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Post by sp17 on May 16, 2024 9:36:53 GMT
I bet that Northfleets Bus Garage will be pulling out in the future! They're losing Fasttrack soon and they cut so many services plus it was trying to withdraw route 477 before changing the mind. I’ve been told of at least one North East garage that will certainly be going.
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Post by busman on May 16, 2024 11:06:56 GMT
These closures would have been reviewed and approved beforehand by iSquared as part of the due diligence process. DB would not do anything at this stage that would jeopardise the sale of a unit they have long wanted to dispose of. It’s a shame Arriva UK Bus ops has been run into the ground by the outgoing owners. Decreased competition is not healthy, but hopefully this presents opportunities for new entrants in the market and also for smaller operators to expand. Also new employment opportunities for Arriva workers. Market conditions are tough though and local council budgets are shot to pieces….time will tell what happens.
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Post by ronnie on May 16, 2024 14:02:27 GMT
These closures would have been reviewed and approved beforehand by iSquared as part of the due diligence process. DB would not do anything at this stage that would jeopardise the sale of a unit they have long wanted to dispose of. It’s a shame Arriva UK Bus ops has been run into the ground by the outgoing owners. Decreased competition is not healthy, but hopefully this presents opportunities for new entrants in the market and also for smaller operators to expand. Also new employment opportunities for Arriva workers. Market conditions are tough though and local council budgets are shot to pieces….time will tell what happens. I think the Deutsche Bahn ownership has really destroyed a lot of value over the last several years. One can only hope that things turn around - in a way given private equity guys need to make money, there would be a focus on profitability and selected investments rather than managed decline under Deutsche bahn!
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Post by wirewiper on May 16, 2024 18:09:07 GMT
It'll be interesting to see how the work is distributed. I can't see the X7/X8 or X9/X90 being replaced given the presence of existing commercial routes along that corridor. The 4 (High Wycombe) has already been awarded to Carousel by Buckinghamshire Council, with a revised route no longer serving Sands and taking in the Coachway. Starts Sunday 19th May. www.carouselbuses.co.uk/service-8-revisions-19th-may-2024Carousel has also announced that it is preparing to take over routes in High Wycombe should the closure of Arriva's operation take place. Routes taken on will be: 2, 3, 5/5a, 6/6a, 7/7a, 10, 11, 12, 13, 800, 850 and X80. The announcement also mentions that Oxford City will operating a "new" 280 from 1st July, which will follow the route of Arriva's X7 between Oxford and Thame. www.carouselbuses.co.uk/carousel-buses-response-closure-arriva-high-wycombe-and-aylesburyCarousel will have less to cover, as some Arriva routes are due a frequency reduction from this Sunday, 19th May. 2 (Booker) - daytime frequency reduced from every 15 to every 20 minutes 4 (Lane End) - no longer operated by Arriva 5 (Bourne End) - route withdrawn 7 (Bourne End and Maidenhead) - diverted via Kingsmead Road instead of London Road in Wycombe Marsh, as part-replacement for route 5. Routes 6 and 7 will offer a combined 30-minute frequency between High Wycombe and Bourne End 10 (Downley) - daytime frequency reduced from every 20 to every 30 minutes 12 (Micklefield) - daytime frequency reduced from every 15 to every 20 minutes X7 - will operate every 30 minutes between Aylesbury, Thame and Oxford. X8 short journeys are withdrawn. X9 - will operate every 30 minutes between High Wycombe and Aylesbury.
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on May 18, 2024 7:44:07 GMT
It'll be interesting to see how the work is distributed. I can't see the X7/X8 or X9/X90 being replaced given the presence of existing commercial routes along that corridor. The X7/X8 will go to Redline I imagine and the X9/X90 will be taken up by Carousel and so will the 800/850. Carousel will take most of the Wycombe Town work and Redline will seize the opportunity to be sole operator on the Oxford corridor. It’s a shame really but Arriva have made a mess of both Wycombe and Aylesbury and ultimately it’s the ground staff that suffer as always. Poor decisions and treating the right people wrongly is exactly why Redline are the head huncho in Aylesbury. It would have been interesting had Reading Buses taken over routes from there to High Wycombe. As GA Carousel will be the main operator in High Wycombe, this will reverse their divestment of High Wycombe to Arriva from 2000. It seems that Redline and related group operators will effectively be the main operator in Aylesbury now.
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on May 18, 2024 7:47:21 GMT
Now the cat is out of the bag, I’ll put it here; it will be another one close by next, there are a few garages up for review; I won’t mention them at this moment in time just because I don’t feel it’s right to, but a clue will be to look at the fleet of some of the garages. I think we'll be speculating about the whole of Arriva UK Bus if we're talking about the fleet state! if I had to speculate, Hemel, MK, Harlow and Stevenage mustn't be too far along that road.... I even wonder whether Uno could take some such routes over since losing their Northampton work earlier this year.
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Post by wirewiper on May 18, 2024 17:56:36 GMT
The 4 (High Wycombe) has already been awarded to Carousel by Buckinghamshire Council, with a revised route no longer serving Sands and taking in the Coachway. Starts Sunday 19th May. Carousel has also announced that it is preparing to take over routes in High Wycombe should the closure of Arriva's operation take place. Routes taken on will be: 2, 3, 5/5a, 6/6a, 7/7a, 10, 11, 12, 13, 800, 850 and X80. <snip> <snip> The new Carousel routes from Sunday 28th July have been announced, Carousel is reverting to the 30-series route that Arriva used until a few months ago and two cross-town links are restored. 30: High Wycombe - Downley, replaces Arriva 10 with revised timetable and new hourly Sunday service. 31: High Wycombe - Penn, replaces Arriva 11 with revised timetable. 32: Booker - High Wycombe - Micklefield, replaces Arriva 2 and 12. New timetable features earlier morning journeys, improved 20-minute frequency on Saturday and earler and later Sunday journeys. Late evening and Sunday journeys will operate via St Hugh's Avenue and Roebuck Avenue as service 32A. 33: Totteridge - High Wycombe - Desborough Castle, replaces Arriva 3 and 13. New timetable with daytime buses up to every 15 minutes and earlier and later Sunday journeys. 36: High Wycombe - Bourne End, replaces Arriva 6 and runs to same times as their May 19th timetable. 37: High Wycombe - Maidenhead, replaces Arriva 7 and runs to the same times as their May 19th timetable. Carousel route 4 (High Wycombe-Lane End) will be renumbered 34 from the same date. Also Carousel will operate routes 800, 850 and X80 between High Wycombe, Henley and Reading to the same timetables. www.carouselbuses.co.uk/new-carousel-buses-services-28th-july-2024
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Post by sp17 on May 19, 2024 17:23:39 GMT
Just to note; Arriva actually leave Wycombe on August 31st, that is when the contracts they have with Bucks Council expire and they must honour these. Carousel have merely expressed their interest and willingness to step in should the “consultation” go ahead. None of the services have been registered and the interest expressed by carousel is to ward of competition in the form of First, Stagecoach and Reading who are monitoring the situation.
It’s who dares wins. Wycombe is a profitable little town but services on the Arriva side have been mismanaged.
At Aylesbury some of the fleet have started to get repaints as they prepare to head up North to Liverpool and Leicester I believe. Some DB250s from Leicester were on short term loans to cover for the repaints back in April…what did they know??
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on May 19, 2024 19:34:02 GMT
I wonder where Arriva next pull out from? Probably areas where they have significant competition and worry about not making much or any profit.
Parts of Kent have been rumoured to be on the hit list. Southend faces competition from First, but not Colchester so much. Harlow faces competition from Vectare companies. Tamworth feels isolated now that Cannock and Burton have been divested. Derby hasn't much competition as such as they and Trent Barton largely keep to their own routes. However, Derby seems the sort of operation Rotala Diamond would like.
Areas with franchising due - Merseyside, West Yorkshire, the North East, North Wales - could depend on how favourably Arriva see their prospects.
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Post by lynford1976 on May 19, 2024 20:28:14 GMT
I wonder where Arriva next pull out from? Probably areas where they have significant competition and worry about not making much or any profit. Parts of Kent have been rumoured to be on the hit list. Southend faces competition from First, but not Colchester so much. Harlow faces competition from Vectare companies. Tamworth feels isolated now that Cannock and Burton have been divested. Derby hasn't much competition as such as they and Trent Barton largely keep to their own routes. However, Derby seems the sort of operation Rotala Diamond would like. Areas with franchising due - Merseyside, West Yorkshire, the North East, North Wales - could depend on how favourably Arriva see their prospects. Have you not got Southend and Colchester the wrong way round?
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Post by vjaska on May 19, 2024 21:50:04 GMT
I wonder where Arriva next pull out from? Probably areas where they have significant competition and worry about not making much or any profit. Parts of Kent have been rumoured to be on the hit list. Southend faces competition from First, but not Colchester so much. Harlow faces competition from Vectare companies. Tamworth feels isolated now that Cannock and Burton have been divested. Derby hasn't much competition as such as they and Trent Barton largely keep to their own routes. However, Derby seems the sort of operation Rotala Diamond would like. Areas with franchising due - Merseyside, West Yorkshire, the North East, North Wales - could depend on how favourably Arriva see their prospects. I doubt Southend purely because they've done pretty well in turning around what was Southern Counties dumping ground into a decently run operation and probably better than the Medway & Guildford bits. As much as I don't wish to contribute to this discussion, the Northfleet ops worryingly look the most likely down south what with Fasttrack soon to be gone and plenty of cuts already happening to the local network. I think the rest of Kent will survive for now.
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Post by sp17 on May 20, 2024 9:32:25 GMT
E300 3580 has been pressed into service today at Wycombe
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edvid
Conductor
Posts: 81
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Post by edvid on Jun 3, 2024 10:18:19 GMT
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Jun 3, 2024 12:28:39 GMT
Can't see any immediate changes happening, but I'm sure a plan will be put into motion now that the sale is complete. Although whether this plan has Arriva emerging at the other end remains to be seen.
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edvid
Conductor
Posts: 81
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Post by edvid on Jun 21, 2024 10:31:54 GMT
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