Arriva Buses (including Greenline)

[Andy Pacer]

I figured they would be on “city based” routes depending on the range. Does anybody know what the range is?

I gather the use on City routes (or routes with a high proportion of daily mileage within the city boundary) is due to the collaboration between Arriva and Leicester City Council to purchase them.

 

[SSmith2009]

I figured they would be on “city based” routes depending on the range. Does anybody know what the range is?

the spec for it says 200 miles per full charge

 

[duncombec]

From Arriva North East website, posted today:

Arriva Bus

www.arrivabus.co.uk

And now we have a similar statement for Yorkshire, https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/yorkshire-service-delivery . Once you remove the obvious regional specifics, anyone care to play spot the difference?

In recent months, some of our services across Yorkshire have unfortunately been impacted by the well documented national bus driver shortage. Added to this, our bus services have been negatively affected by extensive roadworks in place across the region, particularly along key routes which serve Leeds City Centre. This has resulted in serious challenges on the delivery of our timetabled services on a daily basis across the region.
We want to assure you, our customers, we’re exploring every avenue possible to rectify this situation.
We’re mindful of how negatively we are affecting our customers and our communities every day, and for this are we genuinely sorry.

As a priority action, work is underway to review our current timetables with a view to introducing small yet efficient changes in early 2023 which we believe will help to support positive service delivery in challenging hot spots. These plans are being developed in consultation with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, whom we are working in partnership with, to further show our commitment to righting the current challenges being experienced across our bus network. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to keep our customers and stakeholders updated on our plans and timelines of changes being implemented.

Arriva has a highly targeted recruitment campaign underway, which has already welcomed 250 new drivers into Arriva Yorkshire region this year. You can find out more about Driver & Engineering roles with Arriva in Yorkshire by visiting arrivajobs.co.uk

North West, Wales, Midlands, Beds & Bucks, Herts & Essex and Kent & "Surrey" to follow over the next few weeks, a few days apart?

 

[SSmith2009]

And now we have a similar statement for Yorkshire, https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/yorkshire-service-delivery . Once you remove the obvious regional specifics, anyone care to play spot the difference?



North West, Wales, Midlands, Beds & Bucks, Herts & Essex and Kent & "Surrey" to follow over the next few weeks, a few days apart?

Most of Leicester's buses have a notice regarding service delivery on them although we have more cuts coming from 3rd January.

 

[sk688]

For Herts & Essex, they've put a similar statement out in a reply to the Watford Observer , which was running a story about the particularly bad reliabillity issues on the 10 and 20

Arriva ‘genuinely sorry’ but bus turmoil set to continue

Arriva says it is “genuinely sorry” for buses disruption amid claims it is “destroying people’s lives” – but the turmoil looks set to…

www.watfordobserver.co.uk

The operator, which has long blamed industry-wide staff shortages, insists its “highly targeted” recruitment drive is “welcoming new drivers into Watford regularly”.

But hopes of rapid improvement were dashed after Arriva told the Watford Observer additional changes will not happen until early next year.

“We’ve reviewed our current timetables and a number of small, yet efficient service changes will come into effect in early January 2023,” the spokesperson said.

Among them will be cutting the 357 service covering Harpenden to Borehamwood and relocating drivers to specific Watford buses.

Asked whether customers should expect the same level of service until then, Arriva said the measures will not immediately solve the issues but “we do hope in January we’ll start to see the benefit of improvement plans”.

 

[Simon75]

For Herts & Essex, they've put a similar statement out in a reply to the Watford Observer , which was running a story about the particularly bad reliabillity issues on the 10 and 20

Arriva ‘genuinely sorry’ but bus turmoil set to continue

Arriva says it is “genuinely sorry” for buses disruption amid claims it is “destroying people’s lives” – but the turmoil looks set to…

www.watfordobserver.co.uk

Did the decline around Watford occur when Garston garage close?

 

[1D54]

Most of Leicester's buses have a notice regarding service delivery on them although we have more cuts coming from 3rd January.

Any Arriva ditching any services or are we just talking times in the Leicester area?

 

[SSmith2009]

Any Arriva ditching any services or are we just talking times in the Leicester area?

new timetables are online for services 5, 11/11A, 15, 16/16A, 31/31E, 126/127, 152/153

From what I can make out:
31E - Sundays now have a 35 mins frequency
49 - Saturday journeys have one terminate at Wigston with the other continuing to Fleckney still every 30 mins
56 - going to hourly
86 - going to half hourly Mon-Sat with no Sunday buses
104 - Fosse Park to Thorpe Astley section withdrawn (NovusDirect and Orbital cover Thorpe Astley)

 

[1D54]

Thanks for that. The only one that really applies to me is the 153, it has been decimated over the last few years so there is really not much more damage they can do to it short of getting rid altogether.

 

[A0]

Did the decline around Watford occur when Garston garage close?

I don't believe so - Garston closed in January 2018, with routes being transferred to Hemel.

One of the routes they are talking about reducing - the 357, was taken back by Arriva in 2019 having been operated by Uno as the 657 before that.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Thanks for that. The only one that really applies to me is the 153, it has been decimated over the last few years so there is really not much more damage they can do to it short of getting rid altogether.

Its the 152 which is stopping, not a massive change to the 153, it makes the afternoons a bit tidier without a bus having to divert to cover Neovia.

 

[Snex]

And now we have a similar statement for Yorkshire, https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/yorkshire-service-delivery . Once you remove the obvious regional specifics, anyone care to play spot the difference?



North West, Wales, Midlands, Beds & Bucks, Herts & Essex and Kent & "Surrey" to follow over the next few weeks, a few days apart?

Arriva North East / Yorkshire is the same management guessing why it's near identical. Not sure if you knew.

 

[philthetube]

Any Arriva ditching any services or are we just talking times in the Leicester area?

I don't believe so - Garston closed in January 2018, with routes being transferred to Hemel.

One of the routes they are talking about reducing - the 357, was taken back by Arriva in 2019 having been operated by Uno as the 657 before that.

Decline was inevitable when Watford closed however as Watford was effectively taken out of their recruitment zone. If you are going to travel to work as a bus driver you may as well head for London where the wages are much better.

 

[A0]

Decline was inevitable when Watford closed however as Watford was effectively taken out of their recruitment zone. If you are going to travel to work as a bus driver you may as well head for London where the wages are much better.

A lot of Watford's work for the last few years *was* TFL contracts though. And the issue of better pay in Harrow or Edgware would still have been there.

A lot of the work out into Herts had already been transferred to other depots like Luton or Hemel - a process which started when London Country NW was bought out by Luton & District.

 

[Geordie driver]

Regarding Arriva North East, there was a meeting with representatives from Arriva, Nexus and local councilors a Dudley, North Tyneside, last night.

I was unable to attend as my ( Arriva) bus didn't turn up and I don't own a car, so what you are getting is second hand. Arriva have said nothing on their Facebook page.

It's everyone's fault but theirs, Ukraine (really!) Brexit, COVID, the alignment of Mars with Uranus, you get the drift.

One workable suggestion from the public was a local circle which could feed into the Regent Centre, Arriva said it was unworkable as it would require 10 weeks notice. Our routes have been a mess for a lot more than 10 weeks.

They are going to use agency drivers ( I am not sure PCV agency is a big thing like HGV?) to cover the shortfall and will have a full complement of drivers by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

After that they will return to their full timetable, as opposed to the current one which was meant to make it more reliable. Anyone believe that?

685 now gone to Stagecoach.

I am out today for a pint with my ex bus driving mates, none of us now use our PCV, all ex Arriva. I will be buying singles both ways as I have no confidence in their ability to get me home.

 

[Andy Pacer]

They are going to use agency drivers ( I am not sure PCV agency is a big thing like HGV?) to cover the shortfall and will have a full complement of drivers by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

In my recent experience there seem to be plenty of agency drivers readily available at little notice. It does make you wonder where the agencies find them from.

 

[Mwanesh]

There is lots of drivers who have gone to work in other fields. They are offering silly money to do the job.I have been offered £20 an hour to work in Cardiff

 

[DunsBus]

Regarding Arriva North East, there was a meeting with representatives from Arriva, Nexus and local councilors a Dudley, North Tyneside, last night.

I was unable to attend as my ( Arriva) bus didn't turn up and I don't own a car, so what you are getting is second hand. Arriva have said nothing on their Facebook page.

It's everyone's fault but theirs, Ukraine (really!) Brexit, COVID, the alignment of Mars with Uranus, you get the drift.

One workable suggestion from the public was a local circle which could feed into the Regent Centre, Arriva said it was unworkable as it would require 10 weeks notice. Our routes have been a mess for a lot more than 10 weeks.

They are going to use agency drivers ( I am not sure PCV agency is a big thing like HGV?) to cover the shortfall and will have a full complement of drivers by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

After that they will return to their full timetable, as opposed to the current one which was meant to make it more reliable. Anyone believe that?

685 now gone to Stagecoach.

I am out today for a pint with my ex bus driving mates, none of us now use our PCV, all ex Arriva. I will be buying singles both ways as I have no confidence in their ability to get me home.

It says it all about the decline of Arriva North East when a key route such as the 685, a route which Arriva and its predecessors has had the lion's share of the workings over many years is meekly surrendered to the other company involved in its operation.

 

[Andy Pacer]

It says it all about the decline of Arriva North East when a key route such as the 685, a route which Arriva and its predecessors has had the lion's share of the workings over many years is meekly surrendered to the other company involved in its operation.

Presumably this decision has also been driven by not having Jesmond depot anymore?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It says it all about the decline of Arriva North East when a key route such as the 685, a route which Arriva and its predecessors has had the lion's share of the workings over many years is meekly surrendered to the other company involved in its operation.

Presumably this decision has also been driven by not having Jesmond depot anymore?

Absolutely right in that it has proved difficult enough to run the 685 from Jesmond. With the closure of that depot and the temporary depot at Walkergate, the operation of the 685 was always going to be massively problematic. Not casting myself as Nostradamus but I predicted this - it was all so very obvious!

Mark my words - they'll be throwing in a few more by the time they're done. Big similarities with Bishop Auckland depot closure - two big depots that cost a small fortune in rates and utilities (and Jesmond was worth a small fortune to developers) so right to move out of them to more modern, cheaper facilities. Sadly, they decided to simply relocate to other depots and have a raft of interworking and/or simply drop the least commercial routes.

 

[philthetube]

A lot of Watford's work for the last few years *was* TFL contracts though. And the issue of better pay in Harrow or Edgware would still have been there.

A lot of the work out into Herts had already been transferred to other depots like Luton or Hemel - a process which started when London Country NW was bought out by Luton & District.

It was but if you can walk/cycle to work in Watford this is a big consideration in where you work. If you have to Drive drive to Hemel or Harrow, bearing in mind the wages are far better in Harrow which do you choose

 

[DunsBus]

Absolutely right in that it has proved difficult enough to run the 685 from Jesmond. With the closure of that depot and the temporary depot at Walkergate, the operation of the 685 was always going to be massively problematic. Not casting myself as Nostradamus but I predicted this - it was all so very obvious!

Mark my words - they'll be throwing in a few more by the time they're done. Big similarities with Bishop Auckland depot closure - two big depots that cost a small fortune in rates and utilities (and Jesmond was worth a small fortune to developers) so right to move out of them to more modern, cheaper facilities. Sadly, they decided to simply relocate to other depots and have a raft of interworking and/or simply drop the least commercial routes.

Agreed. The 685 was IIRC run from Hexham prior to that depot being sold to Go North East. Running it from Jesmond was never going to end well - the surprise is that it took Arriva nearly 13 years to find this out!

 

[Geordie driver]

I should add, and this is second hand, but at the meeting I mentioned above, apparently Nexus stated Arriva were not the worst of the big 3 operators in Tyne and Wear for not operating services.

 

[MB1]

One workable suggestion from the public was a local circle which could feed into the Regent Centre, Arriva said it was unworkable as it would require 10 weeks notice. Our routes have been a mess for a lot more than 10 weeks.

They are going to use agency drivers ( I am not sure PCV agency is a big thing like HGV?) to cover the shortfall and will have a full complement of drivers by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

After that they will return to their full timetable, as opposed to the current one which was meant to make it more reliable. Anyone believe that?

685 now gone to Stagecoach.

I am out today for a pint with my ex bus driving mates, none of us now use our PCV, all ex Arriva. I will be buying singles both ways as I have no confidence in their ability to get me home.

Assume the local circle suggestion would essentially be a shuttle between Dinnington/Hazelrigg and Regent Centre then connecting onto an express there? As much as it sounds great, in reality I bet most people would be fed up with the changing of buses quite quickly, especially at Regent Centre which isn't the best of interchanges at the best of times!

I believe the agency drivers are currently being route learned so will be on the road imminently. I hope they aren't the same as the ones GNE have been using on their Metro replacement, some of the driving standards there have reportedly been shocking.

 

[Geordie driver]

Assume the local circle suggestion would essentially be a shuttle between Dinnington/Hazelrigg and Regent Centre then connecting onto an express there? As much as it sounds great, in reality I bet most people would be fed up with the changing of buses quite quickly, especially at Regent Centre which isn't the best of interchanges at the best of times!

I believe the agency drivers are currently being route learned so will be on the road imminently. I hope they aren't the same as the ones GNE have been using on their Metro replacement, some of the driving standards there have reportedly been shocking.

Indeed with the circular idea, but better than totally cut off, which we often are. And yes, it's the metro replacement drivers they are intending to use.

Saw an old mate in the Haymarket tonight, supervisor, he needed 30 drivers one morning recently, only had 15.

 

[DunsBus]

Arriva's last day of operation on the 685 will be 22nd January, with Stagecoach North East taking over the Arriva journeys from the following day.

(Source: VOSA)

 

[778]

Could the Green Line 758 service ever come back? I think more people would use it in future, as rail fares are going through the roof in the next few years. Also Hemel Hempstead has lost a lot of it's National Express services. I think Hemel is only on 1 coach route now?

 

[Andy Pacer]

Could the Green Line 758 service ever come back? I think more people would use it in future, as rail fares are going through the roof in the next few years. Also Hemel Hempstead has lost a lot of it's National Express services. I think Hemel is only on 1 coach route now?

I'd be surprised to see the 758 again. Luton gave it a good go when it moved there and the reliability improved but it just wasn't viable at the time.

 

[MotCO]

I'd be surprised to see the 758 again. Luton gave it a good go when it moved there and the reliability improved but it just wasn't viable at the time.

Didn't Uno also give it a try - they couldn't make it viable either.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Didn't Uno also give it a try - they couldn't make it viable either.

Was that after Arriva? Presumably so.