POLL: Shoud Arriva operated TOCs use the tagline "by arriva"

[DanNCL]

Recently Arriva have been adding the tagline "by arriva" underneath the logos of their various TOCs. Firstly with Northern, then with Chiltern Railways and Grand Central, and the other day I saw a poster for CrossCountry which also had the "by arriva" tagline. The only arriva TOCs that haven't got this tagline would appear to be London Overground and Arriva Trains Wales.

What does everyone think about this? Do you think it's a good idea, or do you think the tagline should be removed?

 

[Spankthemonkey]

It's purely a political move surely? The "a DB company" slogan it replaces was great propaganda fodder for the pro-nationalisation brigade and those ridiculous yet somewhat humerous RMT press releases. Could also be commercial, I also suspect there's the odd daft Billy Britain out there who won't get on a train with DB written on it in the same way they won't buy Spanish strawberries, won't tip Polish waiters in London restaurants and probably were appalled when Midland bank became HSBC.

 

[goblinuser]

I find it looks quite jarring and clunky on most applications.

 

[USBT]

Whereas First Group has dropped its name from Great Western, TPE and Hull Trains, and ditto Abellio re Greater Anglia.

Overtly adding your name to the TOC branding is risky. If one TOC messes up the others become tarnished.

They won't be permitted to add any branding to London Overground.

 

[Bantamzen]

My initial reaction was to say yes they should. But then I considered why I thought that, does it really matter if parent companies are displayed, who outside the rail enthusiast community would pay any attention? And so I chose to vote not bothered.

 

[73001]

The slight difference between First and Arriva is subtle but whenever a news article reported some mishap or other with a First TOC it generally appeared as, for example, First Great Western. It's unlikely that news articles, especially on radio or TV, will quote the full title of Crosscountry by Arriva as its too much of a mouthful if you try to put it in the middle of a sentence. If the Arriva was at the start it becomes much easier to say. When things weren't going well for First it meant their 'brand' was mentioned constantly so it's no wonder they dropped it.

 

[185]

Remember Arriva serving Merseyside, serving Manchester etc?

At Arriva Trains Northern, one of our trolley dollies had part of an Arriva Yorkshire sticker from her husband on her trolley.

"Arriva... serving"

Brilliant :P

 

[fowler9]

Northern by Arriva makes it sound like a weird perfume. Smells like McDonalds and BO.

 

[northwichcat]

Northern by Arriva makes it sound like a weird perfume. Smells like McDonalds and BO.

Or pollution.

 

[47802]

Probably not the best choice in my view as their performance on the Rail Franchise's is variable to say the least, but on the other hand they run the buses where I live and find them on the whole to be quite good and better than First who run the ex corporation services around Leeds and Bradford etc.

But then large multi business companies tend to go through cycles depending on who is in charge this month, between having standardised branding on everything, not having standardised branding on everything to being run with totally different identities.

 

[Andyh82]

Northern by Arriva makes it sound like a weird perfume. Smells like McDonalds and BO.

I suppose “by Arriva” is supposed to sound softer and friendlier, than a more corporate “An Arriva company” or something like that.

As pointed out in other threads, many think Virgin still run Crosscountry, the vast majority will think Grand Central is a little independent, and the old Northern used to display who the owners were.

 

[njamescouk]

Deutsche Bahn nearer the mark?

 

[DanNCL]

Interesting to see that about 50% aren't too fussed about it, but it doesn't surprise me that of those that are fussed more dislike it than like it.

Just for the fun of it, I've made a version of the ATW logo, with "by arriva" underneath the name as opposed to "ARRIVA" at the beginning of the name. I personally think it looks better with Arriva at the start of the name rather than having "by arriva" as a tagline.

 

[Andyh82]

Interesting to see that about 50% aren't too fussed about it, but it doesn't surprise me that of those that are fussed more dislike it than like it.

Just for the fun of it, I've made a version of the ATW logo, with "by arriva" underneath the name as opposed to "ARRIVA" at the beginning of the name. I personally think it looks better with Arriva at the start of the name rather than having "by arriva" as a tagline.
View attachment 42311

They obviously aren’t going to change Arriva Trains Wales, and wouldn’t call it “Trains Wales”if they in the running for the new franchise.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Deutsche Bahn nearer the mark?

Now, if Northern units were all being painted DB red (maybe DB IC white for "Northern Connect") I'd be on board... but then I am something of a Teutonophile (if that's the right word).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I suppose “by Arriva” is supposed to sound softer and friendlier, than a more corporate “An Arriva company” or something like that.

The idea appears to have come from Sainsbury's, who like to have "cheap and nasty beans by Sainsbury's" rather than "Sainsbury's value beans", or somesuch.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Now, if Northern units were all being painted DB red (maybe DB IC white for "Northern Connect") I'd be on board... but then I am something of a Teutonophile (if that's the right word).

I must admit I was surprised they didn't go the way of ARRIVA [DB] branding generally. Perhaps it was that that would make it more difficult to offload it if they wanted/needed to.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Northern by Arriva makes it sound like a weird perfume. Smells like McDonalds and BO.

Post of the week!

 

[northwichcat]

Deutsche Bahn nearer the mark?

Not really. Arriva Rail North are a subsidiary of Arriva PLC registered in Sunderland, who are a subidiary of DB. They are more British than Bombardier Derby which belongs to a German subsidiary of a Canadian company!

 

[xotGD]

"Northern Trains, by 'eck!" has a certain ring to it.

 

[backontrack]

"Northern Trains, by 'eck!" has a certain ring to it.

"Welcome to t'service to Ilkley, callin' at Burleh, Ben Riddin' and Ilkley, where you should not end of on Ilkley Moor baht 'at, ya silly b***er"

 

[DenmarkRail]

DB should have just absorbed it into Regio DB rather than the other way round. I would've loved to get the DB IC from Penzance to Stafford

 

[43096]

"Welcome to t'service to Ilkley, callin' at Burleh, Ben Riddin' and Ilkley, where you should not end of on Ilkley Moor baht 'at, ya silly b***er"

Is that a sister company to Yorkshire Airlines?

 

[daikilo]

If we are honest about the current process, the operations are essentially decided by the DfT (or devolved 'governments') even if based on operator proposals so 'xxx by yyy' is actually true. I don't have a problem with 'Trains Wales by Arriva', 'CrossCountry by Arriva' or 'Northern by Arriva'. I equally won't have a problem when VTEC and VTWC and any of the Southern companies admit who actually is responsible for operations.

 

[northwichcat]

'Trains Wales by Arriva'

They actually use Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru.

 

[alistairlees]

Is that a sister company to Yorkshire Airlines?

I was just thinking exactly the same. Classic sketch.

 

[DanTrain]

Arriva need to sort their branding out one way or another. They’ve got the ... by Arriva option, the Arriva Trains ..., the Arriva a DB company from XC, Grand Central with little obvious Arriva-ness. However they do it, a bit of consistency would be nice.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/corporate/about-arriva (This seems to show quite well the randomness of their brands)

 

[Harbornite]

DB should have just absorbed it into Regio DB rather than the other way round. I would've loved to get the DB IC from Penzance to Stafford

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/17369-db-xc-class-220/

 

[Harbornite]

They actually use Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru.

I think he knows that...

 

[XCTurbostar]

As long as they don’t start getting stupid about it and putting on the end of announcements, I really don’t care. “Welcome on board this, CrossCountry by Arriva Service to Nottingham”