[Badger]

Arriva have taken a big step into the West Midlands market buying out local company Midland.

http://arrivabus.co.uk/arriva-aquire-midland.aspx

This is a fleet of 61 buses, operating these routes: http://www.midlandbus.net/tt_westmidlands.htm

Fleet list at wmbusphotos: http://wmbusphotos.com/Midland/fleetlist.html

Pretty interesting development. Midland are mostly based around Centro subsidies. Mostly Darts and Solos, with some larger buses (two tridents, three Scanias, etc; the two VDLs staying with D&G apparently).

This follows the opening of Arriva's West Bromwich depot and several new bus routes.

[dvboy]

That would explain some of the Centro tenders being transferred to Arriva but still being operated by Midland - if this has been on the cards since before April, Arriva may have taken them on but continued to let Midland operate them.

This thread: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthre...arriva+midland

[sonic2009]

That's a pretty big buy out for Arriva.

[MCW]

be interesting if they outright absorb Midland's fleet etc into the main Arriva fleet.

Be interesting to see how that pans out, could it end up like wardles where it is Arriva owned but yet retains its original identity?

[Badger]

It looks like the fleet minus a few buses which are staying with D&G will be operated under the Arriva brand.

[MCW]

Originally Posted by Badger

It looks like the fleet minus a few buses which are staying with D&G will be operated under the Arriva brand.

great... more drab horrid 'puke green and cream' as I call it

[trentside]

Didn't Arriva also buy out part of the main D&G business last year?

Midland seem to have quite a nice fleet - will be interesting to see how Arriva integrate the business into their Midlands operation.

[tbtc]

Originally Posted by Badger

Pretty interesting development. Midland are mostly based around Centro subsidies

I'm always surprised when a company pays much for a bus company that mainly runs tendered services (since there's little "value" to the business in the longer term, and if Arriva really wanted the tenders then they could have bid for them themselves).

Is this more about building market share in the West Midlands? (it's always seemed strange that the "big three" bus companies have generally had very little presence in the largest conurbation outside London

[dvboy]

Because NX are so dominant in the area it would have to be all or nothing for a company like First or Stagecoach. They probably think that neither competing with NX or running tendered services are worth it.

Having two operators run the same route (whether due to competition, or because of tendering) isn't popular with regular NX passengers who will find they have to fork out more for separate tickets or a multi-operator pass.

Before buying Midland, Arriva already has more routes that cross into NX's operating area than First or Stagecoach do.

[tbtc]

Originally Posted by dvboy

Because NX are so dominant in the area it would have to be all or nothing for a company like First or Stagecoach. They probably think that neither competing with NX or running tendered services are worth it.

Having two operators run the same route (whether due to competition, or because of tendering) isn't popular with regular NX passengers who will find they have to fork out more for separate tickets or a multi-operator pass.

Before buying Midland, Arriva already has more routes that cross into NX's operating area than First or Stagecoach do.

True, but we've seen the big companies get involved in other cities (First taking on Lothian in Edinburgh, Stagecoach taking on First in Aberdeen/ Glasgow/ Sheffield, Stagecoach taking on Arriva in Liverpool etc).

For some reason, despite First and Stagecoach having operations near Birmingham (Worcestershire, Warwickshire etc) they've not tried to compete though.

[317 forever]

Originally Posted by tbtc

I'm always surprised when a company pays much for a bus company that mainly runs tendered services (since there's little "value" to the business in the longer term, and if Arriva really wanted the tenders then they could have bid for them themselves).

Is this more about building market share in the West Midlands? (it's always seemed strange that the "big three" bus companies have generally had very little presence in the largest conurbation outside London

I notice that Arriva have bought companies that specialise in tendered services since becoming part of Deutsche Bahn. Wardle Transport is the case in point.

Originally Posted by dvboy

Because NX are so dominant in the area it would have to be all or nothing for a company like First or Stagecoach. They probably think that neither competing with NX or running tendered services are worth it.

Having two operators run the same route (whether due to competition, or because of tendering) isn't popular with regular NX passengers who will find they have to fork out more for separate tickets or a multi-operator pass.

Before buying Midland, Arriva already has more routes that cross into NX's operating area than First or Stagecoach do.

Arriva are quite prolific in Walsall and Brownhills, partly due to links into Staffordshire ex-Midland Red North but also having acquired Chase Coaches in 2007.

[dvboy]

Originally Posted by tbtc

For some reason, despite First and Stagecoach having operations near Birmingham (Worcestershire, Warwickshire etc) they've not tried to compete though.

Technically, First competes with NX on the Bristol Road corridor, but in reality it's only interested in long distance customers. Its bigger competitor is London Midland.

[Smethwickian]

Originally Posted by tbtc

For some reason, despite First and Stagecoach having operations near Birmingham (Worcestershire, Warwickshire etc) they've not tried to compete though.

Midland Red West was quite a big player in Birmingham and the Black Country on deregulation in 1986, picking up lots of Centro tenders, starting extra commercial routes and basing quite a few vehicles in Brum. By the time First took over, it had started to retrench steadily to the point where it now has just the trunk Worcester 144 route and a handful of Redditch 146 journeys entering Birmingham. That and the fact that its two nearest bases, Kidderminster and Redditch, are now apparently up for sale suggests it no longer sees worthwhile returns in north Worcestershire either.

[martinsh]

Originally Posted by Badger

This is a fleet of 61 buses, operating these routes: http://www.midlandbus.net/tt_westmidlands.htm

That's only the West Midlands routes - there are also some routes solely in Staffordshire

http://www.midlandbus.net/tt_staffordshire.htm

My source says that that all the more recent vehicles will transfer to D & G, and only the "tired old wrecks" will pass to Arriva. [ Not sure about the Tridents though, as D & G don'r run deckers ]

[robertclark125]

One time, up until 1973, Midland red operated a substantial amount of routes into Birmingham. The NBC then sold them to the WMPTE as it was then. The NBC would later wish it had never done so.