HJC, Sandbeds Road, Halifax, 2001 - GYE408W
Halifax Joint Committee Ltd (HJC) was an independent bus operator based in Halifax. The company had had been started by up enthusiast and owner Tony Blackman in the mid 1990s. Tony Blackman originally ran a heritage bus service along the Calder Valley to Hebden Bridge using a former Halifax CT AEC Regent III motorbus.
Blackman later broke into the commercial bus services market offering stage carriage services in and around Halifax, employing four ex London Routemaster buses. The company was particularly noteworthy because they painted their vehicles into the colours of the former Calderdale/Halifax Corporation Transport.
The company's expansion into town services and beyond, saw HJC come into conflict with area's main bus provider Yorkshire Rider. As completion grew between the two rivals, HJC started to standardise on secondhand Metrobus purchases. Several ex London Transport examples were bought and operated, along with a few examples from other operators.
GYE408W (M408), was a former London Transport Metrobus and had been pressed into service by HJC still wearing it London colours. The bus was later painted into HJC colours. The photograph was taken on Sandbeds Road in Halifax on the 4th January 2001.
From 2010, HJC began to reduce its presence in the area, ceasing to operate some of its commercial stage carriage services. The company continued to operate on local contract services and offer private hire of classic buses, until 2014, when it finally went out of business.
On a happier note, some of its former service buses did find further use, with at least two of the Metrobuses going into preservation.
A re scan of an earlier posting.
HJC, Sandbeds Road, Halifax, 2001 - GYE408W
Halifax Joint Committee Ltd (HJC) was an independent bus operator based in Halifax. The company had had been started by up enthusiast and owner Tony Blackman in the mid 1990s. Tony Blackman originally ran a heritage bus service along the Calder Valley to Hebden Bridge using a former Halifax CT AEC Regent III motorbus.
Blackman later broke into the commercial bus services market offering stage carriage services in and around Halifax, employing four ex London Routemaster buses. The company was particularly noteworthy because they painted their vehicles into the colours of the former Calderdale/Halifax Corporation Transport.
The company's expansion into town services and beyond, saw HJC come into conflict with area's main bus provider Yorkshire Rider. As completion grew between the two rivals, HJC started to standardise on secondhand Metrobus purchases. Several ex London Transport examples were bought and operated, along with a few examples from other operators.
GYE408W (M408), was a former London Transport Metrobus and had been pressed into service by HJC still wearing it London colours. The bus was later painted into HJC colours. The photograph was taken on Sandbeds Road in Halifax on the 4th January 2001.
From 2010, HJC began to reduce its presence in the area, ceasing to operate some of its commercial stage carriage services. The company continued to operate on local contract services and offer private hire of classic buses, until 2014, when it finally went out of business.
On a happier note, some of its former service buses did find further use, with at least two of the Metrobuses going into preservation.
A re scan of an earlier posting.