Arriva Buses (including Greenline)

[61653 HTAFC]

I think returns were never really a thing in West Yorks. Some operators have introduced them on certain routes over the years, probably as a result of competition etc, but I don’t think they were ever widespread.

In West Yorks back in the 80/90s the ‘off peak maximum fare’ was the thing they focussed on to keep fares down, and that generally went out of favour with the day ticket taking over, which was generally costing not much more than 2 trips

First in Huddersfield certainly used to do returns on the route I used to live on, in 2012-ish. But yeah, unless you're doing a simple out-and-back the day tickets make more sense.

 

[SSmith2009]

They've also been available in Leicester for quite some time, although it's sometimes better value to purchase a day ticket on longer journeys.

think the Leicester one is £4.30 too although a Zone1 day saver is £4.50

 

[Andy Pacer]

think the Leicester one is £4.30 too although a Zone1 day saver is £4.50

The Leicester returns should vary point to point based on the single fare. Will check tomorrow!

 

[miklcct]

I have booked a return flight from Wizz Air departing Luton Airport, and towards the end of booking process it showed a low-cost airport bus transfer for Luton Airport using Greenline buses, and cheaper than buying the bus ticket separately.

 

[Deerfold]

The Leicester returns should vary point to point based on the single fare. Will check tomorrow!

They seem to vary between £2.20 and £4.50.

I don't see any that are £4.30.

Arriva East Midlands 231E Inbound - AD RTN fares – bustimes.org

bustimes.org

Leicester - Oadby Inbound
AD RTN

Leicester Centre Univ Rd/London Rd Jnct Victoria Park Rd Clarendon Park Rd Stoughton Rd Holbrook Rd Race Course/Meadowcourt Rd Asda or Lloyds Queen St Oadby Estates
Leicester Centre £2.20 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50
Univ Rd/London Rd Jnct £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50
Victoria Park Rd £3.90 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50
Clarendon Park Rd £4.50 £3.90 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50
Stoughton Rd £4.50 £4.50 £3.90 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50
Holbrook Rd £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £3.90 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50 £4.50
Asda or Lloyds £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £3.90 £3.00 £2.80 £2.80 £2.80
Oadby Estates £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £2.80 £2.80 £2.80
Race Course/Meadowcourt Rd £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £3.90 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.90 £4.50
Queen St £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £3.90 £2.80 £2.80 £2.80
Fares data from Arriva UK Bus/Bus Open Data Service, 21 June 2022

 

[Andy Pacer]

They seem to vary between £2.20 and £4.50.

I don't see any that are £4.30.

Arriva East Midlands 231E Inbound - AD RTN fares – bustimes.org

bustimes.org

There has just been a fare increase though since the original message, so it may be that what was £4.30 is now £4.50

 

[Deerfold]

There has just been a fare increase though since the original message, so it may be that what was £4.30 is now £4.50

Ah, yes, with the day ticket now £4.60.

 

[johntea]

Coming up to almost 3 weeks now since Arriva Yorkshire went on strike with no successful outcome yet, must be close to if not a record for a consecutive bus and perhaps even public transport strike duration?

Although it seems a small level of their school services are running in order to get students to their exams at least

 

[Andy Pacer]

Coming up to almost 3 weeks now since Arriva Yorkshire went on strike with no successful outcome yet, must be close to if not a record for a consecutive bus and perhaps even public transport strike duration?

Although it seems a small level of their school services are running in order to get students to their exams at least

As with other op co's there will be a fair proportion of non union members who are, presumably, available for work.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

As with other op co's there will be a fair proportion of non union members who are, presumably, available for work.

Or perhaps the union members have informally agreed to cover school services during the exam period. Affecting exams would be bad PR for the union, and would further turn public opinion against the strikes.

Meanwhile I'm hopefully getting back to driving so I won't be at the whim of militant unions/avaricious operators (delete as appropriate) quite so much.

 

[Titfield]

I have booked a return flight from Wizz Air departing Luton Airport, and towards the end of booking process it showed a low-cost airport bus transfer for Luton Airport using Greenline buses, and cheaper than buying the bus ticket separately.

Yes. This is exactly the sort of purchase Greenline want because as soon as you purchase they are guaranteed some revenue. If you do not pre purchase then when you get to Luton you may decide on a rail ticket or a taxi or ........ It follows the old maxim of a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.

 

[miklcct]

Yes. This is exactly the sort of purchase Greenline want because as soon as you purchase they are guaranteed some revenue. If you do not pre purchase then when you get to Luton you may decide on a rail ticket or a taxi or ........ It follows the old maxim of a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.

But if the bus is indeed the best transport, by not offering this option Greenline can get more revenue.

 

[Titfield]

But if the bus is indeed the best transport, by not offering this option Greenline can get more revenue.

The advantages to Greenline by offering a lower fare for advance purchase are that (a) they get the money in advance (b) they do not have to process the booking either at the Greenline Ticket Desk (if there is one) or on the bus (c) if for some reason the customer doesnt travel they still get the money for the bus ticket.

Please bear in mind the purchasing sensitivities of customers. Some will only choose bus/coach if it is very substantially cheaper than rail, others are less price discriminatory. By offering a low fare in advance GL is able to segment the market and capture those who will only travel by bus if it is very much cheaper than rail. In some respects it is no different than child or student fares. You could say dont offer child or student fares then the customer would have to buy an adult ticket ie more revenue for GL but instead it may force customers to look at alternatives.

If small groups (say 4 - 6 people) are travelling then taking a taxi or minicab could be cheaper in total than going by GL at standard fares. Having cheaper fares for upfront purchase may swing the balance back in favour of GL.

Pricing transport to maximise total revenue can be quote challenging. Experience suggests that a range of fares is usually the best way to maximise total revenue.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The industrial action on Arriva Yorkshire is now into a fourth week. Seems like Unite are determined not to blink first.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/disruption-continue-across-west-yorkshire-24328224

Bus strikes across West Yorkshire will be entering a fourth week after talks between Arriva and the union fail.

The strike, organised by Unite Union, began on June 6 and despite talks with Arriva, the action hasn’t been called off.

Updating passengers, Arriva has urged the union to call of the strikes which currently have no end date.

Arriva said: “We are disappointed for all our customers to confirm that the strike will be entering a fourth week, with no date yet for services being resumed. We remain committed to getting our drivers back to work and buses back on the road as soon as possible. We once again ask the union to call off the action and let our people vote on the latest pay offer.”

 

[Andyh82]

And now the strike is suspended as members vote on the new pay offer. Buses return to the streets on Saturday.

Yorkshire Arriva bus drivers strike suspended after new pay offer

The strike will be paused from Saturday while members vote on a new pay offer.

www.bbc.co.uk

A long-running strike by Arriva bus workers across parts of Yorkshire is to be suspended after a new pay offer was made.
The industrial action, which began on 6 June, will be paused from Saturday while union members are balloted on the fresh deal.
However, Unite regional officer Phil Bown warned the strike would resume if the offer was rejected by members.
Gavin Peace from Arriva described the agreement as "fantastic news".
"This has been an incredibly difficult four weeks and I apologise for the distress industrial action has caused," he said.
About 650 bus workers across Yorkshire walked out after rejecting an initial offer of a 4% pay rise.
The Unite union had previously said some drivers were being forced to use food banks and its members were seeking an "inflation-related pay increase of around 10%".
Arriva made an increased offer of between 8% and 12%, depending on the worker's grade, which the company described as "very fair".
There are no details of the new "improved offer".

 

[GusB]

Could everyone remember to include a link to and a relevant quote from any news sources, please?

Thanks

 

[childwallblues]

There was a bus crash on London Road in Liverpool today involving two Arriva buses. They were Pulsar 2698 of Runcorn Depot which ran into the back of Enviro 400 4677 of Green Lane Depot. The traffic lights were not working at the time.

 

[buscontroller]

I was Controlling Rail Replacement at the weekend from Luton Parkway. And due to the wait time for buses to Hitchin I was advising customers to use the 757 that used the stop across the road if they wanted to pay £11 if they did not hold a rail ticket.

After a few times, the driver of the 3rd coach was unwilling to issue tickets on the bus, and told me he been told not to sell any tickets and called his Manager at Luton on phone and turned away the 15 passengers who were willing to buy a ticket from the driver.

At this point I made it very clear to the driver that the route was a registered local bus service and not a pre book service, and it was clear that they only wanted to sell tickets at the Airport. National Express was also there selling tickets there so did not want to sell singles.

The next coach turned up and a manager got off and was like don't you have your own buses and I pointed out we take over hour longer then yours and the people were willing to buy tickets for 757. As it was late, people wanted to get home fast and we had up to hour wait for a bus. He was then rude to passengers who were asking for info about the 757, but he did take 15 passengers. So I don't know what their game was as you cant pick airport ticket holders over ones on the route before if there are seats on the coach. I understand some are sold to airlines, but what the point of stopping along the route and saying you sell tickets on the bus. You have to keep some for before the airport even if it is just 10.

 

[Towers]

The Traffic Commissioner's office is your port of call if you felt that a complaint was in order for this sort of issue.

 

[sk688]

With the news that Arriva employees in Beds , Bucks and Herts have voted for strike action , was curious that Hemel Depot was not mentioned in the list of depots going on strike on the Unite press release. Would Watford and Hemel Hempstead services continue to run in the event of a strike in that case ?

 

[TitanMike]

With the news that Arriva employees in Beds , Bucks and Herts have voted for strike action , was curious that Hemel Depot was not mentioned in the list of depots going on strike on the Unite press release. Would Watford and Hemel Hempstead services continue to run in the event of a strike in that case ?

Isn't Hemel Hempstead part of Arriva Southern Counties and the others part of Arriva The Shires/Midlands. May explain why they are not listed as going on strike.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Isn't Hemel Hempstead part of Arriva Southern Counties and the others part of Arriva The Shires/Midlands. May explain why they are not listed as going on strike.

Luton, Ware and Stevenage were also listed and are under the old "Southern Counties" control.

 

[Andyh82]

I haven’t got a source to link to, as they don’t seem to have reported it yet, but it was mentioned on Look North that the Arriva Yorkshire bus strike is back on again from tomorrow as unite have turned down the revised offer

 

[markymark2000]

I haven’t got a source to link to, as they don’t seem to have reported it yet, but it was mentioned on Look North that the Arriva Yorkshire bus strike is back on again from tomorrow as unite have turned down the revised offer

Unite have put it on their Twitter.

https://twitter.com/UniteNEYH/status/1546897830807162880

BREAKING NEWS:
@unitetheunion
members employed at
@arrivayorkshire
have, this afternoon, voted to reject the company's latest offer meaning that indefinite strike action will recommence at 2am tomorrow, Wednesday 13th July #PayUpArriva

 

[Andyh82]

I’m guessing any sort of rules about giving sufficient notice doesn’t apply due to the strike having only been suspended previously

Announcing it just before 6pm that there will be no buses tomorrow is very short notice. As of now no mention of it by Arriva or Metro as presumably all the office staff have already gone home

 

[markymark2000]

I’m guessing any sort of rules about giving sufficient notice doesn’t apply due to the strike having only been suspended previously

Announcing it just before 6pm that there will be no buses tomorrow is very short notice. As of now no mention of it by Arriva or Metro as presumably all the office staff have already gone home

It's on Arrivas website. https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/yorkshire-service-disruption---13th-july-2022

 

[Andyh82]

It’s been reported now as at 7:30pm

[]https://twitter.com/arrivayorkshire/status/1546925231616442370?s=21&t=wGcuu1iXsITEtUtNsI5-iw

 

[RELL6L]

Aaargh! Just arrived in Yorkshire for a trip tomorrow largely on Arriva…..! Not any more…..

Thanks for posting- I would never have seen this otherwise and would have felt very stupid in Pontefract at 7am!

Dreadful for the regular passengers, it will just drive more away.

 

[SteveHFC]

Luton, Ware and Stevenage were also listed and are under the old "Southern Counties" control.

I thought Luton was under Arriva Midlands control. Certainly the legal ownership address on the buses is Arriva Midlands in Leicester.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I thought Luton was under Arriva Midlands control. Certainly the legal ownership address on the buses is Arriva Midlands in Leicester.

No, local control moved to "South" management early last year at one of the recent shake ups.

Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Milton Keynes remain under "Midlands" although I assume their Trade Union branch is the same as Luton so still doesn't really answer the question.