Bingo buses since 1986

[robertclark125]

Last week Premier Bingo, who had halls in Alloa and Cowdenbeath, ceased trading. I was reminded that, for a time in the early 1990s, the Bingo ran a free service from cardenden and lochgelly, to the hall. It was operated by Kelty coaches, but it ended mid 1990s. My mum used to use it.

A post I put on a Facebook group about it, brought a response that in the 2010s Bay travel of Lochgelly ran a Bingo bus from Perth, to Premier bingo Cowdenbeath, but the contract later passed to Star Travel of Cowdenbeath. Whether the bus operated post covid is unclear, but Star travel closed down in January 2023, after the owner retired.

Moffat and williamson used to have a contract for one, from Anstruther, to the Mecca in Dundee, but it ended early 2000s. Halls of Kennoway ran two from Levenmouth to glenrothes, one to buzz bingo, the other to club 3000. They also ran one to club 3000 in kirkcaldy. Halls have ceased trading years ago, and indeed only the one to kirkcaldy runs, operated by bay travel. Btw buzz bingo glenrothes is now b&m.

So, what bingo buses used to run, or do run, where you live, and who operates or operated them?

 

[asb]

Geographically random, but Stagecoach had(/has?) the B1 in Mansfield and the 477 in Stockton

 

[M803UYA]

For many years, Shaftesbury & District ran evening journeys on their 46 to Yeovil, as N46's on Friday/Saturday/Sunday evenings. The costs of operation were met by the bingo hall in Yeovil. The N46 outlived the daytime version, which ran Fridays only for the market but ended in November/December 1997. The Sunday N46s had stopped by this time, but certainly the route was still in operation around 2003/4.

It was usual to use the RMA (RMA37 found in a scrapyard, renovated then sold to Timebus in 1996 who still have it) on the N46s...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Last week Premier Bingo, who had halls in Alloa and Cowdenbeath, ceased trading. I was reminded that, for a time in the early 1990s, the Bingo ran a free service from cardenden and lochgelly, to the hall. It was operated by Kelty coaches, but it ended mid 1990s. My mum used to use it.

A post I put on a Facebook group about it, brought a response that in the 2010s Bay travel of Lochgelly ran a Bingo bus from Perth, to Premier bingo Cowdenbeath, but the contract later passed to Star Travel of Cowdenbeath. Whether the bus operated post covid is unclear, but Star travel closed down in January 2023, after the owner retired.

Moffat and williamson used to have a contract for one, from Anstruther, to the Mecca in Dundee, but it ended early 2000s. Halls of Kennoway ran two from Levenmouth to glenrothes, one to buzz bingo, the other to club 3000. They also ran one to club 3000 in kirkcaldy. Halls have ceased trading years ago, and indeed only the one to kirkcaldy runs, operated by bay travel. Btw buzz bingo glenrothes is now b&m.

So, what bingo buses used to run, or do run, where you live, and who operates or operated them?

There are two that I remember quite clearly.

There was one in the early 1990s but, for the life of me, I couldn't recall the operator but @M803UYA remembered thankfully. That Sunday evening service from Wincanton to Yeovil was the only Sunday service in all of South Somerset.

Majestic Bingo had a service around Middlesbrough that was run by Kings Coaches (depot near the Transporter Bridge) using a former United/Northumbria National 2 - see photo from Rapidsnap https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-p...kEU4gU-2kETv4m-2kEU4AM-2kEU4ry-VS9Eu6-a87oCz/

 

[rg177]

A-Line Coaches still run an MB1 and MB2 from Gateshead Interchange and Chester-le-Street to the Mecca Bingo in Gateshead: http://www.a-linecoaches.co.uk/servicesandprivatehire.html

The latter from Chester-le-Street seems to be specifically timed for an evening out, whereas the Gateshead shuttle is a lot more frequent.

I don't know what A-Line use these days. When I was younger it was usually a Plaxton Verde - more recently I think they've had a Wright Renown and Wright Solar from Go North East.

 

[Brooke]

Two more Mecca for the list:

Mecca Huddersfield for many years had a shuttle bus from the town centre operated by First. I don’t believe it operates anymore(?)

Mecca Bolton had a shuttle bus from Bury for several years. I seem to remember it was run by Tyrers.

 

[JKP]

There was pre Covid a run from Kelso to Galashiels Pavilion Cinema Bingo using a white minibus provided I believe by a Coldstream operator.

Peter Hogg also ran to Galashiels certainly from Hawick and possibly from Jedburgh.

 

[open top 70]

Clowes coaches from Longnor in Staffordshire use to run a service Longnor and buxton to a Bingo hall Stockport

 

[davehsug]

There used to be a bus to Gala bingo in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It ran from different places on different nights, I remember that Mondays was from Cheadle and I know another night was from Madeley. I presume they were paid for by the club and were operated by Copelands.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Stagecoach Bluebird operate a late journey on the Fraserburgh Town Service 76 which is designed to cater for the evening session at the Carlton Bingo.

76 - Fraserburgh Broad Street - Fraserburgh Buchan Road

Stagecoach Bluebird

bustimes.org

 

[Strathclyder]

Gibson's of Renfrew ran a Gala Bingo bus in/around Paisley, but I think that had stopped running even before they closed their doors for good.

 

[johnw]

United Counties ran many services to Beacon Bingo services around Northamptonshire in the mid 90s. This hall was slightly out of the town centre close to the rugby ground and was not a former cinema.
The ABC has managed to survive as https://www.theoldsavoy.co.uk/

 

[Lewisham2221]

There used to be a bus to Gala bingo in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It ran from different places on different nights, I remember that Mondays was from Cheadle and I know another night was from Madeley. I presume they were paid for by the club and were operated by Copelands.

Also in Hanley, I recall (probably late 90s, possibly early 00s) the then new Mecca bingo had a bus service operated by Flexi (the contract/private hire arm of [First] PMT). I think it just ran to/from the City Centre, although I could well be wrong.

Coastal Liner (then of Wolverhampton) used to operate a service 905 to Mecca bingo, somewhere in the black country (absolutely no idea which Mecca bingo or where it served though, sorry)

 

[SW Buses]

Newport Transport ran a dedicated Bingo service for much of the 1990’s and early 2000’s - until about 2002. Was a few trips around 2100/2130 from the Bus Station to and from Castle Bingo which was around a 5 min journey.

When Castle Bingo opened one of their Cardiff outlets Cardiff Bus operated a dedicated link but it lasted a few months as opposed to Newport Transport‘s service that operate for a good few years.

 

[RustySpoons]

Mecca Bolton had a shuttle bus from Bury for several years. I seem to remember it was run by Tyrers.

Tyrer Bus (of Nelson, same family as Tyrers but unrelated operation) also used to run a service to the bingo hall that used to be in Nelson. Palace Bingo, if memory serves me correctly. No idea where it ran from, I just remember seeing the bus outside the hall quite often in an evening with 'Bingo Service' or similar on the destination.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Coastal Liner (then of Wolverhampton) used to operate a service 905 to Mecca bingo, somewhere in the black country (absolutely no idea which Mecca bingo or where it served though, sorry)

It was the Bilston Mecca Bingo (the 905 ran Wolverhampton to Bilston via the Bingo or Wolverhampton to Mecca Bingo via Bilston, 3 return trips a day. Funnily enough it also accepted all usual passes (I.e. concessions and nBus/nNetwork) and was at one stage the only bastion of Olympians in normal service in Wolverhampton

 

[jamieintercity]

JP Coaches of Forfar ran a service from Forfar to Dundee (number 320) until summer 2019.

 

[LkmtvMetatarsl]

I remember a 122 from Wakefield to Hemsworth (via Royston) in the late 90s/early 00s which I'm pretty sure was for the bingo.

 

[ACBest]

Kinchbus ran a service from Melton Mowbray to Loughborough Beacon Bingo, although I’m not sure when it ceased.

Bending the rules a bit here, Stagecoach Lincoln extended one evening journey on service 13 from Lincoln to Waddington to start back from Gala Bingo, but that ended in 2011.

 

[TUC]

On a related note, I do remember my mum talking about when an election candidate offered her a lift in his car to go to vote and, as they were leaving, a neighbour said 'I'll come too'. As they approached the town centre, the neighbour said 'I'll jump out here. I'm going to the bingo'.

 

[Martin2012]

Westward Travel ran a couple of services to a Mecca Bingo in either Fishponds or Lawrence Hill for a time in the early 2010s.

One ran on (I think) Wednesdays and operated from the Thornbury area and the other ran on Saturday evening and operated from Wotton Under Edge via Chipping Sodbury and Yate. The one time I saw it Westward were using a coach on it.

 

[JD2168]

In Sheffield there used to be a 56 journey from Wybourn that was diverted via a different route to City Centre to serve a Bingo Hall on a late evening run.

 

[robertclark125]

A friend of mine knows someone who has recently retired from Moffat and Williamson, at their St. Fort depot. That person has said that M&W ran bingo buses from Newburgh and Newport on Tay to the Kingsway Bingo Hall in Cupar. M&W also ran a bingo bus from St Monans to the Kingsway in Leven, and from Coaltown of Weymss and East Weymss, to the Kingsway halls in both Buckhaven and Methil. Rennies were contracted to run one from Burntisland and Kinghorn to the Kingsway hall on Links Street, Kirkcaldy, and one from Ladybank to the Kingsway hall in Glenrothes.

The reason they stopped was, firstly, Kingsway, who were based in Kirkcaldy, sold out to Granada, and a number of halls were pruned back. This included the ones in Cupar, Kirkcaldy Links Street, and Methil, which all closed in the early 1990s. The bus to Kirkcaldy, which Rennies ran, was diverted to the other Kingsway hall in Kirkcaldy, the Rio, on St. Clair Street, which, along with those in Glenrothes, Buckhaven, and Methil, became Club Granada, then Gala Bingo. The Rio was sold to another concern, and they did restart the bus, using Star Travel of Cowdenbeath, but the hall closed, and the bus ceased.