Arriva Green Line 757 to stop serving Luton Airport

[MK Tom]

They've lost the "right" to serve Luton airport from Central London. There's still a number of Arrica local bus routes which serve the airport (and I'm sure certain staff would be put out if they disappeared).
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I don't even get how that works. What's to stop them just running it anyway? Or does the airport exercise full control over what services can and can't stop there?

 

[Deerfold]

I don't even get how that works. What's to stop them just running it anyway? Or does the airport exercise full control over what services can and can't stop there?

The airport is private land so presumably if Arriva ran after being told they couldn't the airport could take them to court.

Leeds Bradford told first they wouldn't be allowed access to their property after they registered a competing service to Leeds after Centrebus won the subsidised contract. First deregistered their service.

However First didn't have any other services at the airport and the service wasn't their biggest moneyspinner.

 

[johnnychips]

This link may be of interest from post #670 on, as it seems there may be a third operator. I'm confused!

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/496665-luton-7-a-34.html

 

[radamfi]

The third operator maybe easyBus. But do they have anything to complain about?

 

[Statto]

The airport is private land so presumably if Arriva ran after being told they couldn't the airport could take them to court.

Leeds Bradford told first they wouldn't be allowed access to their property after they registered a competing service to Leeds after Centrebus won the subsidised contract. First deregistered their service.

However First didn't have any other services at the airport and the service wasn't their biggest moneyspinner.

Arriva are considering legal action over this http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7659&categoryid=0

 

[Wolfie]

Arriva are considering legal action over this http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7659&categoryid=0

Luton Airport's management seem to be a slightly rum lot focussed soley on financial gain who may well play fast and loose with their legal obligations. They have got themselves into rather hot water over parking at the airport also (a formal police investigation into whether they and their agents have been breaking the law no less....).

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=78366&st=180

 

[radamfi]

The 757 is having a cut in frequency from 30 June, and the 755 is withdrawn:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/lsp_bulletin.pdf

No more overnight service, roughly every 30 minutes at busy times, every hour at other times.

 

[Deerfold]

The 757 is having a cut in frequency from 30 June, and the 755 is withdrawn:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/lsp_bulletin.pdf

No more overnight service, roughly every 30 minutes at busy times, every hour at other times.

Quite huge cuts there - a little suprised they've done that whilst their legal action is still ongoing - it's unlikely to get them much support from their existing regulars.

Looks like they'll have a few spare drivers - they're also withdrawing the St Albans to London 712 though they are adding a couple of London-Hemel Hempsted services.

 

[radamfi]

Looks like they'll have a few spare drivers

Unless NX have succeeded in poaching the former Green Line staff, and the Arriva cuts are in part due to the loss of that staff.

 

[dzug2]

Interesting confusion of Bexhill on Sea and Bexley in another part of that document

 

[Deerfold]

Interesting confusion of Bexhill on Sea and Bexley in another part of that document

I don't think there is. The service from Bexhill-on-sea passes through Bexley on its way to central London. This document is only concerned with London so only gives times within London.

 

[dzug2]

I don't think there is. The service from Bexhill-on-sea passes through Bexley on its way to central London. This document is only concerned with London so only gives times within London.

oops yes - the address of the operator should have given it away

 

[Mutant Lemming]

The 61 and 321 are no longer to serve the airport either. There is mention of a service A on the busway. Does this mean there will only be one local route serving the airport?

 

[Deerfold]

Indications are from 30/06 and 01/07 they'll serve "Luton Busway Interchange" which seems to be resistant to googling.

http://www.intalink.org.uk/downloads/PDFS/SERVICE CHANGES JUNE.pdf

http://www.intalink.org.uk/downloads/PDFS/SERVICE CHANGES JULY.pdf

The 100 continues to serve the airport.

The Busway's facebook page suggests it's not opening until August.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buswa...Houghton-Regis-Guided-Bus-Way/148095765270232

 

[radamfi]

Here is the new timetable. The 'Luton Busway Interchange' appears to be at Luton main station.

http://babus.org.uk/timetables/757_...ntre_BricketWood_CentralLondon_01July2013.pdf

 

[EM2]

The cutting of services overnight is not useful for those that have missed the last FCC early on a Sunday morning...

 

[radamfi]

The cutting of services overnight is not useful for those that have missed the last FCC early on a Sunday morning...

From the airport NX run all night every night, but yes from Luton town centre you are a bit stuck on early Sunday mornings.
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Here is the timetable for the route 'A' between Luton town centre and the airport. There is also a map indicating the revised route once the busway opens.

http://babus.org.uk/timetables/A_01July2013.pdf

 

[winston270twm]

From the airport NX run all night every night, but yes from Luton town centre you are a bit stuck on early Sunday mornings.
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Here is the timetable for the route 'A' between Luton town centre and the airport. There is also a map indicating the revised route once the busway opens.

http://babus.org.uk/timetables/A_01July2013.pdf

Any idea who is operating route 'A'?

 

[radamfi]

Any idea who is operating route 'A'?

At the bottom of

http://babus.org.uk/timetables.htm

it says Arriva. I presume they will be running all buses on the busway.

 

[winston270twm]

At the bottom of

http://babus.org.uk/timetables.htm

it says Arriva. I presume they will be running all buses on the busway.

Thanks for that,

No its Arriva, Centrebus & Grant Palmer

http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=7727&categoryid=0

 

[Deerfold]

National Express has already submitted a timetable revision so that the A1 service is never more frequent than the 757 was which was one of the highlights of the press announcements...

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/lsp_bulletin.pdf

The highest freuqncy will now be every 15 minutes with several overnight services being withdrawn .

The frequncy will increase from every 30 to every 20 minutes between 1050 and 1320 Southbound (compared with the old 757's every 15 minutes).

The evening service from Victoria is improving (every 20 minutes (was 30) to 1940 then every 30 minutes (was 60) until 2300) but at the expense of halving the frequency in the early evening peak.


Route 757 will now have a largest gap in service of 2 hours overnight.

Route A will run overnight (with a gap of about 90 minutes) between Luton and the Airport - http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/serviceInformation.aspx?id=34359738824

 

[Mutant Lemming]

With a better service to Luton (Town) station is it now time to drop the 'Airport' bit from Luton Airport Parkway ?

 

[Deerfold]

With a better service to Luton (Town) station is it now time to drop the 'Airport' bit from Luton Airport Parkway ?

It's still the nearest station to the airport with a dedicated shuttle service and through ticketing - it's where you get off if you have a ticket to "Luton Airport".

 

[Mutant Lemming]

It's still the nearest station to the airport with a dedicated shuttle service and through ticketing - it's where you get off if you have a ticket to "Luton Airport".

Had the busway been built first do you reckon they would have built Parkway ?

 

[radamfi]

Will there be much busway between the airport and the town centre?

 

[Edvid]

Most of the route will be existing roads (see PDF), and the busway section east of the town centre is unguided.

Had the busway been built first do you reckon they would have built Parkway ?

I don't know myself, but the combined passenger throughput of LUT/LTN (1) is barely half a million below that of St Albans City (2)...
[~6.1m (1)/~6.6m (2)]

 

[Deerfold]

The National Express booking system works rather oddly. Happened to notice when booking a journey on the 420 service that it left London Victoria at 0030 and happened to call at Luton Airport as its first stop.

However if you ask for a ticket between the two you are only offered departures at 0001 and 0100 on the A1.

 

[westcoaster]

The National Express booking system works rather oddly. Happened to notice when booking a journey on the 420 service that it left London Victoria at 0030 and happened to call at Luton Airport as its first stop.

However if you ask for a ticket between the two you are only offered departures at 0001 and 0100 on the A1.

Pick up only!

 

[Deerfold]

Pick up only!

Indeed - would have thought it might help them compete with the 757 though overnight as it'd give them a better frequency.

Incidentally I can't find an NX timetable that actually mentions that stop.

 

[radamfi]

From what I could see when I went to Luton on Saturday, the 757 is still well used, despite the requirement to change buses at Luton station and the existence of the National Express A1 service. This may be mainly because of Terravision branded tickets bought on the plane or at foreign airports which can only be used on Green Line. Most of the people I saw using the airport to Luton station section of Arriva service 'A' were using it as a connection to Green Line.