Aims & Objectives
The central aim of the RVPT is to preserve the heritage of Ribble Motor Services, one of the UK’s largest and most popular bus companies from its formation in 1919 until the 1980’s when it began to lose its distinctive identity. Our activities are primarily focussed on the preservation, restoration and, where possible, operation of buses which operated for Ribble group companies in earlier years. It is our firm conviction that this heritage can be best enjoyed by providing opportunities for members of the public to travel on the buses and experience an earlier era of public transport.
Consequently, the Trust is not a museum which can be visited. There are many excellent transport museums providing a way of examining vehicles in detail. We have chosen a different method which we describe as a mobile museum, taking the collection to the public. We attend many events during the period from Spring to Autumn. Some are designed specifically for transport enthusiasts but other are more general – village fetes, special events marking a local transport anniversary, links with other heritage activities. Elsewhere on this site you will see listings of future events where the RVPT will be in attendance and reports of others where we have participated.
Although Ribble vehicles form the core of our collection we are also gradually building up an archive of other artefacts and photographs which illustrate the history of the company. We are always interested in hearing about such items so if you have anything of this nature which you are prepared to part with, or have copied, please get in touch.
Looking ahead our objective is to work on more of the un-restored buses in the collection and to continue to improve the facilities at our building. In parallel we are working hard to assure the long term financial viability of the Trust so it can be enjoyed by future generations.