MK Metro
Encyclopedia
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
operator in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
in the English county of Buckinghamshire. In February 2006, it was purchased by Arriva
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...
Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
. The sale of MK Metro to Arriva was subsequently considered by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
for possible referral to the Competition Commission, however it decided not to do so.
History
The "MK Metro" name first appeared on the streets of Milton KeynesMilton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
in 1997 when Stagecoach Holdingc plc
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
was ordered by the OFT to divest of its operations in Milton Keynes and Huntingdon. This followed an investigation in 1996 into their acquisition of Cambus Holdings Ltd which, according to the OFT, had led to an unacceptable monopoly of bus operations in Cambridgeshire, Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire.
Julian Peddle
Julian Peddle is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager...
(formerly Managing Director of Stevensons of Uttoxeter), using a new company Premier Buses Ltd both to operate in Huntingdon (using the “Premier Buses” brand name) and also as a holding company with which to purchase MK Metro Ltd.
Julian decided to introduce “MK Metro” as a new brand name for the Milton Keynes operation, replacing “Milton Keynes Citybus” (the company Milton Keynes Citybus Ltd itself was retained by Stagecoach) and “Road Car” (MK Metro Ltd had until 1995 been known as Buckinghamshire Road Car Ltd) which were both carried by buses at the time. The new name also introduced the bright yellow and blue livery which is still in use today.
In late 2007, a new logo was introduced following the introduction of Wright Cadet
Wright Cadet
The Wright Cadet was a midibus body built by British coachbuilder Wrightbus, solely on the DAF/VDL SB120; it was sold via VDL dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. For a time, Volvo additionally sold the chassis/body combination, however the body was marketed as the Merit.The Cadet was replaced by the Wright...
s.
Arriva rebranding
As of 25/04/10 the company fully rebranded as "Arriva". Milton Keynes services began to operate under the sub brand of MK Star, and the change of name coincided with a number of controversial service changes.Fleet
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s (high floor and low floor, with a variety of bodywork), to Mercedes minibuses and Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
s. They also had double-deck Optare Spectra
Optare Spectra
Launched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF DB250 chassis.The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased, but they are no means a restlyed Metrobus...
s, and Scania L94
Scania L94
The Scania L94 is a longitudinal inclined-engined bus built by Scania AB, which was a direct replacement of Scania L113. It is used widely in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia...
s with Wright Solar
Wright Solar
The Wright Solar is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Scania L94UB and later the new Scania K-series chassis by Wright. An articulated version, the Wright Solar Fusion of similar appearance was available for the Scania L94UA....
bodywork. Two new Solars arrived in 2006. Three further Solos arrived in 2008, two in Arriva colours and one in a green colour, as well as a new double-decker and two taxis. In October 2008, a Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
/Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
arrived painted orange. It was previously with another part of Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
and was repaired from major fire damage. In November 2008, the same bus was once again involved in a fire, which this time completely destroyed it.
Fleet summary
- Dennis DartDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
- Dennis Dart SLF
- VDL SB120VDL SB120The VDL SB120 is a low-floor light-weight midibus produced from 1999 by VDL Bus International of the Netherlands primarily for the UK market....
- Mercedes-Benz VarioMercedes-Benz VarioThe Mercedes-Benz Vario is a heavy van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Originally launched as the T2 in 1986, the Vario gained its current name when it was facelifted in 1996. The T2 van itself succeeded the Mercedes-Benz L van series.The bodyshell remained relatively unchanged since production...
- Optare SoloOptare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
- Optare SpectraOptare SpectraLaunched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF DB250 chassis.The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased, but they are no means a restlyed Metrobus...
- Scania L94Scania L94The Scania L94 is a longitudinal inclined-engined bus built by Scania AB, which was a direct replacement of Scania L113. It is used widely in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia...
- Alexander Dennis Enviro300
- Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Routes
The company ran over 30 services. Most routes passed through or served Central Milton KeynesCentral Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes...
. However, routes 16 and 30/31 did not. The routes were generally numbered from 1 to 30, although there were some omissions and some routes in the 30s, as well as a new service numbered 300.
The key services were numbered 1 to 8, and ran every 10 to 20 minutes. Key services ran through the busiest parts of the city, for example to Bletchley and the District centres. Intermediate services ran from every 20 minutes up to every hour. These routes cover areas in more detail, for example serving through the grid squares, while key services mostly ran on the main roads. The other routes ran at a frequency of every hour or less. These services linked locations outside Milton Keynes into the city, or linked neighbourhoods into the nearest centre.
Note that this list of routes is for historical interest. It is not a list of the current routes operated by Arriva Shires and Essex.
Former key services
- 1 / B / C: City Centre - Green Park - Newport Pagnell - Olney - Bedford / Northampton
- 2: Westcroft - Oxley Park - Grange Farm - City Centre - Willen - Poets Estate - Newport Pagnell
- 4 / A / E: Wolverton - Stony Stratford - City Centre - Hospital - Whaddon Way - Bletchley
- 5 / E: Wolverton - Bradville - City Centre - Hospital - Bletchley - Lakes Estate
- 7 / E: Wolverton - Stantonbury - City Centre - Bletchley - Newton Longville / Lakes Estate
- 7 A: Wolverton - Great Linford - Neath Hill - City Centre
- 8: Westcroft - Shenley Brook End - City Centre - Kingston - Bletchley / Woburn Sands
Intermediate Services
These routes were operated by MK Metro after its take-over by Arriva, but before the rebranding and new timetable launch on 24 April 2010.- 2E: Wolverton - Heelands - City Centre - Willen - Poets Estate - Newport Pagnell
- 3E: Wolverton - Great Linford - City Centre - Shenley Church End - Furzton - Westcroft
- 6 / A: Wolverton / Bradville - Heelands - City Centre - Hospital- Emerson Valley - Bletchley
- 9 / A: City Centre - Shenley Lodge - Furzton - West Bletchley - Bletchley
- 12: Wolverton - Greenleys - Bradwell - City Centre - Kents Hill - Open University - Caldecotte
- 20: Bletchley - Tattenhoe - Westcroft - City Centre - Hospital - Walnut Tree
- 26E: Bletchley - Furzton - City Centre - Walnut Tree - Kingston Centre
- 29: Bletchley - Hospital - Oldbrook - City Centre - Crownhill - Shenley Church End
- 32: City Centre - Buckingham - Little Tingewick (peak hours)
- 39: Bletchley - Whaddon Way - Oldbrook - City Centre - Crownhill - Shenley Church End
- 300: City Centre - Broughton Gate - Kingston / Magna Park
Other former services
- 11: Milton Keynes - Monkston - Kingston - Woburn Sands - Bow Brickhill - Bletchley
- 13: Stony Stratford - Stantonbury - City Centre - Bletchley - Lakes Estate
- 14: City Centre - Stony Stratford - Old Stratford - Deanshanger / Wicken
- 16: Bletchley - West Bletchley - Emerson Valley - Westcroft
- 17A: Milton Keynes - Moulsoe - Cranfield
- 17B: City Centre - Great Linford - Newport Pagnell - Cranfield
- 18: City Centre - Woolstone - Woughton Park - Simpson - Bletchley
- 30 / 31: Newport Pagnell - Wolverton - Stony Stratford - Bletchley
- 32A: Buckingham Town Service
- 33: Milton Keynes - Blue Bridge - Wolverton - Hanslope - Roade - Northampton
- (NN)11 Northampton - Kingsley - Parklands - Links View - Kingsley - Northampton (only serves Links View on return from Parklands)
- (NN)21 Northampton - University Avenue Campus - KingsthorpeKingsthorpeKingsthorpe was once a Northamptonshire village but is now an extremely affluent suburb to the north-west of the major town of Northampton, England. The River Nene flows through the area to the west...
- University Park Campus (ceased due to contract loss)