Arriva Buses (including Greenline)

[Simon75]

One positive during DB ownership was the Wardle Transport division in Stoke-on-Trent, which competed with First or created new routes eg X50 Hanley to Derby.
Then they stated to cut back , then sell to D&G

 

[MasterSpenny]

There's 47 Double Deckers coming to Wakefield (https://news.arriva.co.uk/news/arri...ion-buses-in-west-yorkshire-and-hertfordshire) and 13 Double Deckers and a Single Decker coming to Blyth (https://www.route-one.net/news/52-more-battery-electric-buses-for-north-east-england/). No date confirmed yet for them though.

Didn’t one the schemes get cancelled? The Yorkshire/Hertfordhire article is dated 28 March 2022, so the buses would have probably been delivered by now. Unless if it has taken a long time to materialise?

 

[cnjb8]

Didn’t one the schemes get cancelled? The Yorkshire/Hertfordhire article is dated 28 March 2022, so the buses would have probably been delivered by now. Unless if it has taken a long time to materialise?

The Stevenage order was cancelled and none of the buses listed in the articles have been delivered

 

[spuddie]

I believe the Stevenage funds got diverted to UNO instead

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

One positive during DB ownership was the Wardle Transport division in Stoke-on-Trent, which competed with First or created new routes eg X50 Hanley to Derby.
Then they stated to cut back , then sell to D&G

I’m not certain that it was a positive (except for D&G) - bought with 60 buses and sold 4 years later with half that.

 

[Snex]

Didn’t one the schemes get cancelled? The Yorkshire/Hertfordhire article is dated 28 March 2022, so the buses would have probably been delivered by now. Unless if it has taken a long time to materialise?

The Hertfordshire one got cancelled, as someone said above. They're still due at Blyth as they've had the electric chargers fitted ready for it but no-one knows when they're due. The Stagecoach and GoNorthEast buses haven't turned up either though.

There's not much been said about the Wakefield buses though, but First's buses are due January 2024 (https://www.route-one.net/news/first-readies-for-further-57-battery-electric-buses-in-leeds/) and Transdev's are Spring 2024 (https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate/our-new-electric-buses) so assume they're still coming.

 

[Kaliwax]

I know Arriva Wakefield/Castleford are having bus swaps with Merseyside, Wakefield and Castleford to lose 15 62 plate Pulsars in favour of 13 Pulsar mark 1s and 2 Pulsar mark 2s. I believe this is the age limit imposed on Merseyside.

How's this going to work next year? Merseyside have a lot of 09/59/10 plate Pulsars

 

[markymark2000]

I know Arriva Wakefield/Castleford are having bus swaps with Merseyside, Wakefield and Castleford to lose 15 62 plate Pulsars in favour of 13 Pulsar mark 1s and 2 pulsar mark 2s. Believe this is the age limit imposed on Merseyside.

How's this going to work next year? Merseyside, have a lot of 09/59/10 plate Pulsars

They won't have to worry about this for long because of franchising which is going to start in St Helens so they can just do lots of internal movements.

 

[Kaliwax]

It will be interesting to see what changes I-squared will make to Arriva. The Selby operation seems to have been rather unloved for a while with many cutbacks on services. I am not sure how the 51 makes much profit considering the amount of dead running between Norton & Selby, indeed some early & late journeys are being extended to Whitley at the end of this month. The rest apart from the 415 seems to see some older vehicles. Some of the vehicles are still in the old livery. The rest of the Yorkshire operation seems to see plenty of cutbacks with little in the was of improvement.

Only 415 is the worthwile route at Selby I believe. Selby staff members told me on a few occassions 415 is what makes rest of the depot going. Selby lost their leeds routes a few years ago to Castleford. Not a very profitable area around Selby at all.

 

[DazCM]

Only 415 is the worthwile route at Selby I believe. Selby staff members told me on a few occassions 415 is what makes rest of the depot going. Selby lost their leeds routes a few years ago to Castleford. Not a very profitable area around Selby at all.

The Leeds service was lost to Castleford because of the then upcoming Leeds clean air zone and to negate the need/cost to make Selby’s buses compliant. Selby instead gained the 408/409 Pontefract to Doncaster services from Castleford instead, but I understand these have mostly gone now.

 

[Kaliwax]

The Leeds service was lost to Castleford because of the then upcoming Leeds clean air zone and to negate the need/cost to make Selby’s buses compliant. Selby instead gained the 408/409 Pontefract to Doncaster services from Castleford instead, but I understand these have mostly gone now.

408/409 are just circulars now from Pontefract to Thorpe Audlin and Kirk Smeaton. They took over the 51 service from Norton to Doncaster, but the evening service is being reduced from Sunday I think. I know Selby had the geminis, but they are for the 415. Only other deckers I think Selby had was the lowlanders at the time, either they couldn't or the cost was too expensive to justify to upgrade to euro 6.

 

[JD2168]

408/409 are just circulars now from Pontefract to Thorpe Audlin and Kirk Smeaton. They took over the 51 service from Norton to Doncaster, but the evening service is being reduced from Sunday I think. I know Selby had the geminis, but they are for the 415. Only other deckers I think Selby had was the lowlanders at the time, either they couldn't or the cost was too expensive to justify to upgrade to euro 6.

51 is reduced to every 2 hour’s Monday to Saturday evenings along with Sunday as now.

 

[Statto]

Accident in the Penmaenbach Tunnel has closed the A55, diversion route is via Capel Curig & Llanrwst 5, 5D are not operating through to Conwy & Llandudno

 

[northwichcat]

I know Arriva Wakefield/Castleford are having bus swaps with Merseyside, Wakefield and Castleford to lose 15 62 plate Pulsars in favour of 13 Pulsar mark 1s and 2 Pulsar mark 2s. I believe this is the age limit imposed on Merseyside.

How's this going to work next year? Merseyside have a lot of 09/59/10 plate Pulsars

Liverpool's moving to a franchising model, so Arriva are probably only looking at short term solutions in the mean time.

A long term plan will probably depend on whether they get a Greater Manchester franchise as well, or if they start to withdraw routes there.

 

[pm2304877]

Liverpool's moving to a franchising model, so Arriva are probably only looking at short term solutions in the mean time.

A long term plan will probably depend on whether they get a Greater Manchester franchise as well, or if they start to withdraw routes there.

I have stated previously that Wythenshawe depot is now the last Arriva depot in Gtr Manchester. I think Arriva will focus on its Liverpool City Region operations (including West Lancs, Wigan and Warrington.). Arriva could win a South Manchester/Trafford franchise but Arriva's recent history makes it look unlikely .

 

[Goldfish62]

A long term plan will probably depend on whether they get a Greater Manchester franchise as well, or if they start to withdraw routes there.

I'm told they didn't bid for either Tranche 1 or 2.

 

[northwichcat]

I have stated previously that Wythenshawe depot is now the last Arriva depot in Gtr Manchester.

And historically that depot had work that included Wilmslow and Knutsford, but not anymore, so if the GM work goes, the depot has no work at all.

 

[Snex]

And historically that depot had work that included Wilmslow and Knutsford, but not anymore, so if the GM work goes, the depot has no work at all.

Surely the depot would be sold to whoever wins the work though?

 

[northwichcat]

Surely the depot would be sold to whoever wins the work though?

I meant for Arriva. With the future of depots it depends if Arriva want to sell to TfGM. Haven't some operators decided their depots aren't for sale, or they'll be put for general sale?

 

[Snex]

I meant for Arriva. With the future of depots it depends if Arriva want to sell to TfGM. Haven't some operators decided their depots aren't for sale, or they'll be put for general sale?

Yeah that's fair, honestly not sure if I had to be honest. Didn't they sell the Bolton depot though? Seems like they just want to pull out the area and got a nice pay day from it, and no PR disaster to boot.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yeah that's fair, honestly not sure if I had to be honest. Didn't they sell the Bolton depot though? Seems like they just want to pull out the area and got a nice pay day from it, and no PR disaster to boot.

They didn't own Bolton depot. They leased it from Roger Jarvis, former owner of Blue Bus, IIRC.

To be honest, I don't know if they own Wythenshawe either

 

[northwichcat]

To be honest, I don't know if they own Wythenshawe either

Is the Wythenshawe depot Arriva use still the same one North Western acquired when they purchased Starline Travel from Simon Fawcett? If it is there's a chance it's leased from Mistral Group. They own land and property, as well as buses.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is the Wythenshawe depot Arriva use still the same one North Western acquired when they purchased Starline Travel from Simon Fawcett? If it is there's a chance it's leased from Mistral Group. They own land and property, as well as buses.

I think it's the same one on Greeba Road, and hence why I think it may be leased.

 

[Snex]

They didn't own Bolton depot. They leased it from Roger Jarvis, former owner of Blue Bus, IIRC.

To be honest, I don't know if they own Wythenshawe either

Thanks for that, wasn't actually sure on the history of that depot.

 

[Simon75]

Did the old North Western/Star Line Knutsford depot survive when North Western was renamed Arriva? What's the site now?

 

[northwichcat]

Did the old North Western/Star Line Knutsford depot survive when North Western was renamed Arriva? What's the site now?

No the depot closed. The coaches were transferred to Bullocks (who were shareholders in Starline's coach division) and the buses and work moved to Wythenshawe and Winsford. The Starline name survived as a division of North Western initially. They tended to use it on the South Manchester routes that they focused the modern vehicles on.

The old Starline Travel office is a soft play centre now. I believe they lease it from Mistral though. At one point Mistral did use unoccupied space on Stanley Road Ind Estate for servicing vehicles on occasions. I don't know if that still happens there or not.

 

[GCH100]

I think it's the same one on Greeba Road, and hence why I think it may be leased.

No its not, it was purchased by Arriva from British Gas, and is, I believe, owned by them.

 

[MasterSpenny]

According to buslistsontheweb.co.uk, the registrations for some more of the Wrightbus Electroliners (Midlands batch) have been identified:
8001 - BK73ACX
8002 - BK73ACY
8003 - BK73ACZ
8004 - BK73ADO
8005 - BK73ADU
8006 - BK73ADV
8007 - BK73ADX

 

[SSmith2009]

According to buslistsontheweb.co.uk, the registrations for some more of the Wrightbus Electroliners (Midlands batch) have been identified:
8001 - BK73ACX
8002 - BK73ACY
8003 - BK73ACZ
8004 - BK73ADO
8005 - BK73ADU
8006 - BK73ADV
8007 - BK73ADX

Some of these are understood to be parked up at Derby, due to limited space at Thurmaston

 

[MasterSpenny]

Interesting to see 8008 with ‘First Group’ programmed into its blinds (see the images in the below link)

https://x.com/wright_bus/status/1720102943729373370?s=46&t=NwCcaynuPR-k7xjMa0OtGQ

It was a privilege to welcome @NIOgov Minister @SteveBakerHW to @Wright_bus yesterday

Read more about the visit on our website: lnkd.in/ecv-qZX3

#Wrightbus #DrivingAGreenerFuture #NorthernIreland #HydrogenBus #ElectricBus