MORE bus services will be added as school and college pupils return to full-time education to allow pupils and the public to socially distance.

East Lancashire bus operator, The Blackburn Bus Company, will step up services on several of its most popular services.

The bus firm says the changes to routes serving Blackburn, Accrington, Clitheroe and Chorley will help to ensure plenty of space is available on board its buses to allow passengers to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

The Blackburn Bus Company’s General Manager Tony Fiocca said: “With the return of students to our local schools and colleges, it’s important that we ensure that all our buses remain clean, safe and ready to go as they have been throughout the pandemic, as we ensure we’re there when our customers need us for essential travel.

“Together with the schools and colleges, we’re asking students to use the additional buses set aside for them – the 6B and 7B to and from St Wilfrid’s in Blackburn, the 722 for Clitheroe Grammar School and the 864 for Haslingden High School, All Saints School in Rawtenstall and Whitworth High School. All usual passes will be accepted on these dedicated student buses.”

Changing from this Sunday (March 7), several additional journeys will be added to the 1, the 6 and 7 and the 464 Monday to Friday around school start and finish times.

Several special service buses for student use only will also be available including the 701 from Darwen to Blackburn on weekday afternoons and the dedicated 6B and 7B buses to and from St Wilfrid’s Church of England Academy in Blackburn will resume.

Students will also have exclusive access to services elsewhere across Pennine Lancashire as the 864 serving Acrrington to Rawtenstall, Bacup and Rochdale will return and the special service 722 to Clitheroe Grammar School will be reinstated.

On ValleyLine, new Monday to Friday journeys will run at 3.55pm from Blackburn to Clitheroe and 4.48pm from Clitheroe to Blackburn and finally, the 24 will see some morning journeys retimed to run slightly earlier.

Full details of all the revised timetables are now available online at: https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/blackburn and on the free to download Transdev Go mobile app.

Both the website and mobile app can also be used before starting a journey to check how busy each bus is before it arrives.

Routes will continue to be monitored every bus and extra buses will be added where needed.