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.
2101 Olympian/NC
Reg: P234 VCK
Chassis: Volvo Olympian
Body: Northern Counties Palatine 1 H82F
Built: 1996
Stagecoach’s standard double deck chassis from the late 1980s to the late 90s was the Olympian, initially Leyland and then Volvo. The majority had Alexander bodies but a sizeable minority were built by Northern Counties at Wigan. RVPT has one of these, P234 VCK which was delivered as Stagecoach Ribble 2234 and became 16634 under the national numbering scheme.
It is a long wheelbase Volvo with an 82 seat body, one of a batch of 12 delivered in 1996. 2234 operated out of Preston Depot on most routes including Stagecoach express routes X58 and X61. It then moved to Chorley Depot for use on the 125/126 service between Preston, Chorley, and Bolton. Due to the small fuel tank fitted to this batch they were not suitable for the long trunk routes and were transferred to other areas, most of them going to Stagecoach South. However 2234 moved to Morecambe Depot, remaining at Morecambe until it was withdrawn in October 2016. It also operated in Carlisle to help out after the Depot was flooded in 2005.
After withdrawal it was acquired by RVPT and was refurbished including fitting many new body panels. It was then repainted into the Stagecoach striped livery and has become a regular performer at our events.