A REFURBISHED vintage bus that has carried passengers all across East Lancashire over several decades will be showcased at an East Lancashire transport event in September.

Great Harwood Showground will host the Transport Festival event on 4 and 5 September, with a large selection of buses, trucks, traction engines on display along with stalls selling transport related memorabilia, free rides on preserved buses to and from Whalley and food and drink tents for just a £5 entry fee.

The bus, known locally by its registration F263 YTJ, was new to Merseybus in 1989 before being sold to Accrington Transport years later.

The vehicle was painted in a distinctive 'Accrington heritage livery', to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the service, before it was sold by Northern Blue to Transdev.

It then served under several different guises, including a standard-route vehicle in Burnley and for a period, a yellow school bus.

A spokesman for Town and District Transport Ltd., who have refurbished the bus for the show, said: "The bus ceased to operate when the laws regarding wheelchair access came in and it was just parked up at a depot in Blackburn for four years.

"We became aware that the bus was for sale, along with its sister, 262. We bought both of them and because we're located in Accrington, we thought it'd be a good idea to paint it back into its Accrington heritage livery so that it can attend local events."

Town and District Transport Ltd. have more than 50 preserved buses at their Accrington depot.