Arriva Midlands
Encyclopedia
Arriva Midlands is a division of Arriva
. It operates bus services around the Midlands
area of England
and is made up of various previous bus operators.
and latterly Midland Red North until being rebranded as Arriva in late 1997. This part of the business operates from depots at Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Wellington, Burton, Cannock, Stafford and Tamworth. A garage at Shifnal closed in January 2009 whilst Bridgnorth reopened to commence operations on 5 January 2009. Swadlincote Garage closed on 24 December 2007. All operations have now moved to Burton Depot.
In early 2003, three Arriva Midlands North garages in Cheshire passed to Arriva North West
. The remaining part of Arriva Midlands North were combined with Arriva Fox County, forming Arriva Midlands. Buses still operate with Arriva Midlands North legal name (except Burton which uses Stevensons of Uttoxeter) but the headquarters changed from Cannock to 852 Melton Road, Thurmaston (Leicester), the headquarters of Arriva Fox County.
Services cover Shropshire, Staffordshire around parts of the West Midlands county, most notably Walsall and Wolverhampton although several services stretch as far west as over the Welsh border into Powys and Wrexham and far south as Birmingham. 2008 saw Worcestershire reached after successfully gaining a Shropshire County Council tender for route 297 from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster.
In 2007, a new Town Linx brand was introduced to services in South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire, similar to the schemes in Leicester.
On 25 February 2007 Chase Coaches Limited
sold out to Arriva Midlands. Its operations were merged into Cannock from 28 April 2007.
In late 2007 a new ChaseLinx
brand (similar to the Leicester Linx brand below) was introduced, reflecting the purchase of Chase Coaches.
April 2008 saw the first of a new fleet of 10 Scania OmniLink
s delivered for the Tamworth to Birmingham service. A number of Volvo B9TL
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
are also due.
14 February 2009 saw the company hold a final 'enthusiast' running day for the last three Dennis Falcon
s (3084/8/9 - K214/8/9 UHA) allocated to the Wellington depot to coincide with the planned withdrawal of this rare type in the fleet. Despite this, the Falcons continued in service at Wellington until Monday 16 February 2009 and were withdrawn at the end of service that day. However 3088 K218 UHA was briefly reallocated to Oswestry to act as a spare bus for a short period but was withdrawn on 13 March 2009 and thus ending the operation of this rare type in the fleet.
The operations of Staffordshire independent Wardle Transport
were acquired by Arriva in December 2010 with 64 vehicles. Wardle will retain its identity.. Further expansion in August 2011 saw the Staffordshire operations of D&G Bus been purchased and merged into the Wardle fleet.
.
Arriva Derby inherited a fleet of Mercedes-Benz minibuses, Volvo Citybuses, Leyland Fleetlines and some Scania single deckers, of which have now all been either scrapped or sold on.
In early 2008, an order was announced for 59 new buses to completely update the ageing fleet. 3 Scania Omnilinks and 15 Scania Omnicities arrived for the Chaddesden and Oakwood routes (20/22/24/26) by the end of October 2008. 8 Optare Solos SRs arrived at the same time, these were used on routes 28/29 to Mackworth.
Early 2009 saw the introduction of 17 brand new Volvo / Wright Gemini double deckers. These are now used on route 44/45 to Alvaston and the 38 to Sinfin. A further 11 variation of Scania Omnicities arrived for the Chellaston services (60/61) some of which venture to Melbourne and Swadlincote (South Derbyshire). These have more seats fitted towards the front, for the less mobile, and removed fittings after complaints from pressure groups on the disability access and ergonomics of the new buses for wheelchair users. The final buses to arrive were 10 more Optare Solo SRs, which have made the front line service fleet entirely low floor, by replacing the last of the step entrance Darts. These also have a minor variation of seating fitted.
Older vehicles left in the fleet include Alexander bodied Dennis Darts (routes 37, 40/41) and Plaxton Mini Pointer Darts (spares), of which have been refurbished into the new Arriva inter-urban livery and interior moquette.
The last Derby Fleetline (Fleet Number; 301, Registration; GTO 301V) retired late in 2008 from school services and has now been preserved, this Fleetline did a final tour of Derby in June 2009.
Withdrawals from the Derby fleet include a range of Volvo Citybuses, Alexander bodied Dennis Darts, 3 Scania Omnilinks, Plaxton Mini Pointer Darts, Mercedes-Benz minibuses, Alexander Sprint minibuses, DAF East Lancs Lowlanders, Volvo Palatine Olympians, 2 Alexander bodied B6LEs and 2 Optare Excels. The fleet has now been made completely low floor, with more buses yet to arrive due to increased demand for services.
In 2011, new routes to the Royal Derby hospital was created, (33A & 36A), to rival Trent Bartons's 'Royal Derby' and Mickleover route.
In May 2006 Arriva launched Operation Overdrive in Leicestershire, with a new Leicester Linx brand. "Local Linx" was used for the more local routes, while "City Linx" was used for town-to-town express services. The Leicester Linx brand is being phased out although it is still evident on some buses. At present some of the East Lancs Myllenium Lowlander's are being refurbished and repainted into the standard arriva livery.
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
. It operates bus services around the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
area of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is made up of various previous bus operators.
Arriva Midlands North
Formerly part of Midland RedMidland Red
Midland Red was a bus company which operated in the English Midlands from 1905 to 1981. It was the trading name used by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company , which was renamed Midland Red Omnibus Company in 1974...
and latterly Midland Red North until being rebranded as Arriva in late 1997. This part of the business operates from depots at Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Wellington, Burton, Cannock, Stafford and Tamworth. A garage at Shifnal closed in January 2009 whilst Bridgnorth reopened to commence operations on 5 January 2009. Swadlincote Garage closed on 24 December 2007. All operations have now moved to Burton Depot.
In early 2003, three Arriva Midlands North garages in Cheshire passed to Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
. The remaining part of Arriva Midlands North were combined with Arriva Fox County, forming Arriva Midlands. Buses still operate with Arriva Midlands North legal name (except Burton which uses Stevensons of Uttoxeter) but the headquarters changed from Cannock to 852 Melton Road, Thurmaston (Leicester), the headquarters of Arriva Fox County.
Services cover Shropshire, Staffordshire around parts of the West Midlands county, most notably Walsall and Wolverhampton although several services stretch as far west as over the Welsh border into Powys and Wrexham and far south as Birmingham. 2008 saw Worcestershire reached after successfully gaining a Shropshire County Council tender for route 297 from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster.
In 2007, a new Town Linx brand was introduced to services in South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire, similar to the schemes in Leicester.
On 25 February 2007 Chase Coaches Limited
Chase Coaches Limited
Chase Coaches Limited operated buses under the trading name of Chase Bus Services. They operated mainly Leyland National buses, many nearly 30 years old, from a depot based in Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffordshire...
sold out to Arriva Midlands. Its operations were merged into Cannock from 28 April 2007.
In late 2007 a new ChaseLinx
ChaseLinx
ChaseLinx is the name given by Arriva Midlands to buses in the West Midlands and South Staffordshire areas of the Arriva Midlands North bus division.The name is derived from the 2007 purchasing of Chase Coaches by Arriva.-History:...
brand (similar to the Leicester Linx brand below) was introduced, reflecting the purchase of Chase Coaches.
April 2008 saw the first of a new fleet of 10 Scania OmniLink
Scania OmniLink
The Scania OmniLink is an integrally-constructed rear longitudinal-engined citybus available on the European market. It is a complete product built by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
s delivered for the Tamworth to Birmingham service. A number of Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
are also due.
14 February 2009 saw the company hold a final 'enthusiast' running day for the last three Dennis Falcon
Dennis Falcon
The Dennis Falcon was a rear-engined bus chassis built by Dennis Specialist Vehicles between 1981 and 1993. It was mostly built as a single-deck bus, although some express coaches and a small number of double-deckers were also produced...
s (3084/8/9 - K214/8/9 UHA) allocated to the Wellington depot to coincide with the planned withdrawal of this rare type in the fleet. Despite this, the Falcons continued in service at Wellington until Monday 16 February 2009 and were withdrawn at the end of service that day. However 3088 K218 UHA was briefly reallocated to Oswestry to act as a spare bus for a short period but was withdrawn on 13 March 2009 and thus ending the operation of this rare type in the fleet.
The operations of Staffordshire independent Wardle Transport
Wardle Transport
Wardle Transport is a bus operating company based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Formed in 1963 as Jack's of Norton, it expanded from 2001 to operate a network of 18 local bus routes using over 60 vehicles...
were acquired by Arriva in December 2010 with 64 vehicles. Wardle will retain its identity.. Further expansion in August 2011 saw the Staffordshire operations of D&G Bus been purchased and merged into the Wardle fleet.
Arriva Derby
Formerly Derby City Transport this part of the business originates from the Derby Corporation buses pre-deregulation. An extensive service operates within Derby although numerous services stretch beyond the city boundaries, mainly operating from the rebuilt Derby bus stationDerby Bus Station
Derby Bus Station serves the city of Derby, Derbyshire, England.The original bus station was the first purpose-built bus station in the United Kingdom. Designed by Charles Herbert Aslin, the Borough Architect, it opened in 1933. It was the first of its kind in the world, with railway-style platforms...
.
Arriva Derby inherited a fleet of Mercedes-Benz minibuses, Volvo Citybuses, Leyland Fleetlines and some Scania single deckers, of which have now all been either scrapped or sold on.
In early 2008, an order was announced for 59 new buses to completely update the ageing fleet. 3 Scania Omnilinks and 15 Scania Omnicities arrived for the Chaddesden and Oakwood routes (20/22/24/26) by the end of October 2008. 8 Optare Solos SRs arrived at the same time, these were used on routes 28/29 to Mackworth.
Early 2009 saw the introduction of 17 brand new Volvo / Wright Gemini double deckers. These are now used on route 44/45 to Alvaston and the 38 to Sinfin. A further 11 variation of Scania Omnicities arrived for the Chellaston services (60/61) some of which venture to Melbourne and Swadlincote (South Derbyshire). These have more seats fitted towards the front, for the less mobile, and removed fittings after complaints from pressure groups on the disability access and ergonomics of the new buses for wheelchair users. The final buses to arrive were 10 more Optare Solo SRs, which have made the front line service fleet entirely low floor, by replacing the last of the step entrance Darts. These also have a minor variation of seating fitted.
Older vehicles left in the fleet include Alexander bodied Dennis Darts (routes 37, 40/41) and Plaxton Mini Pointer Darts (spares), of which have been refurbished into the new Arriva inter-urban livery and interior moquette.
The last Derby Fleetline (Fleet Number; 301, Registration; GTO 301V) retired late in 2008 from school services and has now been preserved, this Fleetline did a final tour of Derby in June 2009.
Withdrawals from the Derby fleet include a range of Volvo Citybuses, Alexander bodied Dennis Darts, 3 Scania Omnilinks, Plaxton Mini Pointer Darts, Mercedes-Benz minibuses, Alexander Sprint minibuses, DAF East Lancs Lowlanders, Volvo Palatine Olympians, 2 Alexander bodied B6LEs and 2 Optare Excels. The fleet has now been made completely low floor, with more buses yet to arrive due to increased demand for services.
In 2011, new routes to the Royal Derby hospital was created, (33A & 36A), to rival Trent Bartons's 'Royal Derby' and Mickleover route.
Arriva Leicester
This was the part of Arriva responsible for operations throughout Leicestershire with a network largely based on the county town, Leicester. This part of the business was formerly part of Midland Red and latterly traded as Midland Red (East) Ltd and Midland Fox. Services stretch from Nottingham in the north to Coventry in the south.In May 2006 Arriva launched Operation Overdrive in Leicestershire, with a new Leicester Linx brand. "Local Linx" was used for the more local routes, while "City Linx" was used for town-to-town express services. The Leicester Linx brand is being phased out although it is still evident on some buses. At present some of the East Lancs Myllenium Lowlander's are being refurbished and repainted into the standard arriva livery.
Depots
- BridgnorthBridgnorthBridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
(Stanmore Industrial Estate) - Burton Upon TrentBurton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
(Wetmore Road) - CannockCannockCannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
(Delta Way) - CoalvilleCoalvilleCoalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
(Ashby Road) - DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
(Ascot Drive) - LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
(Melton Road, Thurmaston) - OswestryOswestryOswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
(Salop Road) - ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
(Spring Gardens, Ditherington) - StaffordStaffordStafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
(Dorrington Drive) - Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
(Wardle Transport Depot) - TamworthTamworthTamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
(Aldergate) - TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
(Charlton Street, WellingtonWellington, ShropshireWellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
) - South Wigston (Station Street)