|
Company Partners |
James Barrington Stones & Joan Patricia Stones |
|
General Manager |
Robert Dyson |
|
Office Manager |
Jeanette Dyson |
|
Fleet Engineer |
Stephen Mayo |
Jim Stones Coaches was set up in 1968 as a small coach company. Our first brand new coach was a 45 seater 1972 Ford Duple Viceroy, see below. Initially, we provided part time private hire, but soon took on sub-contract work for other companies. One such contract was for Risley Prison, transporting prisoners to and from court. Whilst Jim drove, Joan managed the accounts and paperwork along with working full time at Leigh Job Centre.
We operated one coach until Deregulation in October 1986 when we registered two routes in Leigh previously operated by Greater Manchester Transport. The fleet slowly expanded until we had ten Mercedes minibuses and five Leyland Tiger single deck buses for school services. The first two routes to Landside and Higher Fold were so popular, that on the second day of operation two bus conductors were employed in order to keep to time!
Due to the vast increase in business over the years, we have had to build larger premises to accommodate our extra buses. Now, all our buses are stored under one roof and our premises also feature a state of the art maintenance bay - see below.
Our new depot, a 15,000 sq ft building in Derby Street West, Leigh, was opened in March 2004, by our local MP Andy Burnham.
We also had the privilege of being awarded a personally signed letter recognizing our excellent service from the current Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Our official opening in March 2004 by Andy Burnham MP for Leigh
Today, we have a modern fleet, featuring twelve fully accessible (wheelchair access) Darts/Enviro Darts which ferry passengers from Leigh Bus Station to many parts of the surrounding area.
All feature a kneeling front entrance and a fold-out ramp, and most are compact enough to travel through the many estates that we serve, including Lowton on routes 588, 589 and 590.
These buses are very popular with both drivers and passengers, as they have a larger capacity than the normal minibuses.
Here is a photo of our driver John Gregory with Pat and Norman who use our bus on the Dakins Road estate.
Our number plates are another feature of our company. They are well known throughout the Leigh area, and bring a smile to many people's faces. In 1990, we purchased our first personalised number plate "H1 JYM", from the DVLA. They have become a talking point, and a witty way of promoting our company. Since then, we have bought many more, including "B1 BUS", "BUS 1N", "T1 KET", "BUS 1S" and "BUS 1T", (which is Jim's favourite). They are used as part of the 'advertising' on the buses, some of which can be seen on this site.
We were delighted to be involved in the 2003 and 2004 Leigh Carnivals, back to life after 19 years!! We provided a free Sunday bus and everyone had a wonderful time.
From 2003 to 2006 we were proud to accept the "Pride of Leigh" award for the best bus company in Leigh, presented by our previous Mayor, Councillor Brian Jarvis. Of the "Pride of Leigh" awards, which no longer exist, we were the outright winner overall.
In October 2005 we were
honoured to receive Route ONE's prestigious
"UK Bus Operator of the
Year"
Excellence award
for 11 to 30 vehicles. In addition, in September 2005, we were highly commended in the
'Service Category' by The Institution of Highways and Transportation for our
services for the disabled.
It is lovely to be recognised after all our hard work over the years and we thank all our staff and passengers who have helped us to achieve these awards.
Jim and Joan receiving our "UK Operator of the Year 2005" Excellence award from (far left) Mike Morgan, Editor Route ONE, and (left) Paul Sproule, Managing Director, Scandus UK.
If you would like more information about Jim Stones or any of our bus services, please contact us using one of the methods below.
Telephone
& Fax - 01925 766 465
Email -
jimstones@ic24.net
Address -
The Jays, Light Oaks Road, Glazebury,
Warrington. WA3 5LH
