FLEET
Jacksons of Silsden
Based: Head office and depot – Unit 10 Ryefield Way, Silsden, West Yorkshire.
Website: www.jacksonsfuneralservices.co.uk
Founded: Silsden 1904 by Thomas Jackson in 1904, as a funeral service which went on to set up bases in other towns. Introduced charabancs from after World War One and in later decades operated minicoaches on local contracts and private hires. It is one of only two remaining carriage masters in the country.
Introduced 903 Silsden circular 1999, with Freight Rover Sherpa minibus part-funded by the Countryside Agency and revenue support from West Yorkshire PTE Metro. David Jackson Thornton, the founder’s grandson, says Transdev lacked minibuses that could negotiate narrow streets. Jacksons’ route covered the whole town, taking in Addingham, Brown Bank Caravan Park, Silsden, Steeton and Airedale General Hospital. It carried nearly 30,000 passengers in its first year. There is a fixed route with hail-&- ride sections, and the driver can be contacted by mobile phone to divert up to half a mile on request. It also carries parcels, prescriptions and shopping for residents and has been developed and extended, catering for morning and evening commuters, and old…
