Fylde Borough 96 is a Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R with Northern Counties metal framed body built in 1980 and delivered to Fylde Borough Council’s Transport Department on 1st May 1980.
It joined 12 other virtually identical stable-mates but was, itself, the last built for Fylde on the 9.5 metre chassis. Five later examples employed the 10.1 metre AN682 chassis.

Its first livery was the rather attractive blue/white/mustard/white/blue livery initially applied to all Fylde Borough one-man operated buses (and later extended to other buses in the fleet) and it ran as such until early 1985 when it reappeared in a more mundane blue/white/blue/white/blue livery.

Shortly before deregulation in 1986, the Fylde Borough logo was replaced by a simpler Blue Buses logo and in early 1987 it was repainted again into the same livery.

In March 1989, it received a repaint into the 2-tone blue livery with narrow white stripe below the lower deck windows.

In March 1994, it acquired the latest version of the two tone blue livery on its front and nearside with the offside and rear being painted into a “demi-bus” advert for The Sandcastle in Blackpool.

In August 1995, it received its second advert in the form of an allover advertisement for The Coronation Street Experience, itself part of The Sandcastle.

When Blue Buses became an integral part of Blackpool Transport Services Limited, 96 became 496 in the parent fleet and received two repaints into versions of its green and cream livery.

Upon withdrawal from service it was purchased – not for preservation – but for enjoyment! It was given a quick coat of paint to differentiate it from the main Blackpool fleet and temporarily numbered 965 – the wavelength of the local radio station.

In late 2001, it received its original livery, sponsored by Blackburn Coachlines and subsequently received new advertising for Travel Lines – a travel agency in Blackburn Town Centre.

In April 2005, it was resprayed by North West Bus and Coach Repair Centre in Blackburn (who sponsored its repaint) into a Blue Buses livery that may have been that worn by the fleet today, had it not been absorbed into the Blackpool fleet.

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