Arriva Midlands

Last updated

Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands Enviro200.jpg
An Arriva Midlands Enviro200 in the new corporate livery, June 2022.
Parent Arriva UK Bus
Founded1904;120 years ago (1904)
Headquarters4 Westmoreland Avenue, Thurmaston, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Service area East Midlands
West Midlands
Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Service typeBus services
Depots11
Chief executiveMike Cooper
Website www.arrivabus.co.uk/Midlands

Arriva Midlands [1] is a bus operator providing services in the East Midlands and West Midlands areas of England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

Contents

Arriva Midlands North Operations

Plaxton Pointer 2 bodied Dennis Dart in Whitchurch in August 2009 Arriva Midlands North 2348 S348 YOG 2.JPG
Plaxton Pointer 2 bodied Dennis Dart in Whitchurch in August 2009
Wardle Transport Northern Counties Palatine bodied Volvo Olympian in October 2012 Wardle Transport 4652 S652 KJU.jpg
Wardle Transport Northern Counties Palatine bodied Volvo Olympian in October 2012
A Wright Gemini bodied VDL DB250 pictured on route 104 to Fosse Park. Arriva Midlands VDL DB250 (Wright Gemini) 4753 FJ06 ZSY on route 104 to Fosse Park (40031947734).jpg
A Wright Gemini bodied VDL DB250 pictured on route 104 to Fosse Park.

In September 1981 Midland Red North [2] was formed with 230 buses operating from six depots in Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands as part of the breakup of the Midland Red bus company. [3] In May 1983 the Ludlow depot was closed. In January 1988 Midland Red North was sold to the Drawlane Transport Group. [4] In November 1992 it was sold to British Bus which in August 1996 was sold to the Cowie Group. [5] [6] [7]

In 2003 the Arriva Midlands North garages in Crewe, Macclesfield and Winsford were transferred to Arriva North West. These had previously been operated by Crosville and had adopted the "Midland Redline" fleetname after transfer to Midland Red North. The remaining parts of Arriva Midlands North were combined with Arriva Derby and Arriva Fox County to form Arriva Midlands. Buses still operate with Arriva Midlands North legal name (except Burton upon Trent which used Stevensons of Uttoxeter).

In February 2007 the business of Chase Coaches was purchased with 27 buses with operations integrated into Arriva's Cannock depot. [8] In late 2007 a new ChaseLinx brand (similar to the Leicester Linx brand) was introduced, reflecting the purchase of Chase Coaches.

In December 2007 Swadlincote depot closed with operations transferred to Burton upon Trent. In August 2008 the Hinckley depot and services were sold to Centebus Holdings. [9] In January 2009 Shifnal depot closed while in the same month Bridgnorth reopened.

In December 2010 the business of Wardle Transport, Stoke-on-Trent was purchased with 64 buses, [10] [11] followed in June 2011 by the Staffordshire operations of D&G Bus with 30 buses that was integrated with Wardle Transport [12] [13] and in August 2012 Midland of Wednesfield from D&G Bus with 61 buses. [14]

In May 2015, D&G Bus purchased Wardle transport back from Arriva Midlands with 19 buses. [15] [16] [17]

On 23 April 2017 the Wednesfield depot closed with some services passing to Diamond Buses with nine vehicles and the remainder of vehicles reallocated to other depots. [18] [19] The depot had only reopened in March 2013 after a refurbishment. [20]

In 2017, four Arriva Shires & Essex depots (Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury and High Wycombe), and their routes, were transferred into the management of Arriva Midlands. The vehicles were renumbered in late 2018 and early 2019 to avoid multiple vehicles having the same fleet numbers. [21]

Arriva announced that from 1 April 2018 that no buses from their Cannock depot would run during the evenings and Sundays as a result of Staffordshire County Council funding cuts. [22] Hundreds signed an online petition within the first week, which quickly lead to thousands including backing from two local MPs. [23]

In November 2020 it was announced that the Cannock Depot would be sold to D&G bus, with services being operated under the Chaserider brand from the end of service on 9 January 2021. [24] [25]

Derbyshire Operations

Arriva Derby East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander bodied VDL DB250 in Derby in September 2007 East Lancs Lowlander 1.jpg
Arriva Derby East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander bodied VDL DB250 in Derby in September 2007

In 1994 Derby City Transport was privatised and sold to British Bus. [26] In August 1996 British Bus was purchased by the Cowie Group and the operation rebranded as Arriva Derby. [27]

Arriva previously had a depot in Burton Upon Trent until August 2016 when the operations passed to Midland Classic.

Leicestershire Operations

Arriva Midlands Wright Streetdeck BEV in Leicester in November 2023 Arriva Midlands Wright Electroliner.jpg
Arriva Midlands Wright Streetdeck BEV in Leicester in November 2023

In September 1981 Midland Red East [28] was formed with 181 buses operating from five depots in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire as part of the breakup of the Midland Red bus company, and in January 1984 was renamed Midland Fox. [3] In 1987 it was privatised in a management buyout. Several smaller operators including Loughborough Bus & Coach Company were purchased and in 1989 it was sold to the Drawlane Group. In November 1992 it was sold to British Bus which in August 1996 was sold to the Cowie Group and later renamed Arriva Fox County. [5]

Arriva Midlands East currently operate from three depots within the Leicestershire area these are Thurmaston, Coalville and Barwell.

In September 2013, Arriva purchased Centrebus Groups shares in Centrebus Holdings with their Hinckley operations becoming Hinckley Bus which operated as a part of Arriva Midlands [29] [30] During late 2018 they merged operations into the main Arriva Midlands business.

Arriva announced in August 2021 after 64 years they will be closing their South Wigston depot during October 2021 with all services moving to Thurmaston depot. [31]

Depots

Current Depots

Arriva Midlands operate eleven depots as of January 2022 in: [32]

In 2017, four Arriva Shires & Essex depots (Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury and High Wycombe), and their routes, were transferred into the management of Arriva Midlands. The vehicles were renumbered in late 2018 and early 2019 to avoid multiple Arriva Midlands vehicles sharing the same fleet numbers. [21]

In 2018 the Cannock depot began closing entirely on Sundays due to county council subsidy cuts, leaving Cannock without buses, with the Cannock depot being sold to D&G bus in January 2021.

In 2023, Arriva announced that it planned to close the Oswestry depot as a result of low patronage and financial difficulties following the Covid-19 pandemic. Most services operated from Oswestry would be moved to Shrewsbury and Arriva Buses Wales' Wrexham depot if the planned closure is approved. [33] The closure went ahead in early summer 2023.

Former Depots

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Herts & Essex</span> Subsidiary bus operator of Arriva UK Bus

Arriva Herts & Essex is a bus operator providing services in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, with services extending to Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Greater London. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Barton</span> British bus company

Trentbarton operates both local and regional bus services in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Wellglade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Red</span> British bus company that operated from 1905 until 1981

Midland Red was a bus company that operated in The Midlands from 1905 until 1981. It was one of the largest English bus companies, operating over a large area between Gloucester in the south and Derbyshire in the north, and from Northampton to the Welsh border. The company also manufactured buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Midlands East</span> British bus company operating in Leicestershire

Arriva Midlands East is a bus company operating services in Leicestershire, England. It is a trading division of Arriva Midlands which is a subsidiary of Arriva plc which is itself owned by the government of Germany through Deutsche Bahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crosville Motor Services</span>

Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator based in the north-west of England and north and mid-Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond West Midlands</span> British bus operating company

Diamond Bus Ltd., trading as Diamond West Midlands, and also operating under the West Midlands Bus brand identity, is a bus operator in the West Midlands. It is a subsidiary of Rotala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centrebus</span> English bus operator

Centrebus Limited, trading as Centrebus, is a bus company based in Leicester operating services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Coaches</span>

Chase Coaches was a bus company operating in the Black Country.

Rotala Limited is a company established in 2005, which owns a number of bus operators in England. It was listed on the Alternative Investment Market from 2005 until 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Pennine</span> Transdev-owned bus operator

Team Pennine operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

Midland, previously known as Choice Travel, was a bus company operating mostly in the Wolverhampton and Walsall areas of the West Midlands. Some services also operated in the Staffordshire and Shropshire area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Country North East</span> Former bus operator in South East England and London

London Country North East was a bus operator in South East England and London. It was formed from the split of London Country Bus Services in 1986 and operated a fleet of around 350 buses from six garages, with its headquarters located in Hatfield.

Julian Peddle is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager. During the late 1990s and early 2000s he ran Status Group, a group of small bus companies spread across England which included BakerBus, Choice Travel and MK Metro. He was a major shareholder in Tellings-Golden Miller and Centrebus Holdings before their sale to Arriva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yourbus</span>

Yourbus was a bus operator in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It ran commercial and tendered local bus services from its base in Heanor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardle Transport</span>

Wardle Transport was a bus operator based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Formed in 1963 as Jack's of Norton, it expanded from 2001 to operate a network of local bus routes using over 60 vehicles. Arriva purchased the company in December 2010 and placed under the control of its Arriva Midlands subsidiary. Arriva stated that Wardle's identity would be retained. At the time of the takeover, Wardle employed 105 staff and operated a fleet of 64 buses and ran 18 scheduled services. A new livery of two-tone red and white applied in Arriva's corporate style was introduced in June 2011.

The Wellglade Group (WG), is a transport group operating bus and tram services in the English Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D&G Bus</span> English bus operator

D&G Bus is a bus operator based in Stoke-on-Trent. They operate local & interurban bus services in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent. D&G Bus is the largest bus operator in Cheshire East & the second-largest in Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond East Midlands</span> Bus company from Staffordshire, England

Diamond East Midlands, formerly Midland Classic, is a bus company from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Since August 2022, the company is a subsidiary of Rotala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaserider</span> English bus operator

Chaserider is the brand name for bus services operated around Cannock and Staffordshire by D&G Bus, a local bus operator owned by Centrebus who are based in Adderley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centrebus Group</span> Transport company headquartered in Leicester, England

Centrebus Group, is a public transport company based in Leicester with bus services in the Midlands, North West and South East of England.

References

  1. Companies House extract company no 2141078 Arriva Midlands Limited formerly Arriva Fox County Limited formerly Midland Fox Limited
  2. Companies House extract company no 1556305 Arriva Midlands North Limited formerly Midland Rd (North) Limited
  3. 1 2 Midland Red Depots Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine MidlandRed.net
  4. Companies House extract company no 2756785 Burroughs Hill Limited formerly Drawlane Transport Group plc
  5. 1 2 Arriva Midlands History Archived 28 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Arriva
  6. Cowie Group plc and British Bus Group Limited: A report on the merger situation Competition Commission 31 October 1996
  7. Principal operating subsidiaries of British Bus Competition Commission 1997
  8. Arriva acquires Chase Coaches Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 27 February 2007
  9. Centrebus Herts & Beds Oxford & Chilterns Bus Page 31 August 2008
  10. Arriva Midlands announces acquisition of Wardle Transport Arriva 8 December 2010
  11. Arriva boosts Midlands bus operation with Wardle Transport purchase Transport Xtra 9 December 2010
  12. Arriva Midlands acquires D&G Archived 1 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 10 June 2011
  13. D&G Buses bought by Arriva - owners blame subsidy cuts for sale The Sentinel 11 June 2011
  14. Arriva Midlands to expand operations in the West Midlands Arriva 10 August 2012
  15. "D&G Bus to takeover Wardle Transport routes". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  16. D&G buys Wardle Transport Bus & Coach Buyer 18 March 2015
  17. "D&G Bus" Buses issue 723 June 2015 page 84
  18. Rotala signs deal with Arriva to take on Wednesfield operation Rotala 24 March 2017
  19. Diamond takes on Arriva Wednesfield Bus & Coach Buyer 24 March 2017
  20. Arriva Wednesfield depot reopens Coach & Bus Week 3 April 2013
  21. 1 2 "Arriva Midlands Fleet changes". www.wmbusphotos.com. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  22. "Arriva Bus".
  23. "Staffordshire MPs join fight to save Sunday bus services | Express & Star".
  24. "Arriva Bus". www.arrivabus.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  25. "Chaserider". www.dgbus.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  26. Arriva Midlands - In Derby The Derby Bus Depot
  27. Derby Corporation Transport 1899 - 1986 Peter Gould
  28. Companies House extract company no 1556557 Foxhound Limited formerly Midland Fox Limited formerly Midland Red (East) Limited
  29. Centrebus (Holdings) Limited Arriva 9 September 2013
  30. Arriva takes joint venture control Archived 22 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 12 September 2013
  31. "Fond memories one of Leicester's oldest bus depots that's about to close - Leicestershire Live".
  32. "UK Buses Arriva Midlands Fleet June 2019" (PDF). 13 July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  33. "Arriva set to close Oswestry, Macclesfield and Winsford". routeone. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  34. "Arriva Bus". www.arrivabus.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  35. "Arriva bids farewell to Burton depot". www.arrivabus.co.uk. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2019.