Dale HIRE
Dale
Hire was a partnership between Mr Blaynee and Mr Hunt
and was based at 5 Queens Street Astwood Bank which was
a purpose built depot that was just about large enough
to keep the whole fleet under cover. The operation
traded using the operator's License number PD75. The
company had it's origins with Fletcher's Coach Hire of
Studley which itself was taken over by Johnson's Coaches
of Henley in Arden.
Dale
Hire's core business was based around local bus services
which rather unusually never ran on Saturdays or
Sundays. In the early days after bus deregulation Dale
Hire worked with Hereford and Worcester County Council
to secure funds for new vehicles in return for
re-introducing a number of rural bus services to
villages to the south of Redditch such as Feckenham,
Sambourne and Bradley Green. For this a fleet of
mini-coaches were acquired. The company also introduced
a number of services in Redditch itself including the
647 which today forms the core of the service 64
operated by First. In October 1995 the partnership
behind the Company was dissolved. Gordon Blaynee
continued the business on on his own using a new
operators license numbered PD1481 until . The company
was taken over by Harding's on 1st February 1997. All
the vehicles were soon repainted and many received the
trade mark HCR number plates that virtually all
Harding's vehicles carry.
The Dale Hire Fleet when the operation cease on 1st February 1997
|
All except C323GKL were transferred with the sale of the business on 1st February 1997 to Harding's Coaches
Bus services operated Dale Hire Minibuses between 26th October 1986 & 1st February 1997
| Service 75 Astwood Bank, High Street & Redditch, Town Centre – Mondays to Fridays |
| New service started Monday 27th October 1986. The Timetable was slightly revised on 17th August 1987 to allow the new service 647 to be introduced |
| Service 76 Redditch, Town Centre & Beoley Road West – Mondays to Fridays |
| New service started Monday 27th October 1986. The Timetable was slightly revised on 17th August 1987 to allow the new service 647 to be introduced. The service was diverted via St Georges Gardens 12th November 1990. |
| Service 647 - Redditch, Bus Station & Greenlands Circular - Mondays to Fridays |
| New service started Monday 17th August 1987 – journeys at 1035 and 1320. Service withdrawn 29th July 1988 – Loss of Hereford and Worcester County Council contract – New contract awarded to Midland Red West on an enhanced timetable as service 64. First now operate this service on a slightly revised route every 30 minutes. |
| Service 150 Astwood Bank - Feckenham - Bradley Green - Hanbury - Redditch – Wednesdays only |
| New service started Wednesday 5th April 1989 – Service part replaced withdrawn Midland Red West service 150 Inkberrow - Feckenham – Redditch |
| Service 153 Astwood Bank - Broom - Cookhill - Sambourne – Redditch – Fridays only |
| New service started Friday 7th April 1989 – Service part replaced withdrawn Midland Red West service 150 Inkberrow - Feckenham - Redditch. |
| Service 154 Astwood Bank - Holberrow Green - Feckenham - Ham Green - Redditch – Thursdays only |
| New service started Thursday 6th April 1989 – Service part replaced withdrawn Midland Red West service 150 Inkberrow - Feckenham - Redditch |
| Service 185 Sambourne - Redditch via Middletown and Sainsbury's Store – Thursdays only |
| New service started Thursday 12th December 1991 |
| Service 186 Portway - Redditch via Earlswood Common, Tanworth-in-Arden – Fridays only |
| New service started Friday 6th December 199. Certain journeys were diverted via Plymouth Road North and Salop Road instead of direct via Mount Pleasant from 31 August 1993 – This was withdrawn when Midland Red West service 63 was diverted via Plymouth Road |
| Service 187 Mappleborough Green (Dog) – Wootton Wawen – Tanworth-in-Arden - Redditch – Tuesdays only |
| New service started Tuesday 5th July 1994 |
|
The business was sold to Harding's Coaches on 1st February 1997, with bus services 76/77, 150/3/4, 185/6/7 being transferred |