Arriva Buses (including Greenline)

[Llandudno]

There was a meeting tonight at a school in our area ( Dinnington) to discuss the bus problems with representatives from Arriva, Nexus and our local councilors.

200 people turned up.

No one from Arriva turned up.

Hardly surprising, it’s a long way from Luton!

Maybe they used the Arriva website and/or app and ended up in Dinnington, South Yorkshire!

 

[markymark2000]

Hardly surprising, it’s a long way from Luton!

Maybe they used the Arriva website and/or app and ended up in Dinnington, South Yorkshire!

Hi, We’re concerned to hear this, we’ll need to look into this further, please fill in all fields of this form so we can start our investigation: https://bit.ly/2RxNvL2 ^IM

 

[Tetchytyke]

200 people turned up.

No one from Arriva turned up.

After they spent all that time and money fighting bus franchising and promising the earth, it's ironic they're now basically trying to provoke Nexus into bus franchising.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

After they spent all that time and money fighting bus franchising and promising the earth, it's ironic they're now basically trying to provoke Nexus into bus franchising.

Arriva didn't spend that much time and money - it was mainly Go North East and Stagecoach; the head of NEBOA (North East Bus Operators Association) was Kevin Carr of Go Ahead.

 

[Geordie driver]

I have always thought the 43/44/45 were nice little earners for Arriva, at least pre COVID.

One wonders whether Stagecoach or Go Ahead might be interested having a go, chasing Arriva further out of the county.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Hardly surprising, it’s a long way from Luton!

Maybe they used the Arriva website and/or app and ended up in Dinnington, South Yorkshire!

Why would they be going from Luton?

 

[Llandudno]

Why would they be going from Luton?

Isn’t Arriva’s Head Office in Luton?

 

[bussnapperwm]

Isn’t Arriva’s Head Office in Luton?

Surely local management would be the ones on the firing line with the public

 

[Llandudno]

Surely local management would be the ones on the firing line with the public

Probably why they didn’t show up!

 

[duncombec]

Hi, We’re concerned to hear this, we’ll need to look into this further, please fill in all fields of this form so we can start our investigation: https://bit.ly/2RxNvL2 ^IM

We don't often agree, but this really made me laugh! It's quite concerning how often it gets trotted out to people with really quite serious complaints as a copy-and=paste without any suggestion that the customer service agent has even read the comment.

Isn’t Arriva’s Head Office in Luton?

I think customer services are based in Luton, so it serves as a pseudo head office for the public-facing activities; not sure about the actual "head office". I know where the "head office" (i.e. the legal lettering) for Kent operations is, but there are distinctly fewer functions managed out of it than you might expect. I would assume similar is true of the North East, where whatever is on the side of the buses has fewer functions than of old, and things are managed largely group-wide.

The registered office of all UK Bus operations remains Arriva's more general UK head office in Sunderland, also shared with Cross Country and Chiltern Railways.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Hi, We’re concerned to hear this, we’ll need to look into this further, please fill in all fields of this form so we can start our investigation: https://bit.ly/2RxNvL2 ^IM

Best response ever!

 

[Geordie driver]

Isn’t Arriva’s Head Office in Luton?

No one would expect senior management to travel the length of England to attend a local meeting, it's reasonable to assume local management would. I assumed the Luton reference was a joke.

Mind, I wasn't surprised local management didn't attend either, they are invisible when there is a problem.

As for the copy and paste replies on their Facebook page, these are hilarious, often they say it in response to the fact that complaints are ignored. Perhaps they need another complaints procedure, for ignored complaints. Then another ad infinitum.

I don't know about Twitter, I don't use it.

My local councillor, who is fed up trying to explain to people that they don't run the services, has approached Stagecoach asking them to have a go. I don't think he really believes it will happen, but it makes him look like he is doing something.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Isn’t Arriva’s Head Office in Luton?

No it isn't.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think customer services are based in Luton, so it serves as a pseudo head office for the public-facing activities; not sure about the actual "head office". I know where the "head office" (i.e. the legal lettering) for Kent operations is, but there are distinctly fewer functions managed out of it than you might expect. I would assume similar is true of the North East, where whatever is on the side of the buses has fewer functions than of old, and things are managed largely group-wide.

The registered office of all UK Bus operations remains Arriva's more general UK head office in Sunderland, also shared with Cross Country and Chiltern Railways.

IIRC, when Arriva first acquired the North East/Northumbria operations, they were based in Darlington before that site was closed, and in Jesmond. They were then in Stockton depot but seem to think that since c.2003/4, the North East management has been based in Doxford in the UK corporate HQ on the outskirts of Sunderland.

I have always thought the 43/44/45 were nice little earners for Arriva, at least pre COVID.

One wonders whether Stagecoach or Go Ahead might be interested having a go, chasing Arriva further out of the county.

Probably were decent, though not in comparison with the monster routes from Ashington and Blyth to Newcastle.

I don't know if either firm you mention would be interested in having a pop on those routes but you could certainly see stuff like the 47 and 555 and 685 being thrown in by Arriva as being too difficult to operate, low margin etc esp. once they exit Walkergate

 

[Mwanesh]

No it isn't.

The Arriva UK HQ bus is based Luton

 

[Man of Kent]

The Arriva UK HQ bus is based Luton

That'll come as a surprise to everyone in Sunderland and Leicester.

 

[Andy Pacer]

That'll come as a surprise to everyone in Sunderland and Leicester.

Indeed. Technically speaking UK Bus HQ us at Sunderland, even a simple Google search confirms that.

 

[Geordie driver]

IIRC, when Arriva first acquired the North East/Northumbria operations, they were based in Darlington before that site was closed, and in Jesmond. They were then in Stockton depot but seem to think that since c.2003/4, the North East management has been based in Doxford in the UK corporate HQ on the outskirts of Sunderland.


Probably were decent, though not in comparison with the monster routes from Ashington and Blyth to Newcastle.

I don't know if either firm you mention would be interested in having a pop on those routes but you could certainly see stuff like the 47 and 555 and 685 being thrown in by Arriva as being too difficult to operate, low margin etc esp. once they exit Walkergate

At one time there were at least ten Arriva local service buses an hour through wide-open during the day, at least there was when I left in 2004. They had no real opposition until they hit the Regent Centre. Then Arriva decided to let the " express" routes pick up and drop off all the way in through Gosforth.

This in turn made the local ( Jesmond based) services less profitable, it also meant at peak times express buses would fill up at the Regent Centre with people ( mainly kids) only going a couple of stops and those of us travelling out of Tyne and Wear ( often me!) couldn't get on.

Very short sighted IMHO.

Local Facebook groups are reporting several buses being parked up and left unattended at Cramlington shops, not sure if this is because they are meant to or if it's drivers coming off with no relief present. Either way, this is very unwise, this is not somewhere I would want vehicles left unattended for even a short time.

Arriva are now claiming they were not invited to the meeting. Possible I guess, but easily disproved if not.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

At one time there were at least ten Arriva local service buses an hour through wide-open during the day, at least there was when I left in 2004. They had no real opposition until they hit the Regent Centre. Then Arriva decided to let the " express" routes pick up and drop off all the way in through Gosforth.

This in turn made the local ( Jesmond based) services less profitable, it also meant at peak times express buses would fill up at the Regent Centre with people ( mainly kids) only going a couple of stops and those of us travelling out of Tyne and Wear ( often me!) couldn't get on.

Very short sighted IMHO.

Local Facebook groups are reporting several buses being parked up and left unattended at Cramlington shops, not sure if this is because they are meant to or if it's drivers coming off with no relief present. Either way, this is very unwise, this is not somewhere I would want vehicles left unattended for even a short time.

Arriva are now claiming they were not invited to the meeting. Possible I guess, but easily disproved if not.

Depends how they were invited - if it's by email to some generic non-monitored inbox or something?

When would the changes have taken place to the Wideopen services? 2004 was in the Steve Noble era though he arrived when Northumbria (Proudmutual) was bought by British Bus which is when we can really chart the decline of the business. I didn't have much time for him if I'm honest.

One thing that crossed my mind is the parallel between Arriva in the North East, and how First managed the Midland/Eastern/Lowland business. Perhaps not the suicidal competitive moves but perhaps the withdrawing from the periphery, the long investment holidays, rampant depot closures, rationalisation and centralisation, and eventual retrenchment to a few core routes and some half-decent local networks?

I'd suspect that buses being left unattended in Cramlington are exactly because a relief driver is late or missing. I certainly wouldn't want to be leaving anything as "they say it changes when the sun goes down"

 

[Geordie driver]

I can't remember when the started picking up on the expresses, 2010 maybe?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I can't remember when the started picking up on the expresses, 2010 maybe?

That would be the Jonathan May era.

So many memories of travelling on those X services - usually a VR but if lucky, one of the F reg Olympians!

 

[Mwanesh]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

 

[Robertj21a]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

Was there an Arriva depot in Burton on Trent ?

 

[Andy Pacer]

Was there an Arriva depot in Burton on Trent ?

Yes there was, it sold out to Midland Classic.

The original Coalville depot is indeed now a car showroom, with the Arriva outstation at the nearby premises of Roberts Travel Group.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

It is now a car sales place - nicely refurbished by them to be fair

Was there an Arriva depot in Burton on Trent ?

The current Diamond/Midland Classic depot in Wetmore Road was Arriva, and Stevensons before that. There was also the former Arriva/Stevensons/Midland Fox/Midland Red depot in Swadlincote.

 

[Simon75]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

Stafford was closed , not sold a few years back, with buses running from Cannock

 

[317 forever]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

Arriva also sold Yorkshire Tiger to Transdev, now t/a Team Pennine, last year.

 

[Simon75]

Arriva got away with shoddy services due to First being in the spotlight. Over the past few years depot closures and sales have been the norm. Burton on Trent, Cannock and Stafford all sold. Guildford, Sheerness and Wigston all closed. I passed by their old Coalville depot only the front Midland name is still there it looked like a showroom

Also Watford (Garston), Newcastle (Jesmond), Stamford Hill, London.

 

[GusB]

Also Watford (Garston), Newcastle (Jesmond), Stamford Hill, London.

You need to be a bit more specific - what's significant about the depots you've mentioned? Have they closed, or is it just that they all had shoddy services?

 

[Deerfold]

You need to be a bit more specific - what's significant about the depots you've mentioned? Have they closed, or is it just that they all had shoddy services?

All the other depots listed have closed. I assume this is a continuation of that list.