Decade of Witch Way

Transdev has marked the tenth anniversary of its Witch Way service in the Burnley area. Since the X43 was re-branded and upgraded to the Witch Way in August 2005, there has been more than £3m of investment in the route. There’s 15 double-decker buses in the fleet, with tinted windows, leather seating, ample leg room and Wi-Fi. Operations Manager at Transdev, Kevin Timberlake, said one of the main operational changes to benefit the service was the introduction of real time technology for more effective monitoring of punctuality. The livery has had a face lift since the rebrand ten years ago. In another move to meet customer demand, the operator has launched new late night buses to and from Manchester on a Saturday night. The late night service, which started on 1 August, runs between Manchester and Burnley during the witching hours of 00.00, 01.00, 02.00 and 03.00. To celebrate the decade, the operator held a party at Burnley bus station, with free breakfasts and coffees and a selfie competition.

The X43 route has been in operation in various forms since the 1940s. It was rebranded Witch Way in 2005 to coincide with investment in new vehicles. Buses run Monday to Friday up to every ten minutes at peak times, every 15 minutes during the day and up to every 15 minutes on Saturdays. Sunday services runs up to every 30 minutes. Witch Way’s name is derived from the area served by the route’s association with witches, specifically the Pendle witch trials.
(LtoR) Development Director, Richard Jackson; Chief Executive, Alex Hornby and MD operations at the party at Burnley bus station, Russell Revill.