Arriva Midlands

[SSmith2009]

Three of the Electroliners were on odd routes this morning, with 8008 doing one of the morning short workings to Loughborough Pitsford Drive on the 127 (which I managed to photograph for the first time), and two others on the 5 and the 58.

Explains why the 50/51 have had to put up with E200mmcs today

 

[Andy Pacer]

Explains why the 50/51 have had to put up with E200mmcs today

Not specifically!

 

[zakky1.0]

So an announcement on blink (driver app) has announced that by the end of the year, all 24 Scania Omnicitys at the Derby depot will be replaced.

‘Following on from the Employee Survey carried out in May & June of this year, we have taken on board your comments regarding our Scania Vehicles.’

‘Following on from the Survey and as per our Action Plan, all 24 Scania Vehicles currently in Derby's fleet will be disposed of and replaced with SB200 Pulsar vehicles’

‘This will benefit Derby Depot greatly, with a newer fleet of vehicles that will enhance our reliability and performance. These vehicles will be phased in over the coming months, completing before year end. The SB200 Pulsars will be a great addition to our fleet.’

I unfortunately can’t link the post as it’s a fully private app with drivers having to accept an invitation to said app.

it’ll be a shame to see the OmniCitys leave Derby, having been steady workhorses over the last 16 years, personally one of my favourite vehicles in Derby, but I’m thankful that the replacements are not streetlites.

 

[joieman]

So an announcement on blink (driver app) has announced that by the end of the year, all 24 Scania Omnicitys at the Derby depot will be replaced.

‘Following on from the Employee Survey carried out in May & June of this year, we have taken on board your comments regarding our Scania Vehicles.’

‘Following on from the Survey and as per our Action Plan, all 24 Scania Vehicles currently in Derby's fleet will be disposed of and replaced with SB200 Pulsar vehicles’

‘This will benefit Derby Depot greatly, with a newer fleet of vehicles that will enhance our reliability and performance. These vehicles will be phased in over the coming months, completing before year end. The SB200 Pulsars will be a great addition to our fleet.’

I unfortunately can’t link the post as it’s a fully private app with drivers having to accept an invitation to said app.

it’ll be a shame to see the OmniCitys leave Derby, having been steady workhorses over the last 16 years, personally one of my favourite vehicles in Derby, but I’m thankful that the replacements are not streetlites.

Does this include the two Omnilinks as well?

 

[zakky1.0]

Does this include the two Omnilinks as well?

You’d think so 3511/12 aren’t the best set of vehicles & I’ll be glad to see them leave.

 

[joieman]

You’d think so 3511/12 aren’t the best set of vehicles & I’ll be glad to see them leave.

To answer my own question, by the looks of it there are 22 Omnicities left, so the figure of 24 buses must include the Omnilinks as well.

 

[Volvo142]

Intrigued by the comment "newer and more reliable?"

More reliable possibly, but newer?

If they're coming from Merseyside as suggested in another post, they're likely to be the same age.....

 

[M60lad]

Where will the Pulsars come from?

Reagarding the Omnilinks and Omnicities I can't say I'm surprised really as I know a few operators recently have got rid of the ones they had.

 

[gka472l]

Intrigued by the comment "newer and more reliable?"

More reliable possibly, but newer?

If they're coming from Merseyside as suggested in another post, they're likely to be the same age.....

Merseyside are expecting a lot of new/newer stuff in the near future as mentioned in this post on another forum, still plenty of 09/59/10 plate Pulsars in the Merseyside/NW area (plus the Wythenshawe ones, 61/12 plates which will leave when Bee Network tranche 3 starts in January)

2024 new buses!!

HTH

 

[43055]

Glad to see something 'new' coming to Derby. I hope the paint shop has the brushes ready considering the 3 that Derby all arrived in older liveries.

Anybody knows what E200MMC 3122 is doing on the Arriva Derby fleetlist on bustimes.org as well?

 

[zakky1.0]

Anybody knows what E200MMC 3122 is doing on the Arriva Derby fleetlist on bustimes.org as well?

This arrived months ago with accident damage, was supposedly to enter service with Derby, its not been seen for a while so can only assume it’s in MRC (Midland Repair Centre)

 

[derbybusdepot]

Gemini 4224 should soon return to service soon having passed MOT.

 

[Andy Pacer]

This arrived months ago with accident damage, was supposedly to enter service with Derby, its not been seen for a while so can only assume it’s in MRC (Midland Repair Centre)

Still allocated on the fleetlist to Milton Keynes where there's no reason it shouldn't return to once repaired.

 

[zakky1.0]

Still allocated on the fleetlist to Milton Keynes where there's no reason it shouldn't return to once repaired.

It was on its way to Derby when the accident occurred, so a transfer seems likely.

 

[Andy Pacer]

It was on its way to Derby when the accident occurred, so a transfer seems likely.

We wouldn't be transferring a completely isolated vehicle type into Derby, as I say it's still officially allocated to MK.

 

[Trainman40083]

You’d think so 3511/12 aren’t the best set of vehicles & I’ll be glad to see them leave.

A friend of mine will also be glad to see them go off route 4. He seems to check his bus isn't one of them before he goes to catch it. Think sister 3505 (looking withdrawn) came to Derby, presume for spares.

 

[zakky1.0]

Think sister 3505 (looking withdrawn) came to Derby, presume for spares.

it’s in service again with Arriva, down in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, not sure which depot though

 

[Trainman40083]

it’s in service again with Arriva, down in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, not sure which depot though

Blimey..When I saw it at Ascot Drive, I thought it was a gonner

 

[317 forever]

I rode Enviro 400 4415 from Tamworth to Sutton Coldfield yesterday.

I guess it is typical Arriva for having Sapphire seating but standard livery and no other Sapphire features. The same seems true of others in that batch.

After Arriva sold their Burton and Cannock/Stafford operations I wondered whether they would sell Tamworth. While we know little about I Squared plans, I notice that it is not an isolated operation. You can travel from Tamworth to Leicester on Arriva routes, changing at Nuneaton. I therefore doubt that Tamworth is necessarily currently for sale.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I rode Enviro 400 4415 from Tamworth to Sutton Coldfield yesterday.

I guess it is typical Arriva for having Sapphire seating but standard livery and no other Sapphire features. The same seems true of others in that batch.

After Arriva sold their Burton and Cannock/Stafford operations I wondered whether they would sell Tamworth. While we know little about I Squared plans, I notice that it is not an isolated operation. You can travel from Tamworth to Leicester on Arriva routes, changing at Nuneaton. I therefore doubt that Tamworth is necessarily currently for sale.

Sapphire as a concept is dead.

 

[joieman]

Sapphire as a concept is dead.

Totally agree. It's functionally extinct in the Midlands and the only vestiges of the Sapphire brand remaining are a collection of random buses which are by way of passenger amenities on par with regular Arriva buses (video-audio announcements, leather seating, USB charging ports). I would say things started going downhill for the Sapphire brand after the bulk of the 67-, plate ADL Enviro400MMCs for the 31/31A got sent to Derby in roughly a year for the University of Nottingham Hopper Bus.
Speaking of which, when does the Hopper Bus contract expire?

 

[Trainman40083]

Totally agree. It's functionally extinct in the Midlands and the only vestiges of the Sapphire brand remaining are a collection of random buses which are by way of passenger amenities on par with regular Arriva buses (video-audio announcements, leather seating, USB charging ports). I would say things started going downhill for the Sapphire brand after the bulk of the 67-, plate ADL Enviro400MMCs for the 31/31A got sent to Derby in roughly a year for the University of Nottingham Hopper Bus.
Speaking of which, when does the Hopper Bus contract expire?

I'd have thought about September

 

[EnviroExplorer]

I rode Enviro 400 4415 from Tamworth to Sutton Coldfield yesterday.

I guess it is typical Arriva for having Sapphire seating but standard livery and no other Sapphire features. The same seems true of others in that batch.

After Arriva sold their Burton and Cannock/Stafford operations I wondered whether they would sell Tamworth. While we know little about I Squared plans, I notice that it is not an isolated operation. You can travel from Tamworth to Leicester on Arriva routes, changing at Nuneaton. I therefore doubt that Tamworth is necessarily currently for sale.

Tamworth is a depot I’ve long pondered on its future, the 110 is easily the big money spinner but the other routes left seem to pay for themselves. Funding was won through the latest Zero emission scheme for the 110 to receive new Electric double deckers, I suspect the result will be very similar to what Leicester are now operating in green liveried Wright Streetdeck Electroliners.

 

[1D54]

Has the WiFi been turned off on Arriva since the takeover? It was superb on the X84 Rugby - Leicester route now it is non existent!

 

[bringiton]

Has the WiFi been turned off on Arriva since the takeover? It was superb on the X84 Rugby - Leicester route now it is non existent!

I noticed this on Arriva derby busses, omnicitys and streetlites which once had it now just dont

 

[joieman]

Has the WiFi been turned off on Arriva since the takeover? It was superb on the X84 Rugby - Leicester route now it is non existent!

I noticed this on Arriva derby busses, omnicitys and streetlites which once had it now just dont

Same here, the WiFi was quite unreliable on the service 16 when I regularly used that route.

 

[sharpley]

Has the WiFi been turned off on Arriva since the takeover? It was superb on the X84 Rugby - Leicester route now it is non existent!

I'm a regular user of the 5A and I've never been able to connect to the WiFi on the 72 plate double deckers, phone just chucks up security certificate errors. Phone works ok on the older buses where WiFi is available.

 

[1D54]

The regular driver of my X84 today said she knew nothing about the WiFi being turned off but will report it.

I'm not a bus enthusiast but even before this there were problems on certain classes all the time while others had none at all. I can't understand this at all.

 

[Qwerty133]

Has the WiFi been turned off on Arriva since the takeover? It was superb on the X84 Rugby - Leicester route now it is non existent!

May just be an increase in vehicles that have never had WiFi operating the route. 3801 seems to be on there most days at the minute and has never had it for instance.

 

[317 forever]

Tamworth is a depot I’ve long pondered on its future, the 110 is easily the big money spinner but the other routes left seem to pay for themselves. Funding was won through the latest Zero emission scheme for the 110 to receive new Electric double deckers, I suspect the result will be very similar to what Leicester are now operating in green liveried Wright Streetdeck Electroliners.

From what you say, Arriva might not offer Tamworth for sale but only divest if they receive a suitable bid.

Admittedly, in Leicester buses are green as part of a Leicester city livery, also used by First and CentreBus there. But yes, green is a good colour to promote environmentally-friendly electric buses.