][7]
Services
[edit]As of March 2025, Hulleys operate a wide network of services, centred around linking Peak District towns and villages with Sheffield, Chesterfield and Bakewell, as well as networks serving Ashbourne, Glossop, Matlock and surrounding areas.[citation needed]
In October 2022, the firm took over operation of routes 48 and 49, running from Clay Cross to Brampton and Bolsover or Clowne respectively, from fellow independent TM Travel. Upon launch, some afternoon services on the 48 were extended to run to Wigley from Brampton's Morrisons superstore.[8]
The company formerly operated the X57 Snake route, running between Sheffield and Manchester via the mountainous Snake Pass. Launched on 25 October 2020 and initially running 10 return trips on Mondays to Saturdays,[9] the service was soon withdrawn on 9 January 2022 due to low passenger numbers making the X57 financially unviable to run.[10]
Hulleys also operated a summer weekend express service similar in nature to the X57 Snake, launched in March 2020 and linking Sheffield, Chesterfield and Bakewell to such attractions as Alton Towers and Carsington Water.[11][3]
Fleet
[edit]As of closure in March 2025, Hulleys of Baslow held an operating license for a fleet of 19 buses,[6] most of which are single-deck buses. Among vehicles operated include an MCV Evora bodied Volvo B8RLE, purchased during the company's centenary in 2021 as the first new Hulleys vehicle in ten years.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Welch, Jonathan (25 May 2021). "Peak Centenary". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Hulleys of Baslow reach their centenary". Derbyshire Victoria County History. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "Fleet in focus: Hulleys of Baslow". Buses. No. 795. Stamford: Key Publishing. 12 May 2021. p. 83. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Go-Coach back in ownership of Austin Blackburn as RB6s ordered". routeone. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Bisknell, Eddie (20 March 2025). "Derbyshire council scraps four bus service contracts - after provider found to be continually unreliable". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Hulleys of Baslow announces closure after over a century of service". routeone. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Peat, Chris (25 March 2025). "Hulleys of Baslow to cease trading". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Hardwick, Tom (12 September 2022). "Bus provider announces changes to services in Chesterfield and Derbyshire – with routes scrapped and timetables altered". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Hulleys launches new Manchester-Sheffield service". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Kessen, David (26 November 2021). "Sheffield buses: Hulleys to scrap Sheffield to Manchester X57 Snake Pass service". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Cumber, Robert (14 February 2020). "You'll soon be able to catch a bus from Sheffield to Alton Towers - here's what you need to know". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
External links
[edit]- Company website
Media related to Hulleys of Baslow at Wikimedia Commons
