Arriva Midlands

[Trainman40083]

This looks like a serious go at Trentbarton's "half" of the operation

It will be interesting to see what effect starting from the bus station has. Handy for the drivers too, rather than the "no facilities" in Victoria Street.

 

[joieman]

I think Arriva 127 gets the next batch of electrics.

Funding was won for the 127, the Arriva 5/5A and all Kinchbus routes with the exception of the Skylink, which are the 2, 5, 9, 11/12 and Sprint/university campus shuttle

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2024 ==

I believe it was one of the first streetdecks off of production

According to BusListsOnTheWeb it was the third Streetdeck manufactured, and the first with the Stealth design language.

 

[zakky1.0]

According to BusListsOnTheWeb it was the third Streetdeck manufactured, and the first with the Stealth design language.

In my opinion the first batch of any vehicle seems to struggle with reliability

 

[Trainman40083]

In my opinion the first batch of any vehicle seems to struggle with reliability

Can be the same with railway vehicles...I recall many a programme when extra checks were made, to ensure that production batches and prototypes (often the first two, were different to subsequent, as things were changed) .

 

[Simon75]

How come some Arriva Derby services don't serve the bus station, but a street about 1/2 mile away?

 

[Trainman40083]

How come some Arriva Derby services don't serve the bus station, but a street about 1/2 mile away?

Ah well. In order to kill connectivity , buses in Derby go from 4 different areas. Bus station, Corporation Street, Victoria Street or the area around the Spot.

 

[43055]

How come some Arriva Derby services don't serve the bus station, but a street about 1/2 mile away?

It is just as close to the shops and shopping centre as the bus station. Also saves a bus or two by not running the extra few mins round to the bus station.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

How come some Arriva Derby services don't serve the bus station, but a street about 1/2 mile away?

Ah well. In order to kill connectivity , buses in Derby go from 4 different areas. Bus station, Corporation Street, Victoria Street or the area around the Spot.

It is just as close to the shops and shopping centre as the bus station. Also saves a bus or two by not running the extra few mins round to the bus station.

It's like many cities - inter-urban and longer distance services use the bus station while local services don't. Given that Derby bus station was generally regarded as being too small when built (commercial priorities ruled) then not having some services there also made sense but @43055 is also right in that it saves resources.

 

[Robertj21a]

It's like many cities - inter-urban and longer distance services use the bus station while local services don't. Given that Derby bus station was generally regarded as being too small when built (commercial priorities ruled) then not having some services there also made sense but @43055 is also right in that it saves resources.

True, but not much in it at Derby, not enough to save a bus. The bus station is heavily used and Arriva will win out in the end.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Didn't the X38 serve the bus station before but it was dropped back to Victoria Street due to reliability issues?

 

[Trainman40083]

Didn't the X38 serve the bus station before but it was dropped back to Victoria Street due to reliability issues?

I do seem to remember it going from the bus station.

 

[Foxhound87]

Ah well. In order to kill connectivity , buses in Derby go from 4 different areas. Bus station, Corporation Street, Victoria Street or the area around the Spot.

No different from a lot of cities where there isn’t enough space for one large terminus.

Leicester has two bus stations. Nottingham has two bus stations.

Derby has one bus station that is too small, and one of the stands can’t even be used as buses would be reversing out into the road.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

No different from a lot of cities where there isn’t enough space for one large terminus.

Leicester has two bus stations. Nottingham has two bus stations.

Derby has one bus station that is too small, and one of the stands can’t even be used as buses would be reversing out into the road.

Which is what I said above...

It's like many cities - inter-urban and longer distance services use the bus station while local services don't. Given that Derby bus station was generally regarded as being too small when built (commercial priorities ruled) then not having some services there also made sense but @43055 is also right in that it saves resources.

 

[Penfold@658]

3129 left Hinckley after its on loan for a month according to Bustimes

Solo SRs 2505 2519 have now gone for scrap

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Aug 2024 ==

Optate Solo SR 1520 KX13 DHO now into The Hinckley Fleet to replace 2505

 

[zakky1.0]

3505 has now returned back to Derby.

 

[Trainman40083]

3505 has now returned back to Derby.

Aw, nobody else wants it. I guess it makes sense for all three of the type to stay together.

 

[joieman]

Aw, nobody else wants it. I guess it makes sense for all three of the type to stay together.

Well, Derby is the only part of the Arriva group that still has integral Scanias.

 

[derbybusdepot]

Well, Derby is the only part of the Arriva group that still has integral Scanias.

However they should all be replaced by VDL Pulsars by the end of the year.

Does anyone know how the overall peak vehicle requirement is affected by the changes.

Obviously the 5/5a will be cut back, but new route 1b and 6 will require X amount of buses.

 

[Volvo142]

Not sure, but apparently displaced Streetlites from the 5/5A will be deployed on the new 6/7 rota, as the two routes will be interworked and Streetlites and deckers are the only vehicles which will fit through the Sunnyhill and Browning Street areas.

 

[Trainman40083]

Not sure, but apparently displaced Streetlites from the 5/5A will be deployed on the new 6/7 rota, as the two routes will interworking and Streetlites and deckers are the only vehicles which will fit through the Sunnyhill and Browning Street areas.

The last time I was at Browning Circle, it was Daimler CVG6 156 (BCH 156B). For those with a passing interest, Arriva Derby 3505 , the Scania Omnilink, is out working the mean streets of Derby, tracking as SP DC.

 

[joieman]

A bus hit a child in Mountsorrel at around noon today, resulting in the 127 being diverted. According to BusTimes, the bus involved in the incident was 4426. I hope the lad makes a full recovery.

 

[Mikw]

On the 127 on Tuesday a team of high vis clipboard wielders got on at the Shelthorpe stop, counted the passengers, and got off again. The same thing happened in the opposite direction too. With the service now down to a 20 minute frequency i hope this doesn't indicate more cutbacks.

 

[Cesarcollie]

On the 127 on Tuesday a team of high vis clipboard wielders got on at the Shelthorpe stop, counted the passengers, and got off again. The same thing happened in the opposite direction too. With the service now down to a 20 minute frequency i hope this doesn't indicate more cutbacks.

What a great invention. A hi vis clipboard! What will they come up with next and where can I buy one?

 

[joieman]

On the 127 on Tuesday a team of high vis clipboard wielders got on at the Shelthorpe stop, counted the passengers, and got off again. The same thing happened in the opposite direction too. With the service now down to a 20 minute frequency i hope this doesn't indicate more cutbacks.

It was only after the cuts that I noticed how much longer it took to get into Leicester than I thought!
The 127 is really a shadow of its former self compared to when I was little.

 

[Trainman40083]

What a great invention. A hi vis clipboard! What will they come up with next and where can I buy one?

Maybe next, there will be solar powered ones so you can see to record in the dark

 

[SSmith2009]

It was only after the cuts that I noticed how much longer it took to get into Leicester than I thought!
The 127 is really a shadow of its former self compared to when I was little.

Same here, I can remember it every 10 mins and that was only in 2015.

Skylink definitely seems to be taking most of the Loughborough to Leicester passengers these days.

 

[joieman]

Same here, I can remember it every 10 mins and that was only in 2015.

Skylink definitely seems to be taking most of the Loughborough to Leicester passengers these days.

I missed a 127 this morning on my way to Leicester and thought, stuff it, I'll take the Skylink instead! Even after walking nearly a mile to catch the Skylink (and switching buses at Lemyngton Street in Loughborough town centre), I still managed to get into Leicester roughly a quarter of an hour ahead of the 127 that I missed.
The return Skylink was rather crowded from Leicester to Loughborough, too. I can only see one way the Skylink is going, and that way is up.

 

[Mollman]

On the 127 on Tuesday a team of high vis clipboard wielders got on at the Shelthorpe stop, counted the passengers, and got off again. The same thing happened in the opposite direction too. With the service now down to a 20 minute frequency i hope this doesn't indicate more cutbacks.

Given that they are ordering electric buses for the route I would hope not.

 

[Qwerty133]

Given that they are ordering electric buses for the route I would hope not.

Probably looking for an excuse to move the ordered electrics to the 31. It is plainly clear that at least one employee is unable to comprehend that the current electrics have been purchased for fixed routes and that they shouldn’t be allocating them to the 31 which is the depots pet route whilst the designated routes get inferior buses (and no this is not on peak only diagrams as those in Arriva’s back pockets like to claim).

 

[sharpley]

On the 127 on Tuesday a team of high vis clipboard wielders got on at the Shelthorpe stop, counted the passengers, and got off again. The same thing happened in the opposite direction too. With the service now down to a 20 minute frequency i hope this doesn't indicate more cutbacks.

They were also doing this on Hinckley Road in the city on Thursday as well, one boarded the 148 Stagecoach service I was on. Must have been about 10-15 hi Viz wielding people hanging about the bus stop as well.