The Trust membership scheme currently has almost 300 members who share an interest in Ribble Motor Services and the work we do to preserve the company’s history. The annual subscription is £25 and members receive a full colour magazine four times a year as well as access to our members Facebook page and the chance to participate in our work.
You can apply for membership by completing the application form via the Contact Page
As well as supporting our overall aims members also have the chance to work directly with the Trust. A whole range of opportunities awaits – some members work regularly at our depot on vehicle preparation, regular maintenance and vehicle restoration. We have plenty of tasks for those with specific skills and those who help in a more general way. Others help out at events by conducting on the bus service, carrying out marshalling, talking to visitors. There’s plenty of enjoyment as well as hard work and a lot of satisfaction in helping a restoration project to completion or successfully delivering a major event.
If you would like to know more and possibly take a look around do get in touch.
1995 Bristol VR Open Top
Reg: OCK 995K
Chassis: Bristol VRT/SL2
Body: ECW H39/31F originally; now OT
Built: 1972
In 1971/2 Ribble took delivery of a batch of flat screen VRs all of which were originally allocated to Carlisle depot. 1995 was one of these and it remained with Ribble until 1985 when it moved to Eastern Counties, also a NBC company. By May 1986 it had been converted to open top and numbered OT5. A mechanical failure led to its withdrawal in 1992 and it started to be stripped for spares. However it was subsequently repaired and reinstated at Great Yarmouth. In 1999 it was sold to Guide Friday for use on the Norwich tour.
The next stage in its life was unusual as it was sold to Tennent Caledonian Breweries in Glasgow for promotional use. That ended in 2006 when it went to the Lancastrian Transport Trust and was operated by Classic Bus North West. It then passed through two private preservationists before being acquired by a consortium of RVPT members in 2017. Over the winter of 2017-8 it was renovated and painted in the current livery. Although this livery was not applied to any VRs in Ribble days it was used by open toppers in the 1980s and 1990s. It has proved very popular at our events since joining our collection – especially in good weather.