Arriva Sapphire

Last updated

Arriva Sapphire
Arriva Sapphire logo.svg
Arriva Sapphire SN15 LPJ 1947 Yorkshire Route 110 Leeds Bus Station Feb 2018.jpg
Parent Arriva
FoundedApril 2013
Service typeLuxury bus
Routes29 (July 2024)
Operator Arriva Buses Wales
Arriva Midlands
Arriva North East
Arriva North West
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Southern Counties
Arriva Yorkshire
Website Website

Arriva Sapphire is a luxury brand used by various Arriva bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.

Contents

History

Arriva Sapphire logo used 2013-17 Arriva Sapphire Logo.png
Arriva Sapphire logo used 2013–17
Arriva Sapphire logo used in 2017 Arriva Sapphire 2017 logo.png
Arriva Sapphire logo used in 2017

In February 2013, Arriva UK Bus announced that it would launch a Luxury service under the Sapphire brand for its bus services in the United Kingdom. [1] It is similar to the Stagecoach Gold brand launched by Stagecoach Group in 2007.

Arriva initially launched the Sapphire brand on four pilot routes: [2]

In 2014, the brand was extended to 11 more routes with another six scheduled for conversion in late 2015. [7] [8] [9]

In 2017, Arriva Sapphire was rebranded with a new logo and livery, in line with the switchover to the new Arriva brand. In 2018, the Arriva Sapphire logo was updated again, to reflect the new brand. [10]

In 2019, Arriva Midlands routes 1, 2, 2E running between Walsall and Cannock/Huntington were downgraded to regular buses after six years of Sapphire. Further routes across the country have since been withdrawn or removed from the Sapphire brand.

In 2022, Arriva started to phase out the Sapphire brand nationally, with the majority of buses being repainted into the standard Arriva livery or replaced with new buses.

Routes

2013--17 Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in October 2014 Arriva Alexander Dennis Enviro400 (YY14 WFU) on High Street, Oxford.jpg
2013—17 Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in October 2014
2013--17 Sapphire-liveried Wright StreetLite in August 2014 Arriva Wright StreetLite DF (LK14 FTN)-2 (cropped).jpg
2013—17 Sapphire-liveried Wright StreetLite in August 2014
2017-- Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC in January 2018 Arriva Kent & Surrey YX17NEJ (side), Chatham Bus Station, 16 January 2018 (cropped).jpg
2017— Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC in January 2018
2017-- Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC in May 2018 AlexanderDennis Enviro200 MMC YX17 NPE MiltonKeynes (cropped).jpg
2017— Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC in May 2018
2017-- Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC (with rebranded Arriva logo) in July 2020 10772 SN66VYT (50131574012) (cropped).jpg
2017— Sapphire-liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC (with rebranded Arriva logo) in July 2020

As of July 2024, there are 29 Arriva Sapphire routes.

Service no.Route startRoute end
Arriva Buses Wales
1 Wrexham Chester [3]
12/X12 Rhyl Llandudno
10/10A Connah's Quay / Flint Chester
Arriva North East
1/5/5A/X1 Darlington Bishop Auckland, Crook and Tow Law
3/X3/X3A/X4 Middlesbrough Lingdale, Skelton, Loftus and Whitby
7 Darlington Durham [5]
Arriva Shires & Essex
5/6 Lakes Estate Wolverton
133 Colchester & Braintree Stansted Airport
Arriva Southern Counties
480 Temple Hill Gravesend
490/491 Gravesend Valley Drive or Riverview Park
Arriva Yorkshire
110 Leeds Wakefield [11]
163 Leeds Castleford via Garforth and Kippax
168 Leeds Castleford via Woodlesford
229 Leeds Huddersfield via Birstall and Heckmondwike
231/232 Wakefield Huddersfield via Lepton, Flockton, Overton and Horbury
415 York Selby via York Designer Outlet

Former services

Service no.Route startRoute endNotes
Arriva North East
5/5AMiddlesbroughEasingtonRoute removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
6 Durham Bishop Auckland and Cockfield Route removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
22Durham Sunderland Route removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
23Sunderland Hartlepool Route removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
24DurhamHartlepoolRoute removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
X21/X22 Newbiggin and Ashington Newcastle-upon-Tyne Routes removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the introduction of new buses and repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
43 Morpeth Newcastle-upon-Tyne Route removed from the Sapphire brand, with the allocation now formed of buses in various liveries and specifications.
44/45 Dinnington Newcastle-upon-Tyne Routes removed from the Sapphire brand, with the allocation now formed of buses in various liveries and specifications.
Arriva North West
38 Crewe Macclesfield Arriva North West ceased operating service in April 2023, route now operated by D&G Bus
362 Chorley Wigan Arriva North West ceased operating the route in September 2023, now operated by Go North West under the Bee Network franchising system. Buses branded for this route were transferred to Wythenshawe Depot and Hemel Hempstead, and can be seen operating various Arriva routes in South Manchester and Hertfordshire.
575 Wigan Bolton Arriva North West ceased operating the route in September 2023, now operated by Go North West under the Bee Network franchising system. Buses branded for this route were transferred to Wythenshawe Depot and Hemel Hempstead, and can be seen operating various Arriva routes in South Manchester and Hertfordshire.
263 Manchester Altrincham Route effectively removed from the Sapphire brand in September 2023, with existing buses being withdrawn from service and replaced by a variety of Sapphire and non-Sapphire buses cascaded from Bolton Depot, which has been shut down due to the introduction of the Bee Network.
Arriva Yorkshire
166LeedsCastlefordRoute withdrawn and replaced in part by revised routes 163 and 164.
167LeedsCastlefordRoute withdrawn and replaced in part by revised route 168.
Arriva Midlands
31/31A/31E Haymarket Bus Station, Leicester Oadby Grange & Coombe RiseServices 31/31E now operated by standard buses.
Service 31A was ceased in March 2020 until January 2023 when it was reinstated
X3 Leicester City Centre Market Harborough Frequency reduced and Sapphire buses moved elsewhere in 2021.
X84 St Margaret's Bus Station Rugby via Lutterworth Mainly being used on normal buses, however sometimes Sapphire branded buses are used.
38 Derby Bus Station SinfinVehicles repainted into standard Arriva livery in early 2022.
110 Tamworth Birmingham [12] Route removed from the Sapphire brand in 2022, with the repaint of existing buses into standard livery.
158 Leicester Hinckley-Nuneaton via Earl Shilton & Barwell Vehicles are being repainted from January 2023.
Arriva The Shires
320 Hemel Hempstead Rickmansworth Withdrawn on 17 April 2022 and replaced by new route 20 and extended route 321.
321 Luton Watford Buses repainted into Arriva Standard Livery throughout 2021 and route declassified.
280 Aylesbury Oxford Route replaced by routes X7 and X8. [13]
X7/X8 Aylesbury Oxford Routes withdrawn in July 2024. [14]
Arriva Southern Counties
101 Gillingham Maidstone Buses repainted into Arriva Journey Mark.
470 Dartford Gravesend Route withdrawn and replaced by the revised route 480
480A Gravesend Riverview Park Route renumbered to 491
490A Gravesend Singlewell, Valley Drive Route renumbered to 490
700 Bluewater Chatham Buses repainted into Arriva Journey Mark, route now uses any suitable vehicle.

Vehicles

Buses have leather seats, free WiFi, power ports, and a modified two tone blue livery. The initial pilot routes commenced with a mix of refurbished double deck buses and new Wright Pulsar bodied VDL SB200s. [1] [15] Mostly since then, new buses have been purchased, primarily Alexander Dennis Enviro400s, Wright StreetLites and Wright StreetDecks. [9] A number of Wright Pulsar/Pulsar 2 vehicles have been refurbished to operate Sapphire routes. [16] In 2020 a selection of Optare Versas in Yorkshire were repainted into the new Arriva Sapphire livery.

See also

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References

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  2. "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire. Arriva. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire". North Wales Daily Post . Trinity Mirror. 29 April 2013.
  4. "Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services". Leicester Mercury . Trinity Mirror. 29 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Sapphire launched in north east". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 11 December 2013.
  6. "Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 25 July 2013.
  7. "11 new routes for Arriva's Sapphire". Route One. Diversified Communications UK. 9 July 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire.
  9. 1 2 "ADL in pole position as Arriva confirms 2015 orders". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  10. "We're upgrading the Chatham to Bluewater 700 services to join our select family of premium Sapphire routes". Arriva. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018.
  11. "Sparking in Leeds". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 21 April 2015.
  12. "Sapphire in Tamworth". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 16 October 2014.
  13. "Aylesbury service changes". arrivabus.co.uk. Arriva Buses UK. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  14. "Proposed closure of Aylesbury and High Wycombe depots". Arriva Shires & Essex . Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  15. "Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services". Arriva. 20 June 2013.
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