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Arriva Midlands
- Thread starter joieman
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/196463094@N07/55209912195/in/dateposted/ 3234 is in the 'new' livery with a darker shade of blue, but 3240 https://www.flickr.com/photos/196463094@N07/55209908244/in/photostream/ has the light blue
Given what we've seen of Arriva over the years, I'm wondering if this is actually official or if someone ordered the wrong shade of blue...
Thank you
buslad1988
Member
- Joined
- 28 Dec 2018
- Messages
- 650
Midlands isn’t the only op company to start using this darker shade.
Yes Arriva have a chequered past, but just give them a chance now.
It was more of a tongue in cheek comment, than a serious suggestion, but nevermind.
Chequered is putting it mildly.
I gave them a chance on Tuesday evening, I ended up in an Uber after waiting over 40 minutes for an every 12 minute service, again.
Gave them a chance tonight. They were on time. That's all I can say for them. The bus was filthy, it violently rattled and shook everytine it stopped, and there was paint peeling off the ceiling panels. No next stop display or announcements either. No change from the old owners. Sorting out cleanliness is not hard.
Trainman40083
Established Member
That is why many use bustimes.org. We work on the principle "if it isn't tracking, it isn't coming". Okay in some instances it might, but when you have to be somewhere by a certain time, you want certainty of travel.
buslad1988
Member
- Joined
- 28 Dec 2018
- Messages
- 650
And it’s not just Arriva Midlands people use it for - even the likes Lothian and other highly regarded operators who often cancel trips at short notice or have journeys missing for one reason or another. That’s a downside of bus travel in general - especially as traffic congestion and lack of bus priority gets worse.
My local route interworks with 3 other local routes, so it's not straightforward to work out what is and isn't coming, but to be honest, neither should we have to.
I do hope the promised investment does materialize, but unless Arriva can sort out their driver retention problem, then a shiny new bus sat in the depot is no different to a 15 year old end of life Versa sitting in the depot when the passengers are stood at the side of the road waiting for a bus that isn't coming.
SSmith2009
Member
I had it yesterday the arriva app said the journey was cancelled yet bustimes.org showed a vehicle tracking for that journey, low and behold the bus turned up bang on time.
Trainman40083
Established Member
Maybe, just maybe, bus performance is better than people realise. It is the same in my area, that bus company apps show journeys cancelled, yet Bustimes shows them running.
Yes I use this method like on Tuesday on the 6 the bus stopped tracking on the way to tamworth so I presumed it broke down. But it suddenly turned up early and started tracking again so I imagine some short cuts were taken. I thought I would wait just to see if not I would have gotten stagecoach. The 6 is usually one time give or take a few minutes but I’ve heard the local services are awful.
I've noticed tracking issues on the 6, but I've also found a few mobile signal black spots on the route, so assume it's something to do with that.
Trainman40083
Established Member
Indeed. Can be fun if all the bus stop tracking in a whole area .
My mobile loses signal in Atherstone when I use the 6
Thought I hadn't seen the E300s for a while, shame, they were actually quite nice to travel on.
The E200 on the other hand, was not.
Trainman40083
Established Member
I'd be surprised. I would have thought something would be sent from Derby if, and when they get new buses in September (MMCs).. .
Apparently 3006 Bj12ypp is being refurbished. It has already been repainted into midland red and apparently it’s also being re finished inside too.
Not sure if it’s going back into service or being preserved as it wouldn’t make sense refurbing something that’s apparently going to be withdrawn soon
Not sure if it’s going back into service or being preserved as it wouldn’t make sense refurbing something that’s apparently going to be withdrawn soon
I've seen a photo of it on Facebook and it looks quite smart.
The interiors of the Citaros aren't even in a bad condition considering they haven't been touched since they rolled out of the factory 14 years ago.
But my thoughts are similar to yours, why when they are supposedly being withdrawn soon.
Probably been fully rebuilt and refurbished just to go to Telford and be swapped for something else. I was thinking something like 17 year old versas or maybe 15 year old pulsars… but in all seriousness if they are supposed to be being withdrawn why would they refurbish it maybe they are planning on keeping them or maybe this ones being preserved because of the midland red livery. I guess we will have to wait and see
It is very official, and should now being used on all repaints going forward. Certainly the case in the Kent paint shops.
Apparently there were sourcing difficulties with the previous shade; the new one is both available from more suppliers and should be less prone to fade.
Voyager 2953
Member
Would love to see what it looks like.
These are off of Flickr (not my photos)
Attachments
Glad the door has been painted over!