Arriva Max
 | |
 | |
| Parent | Arriva |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 2014 |
| Service type | Luxury bus |
| Routes | 37 (April 2019) |
| Fleet | Mercedes-Benz Citaro VDL DB300/Wright Gemini 2 Scania OmniCity Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Wright StreetLite Volvo B9TL VDL SB200/Wright Pulsar |
| Operator | Arriva Buses Wales Arriva North East Arriva Shires & Essex Arriva Southern Counties Arriva Yorkshire |
Arriva MAX is a premium brand used by various Arriva bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.
History
In September 2014, Arriva launched the MAX brand for interurban express services. The first services were launched by Arriva North East, which is cited as the creator and home of the brand (alongside jointly managed Arriva Yorkshire), with routes X10 and X11 from Newcastle to Blyth using refurbished double-deck vehicles.[1][2][3]
The brand has since additionally been rolled out by Arriva Buses Wales, Arriva Shires & Essex and Arriva Southern Counties, as well as Arriva Yorkshire, while Arriva North East has drastically increased the number of MAX branded routes within the region. Each new route is launched with Titan the Robot, to celebrate and create interest in each upgrade.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Routes
As at April 2019, there were 37 Arriva MAX routes.[citation needed]
Former routes
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2019) |
Arriva Southern Counties
- 5 - Southend to Basildon,[10] withdrawn in September 2016 due to a lack of patronage, existing First Essex routes replaced it[11][12]
- 34/35 - Guildford to Camberley via Westfield, Mayfordand Sutton Green, Upgraded to Arriva Sapphire.
Arriva North East
- 308 - Newcastle to Blyth, following a change in vehicle allocation, the initial vehicles (Wright Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B5LHs) were transferred to Arriva Yorkshire, in return for unrefurbished Wright Gemini 2-bodied VDL DB300s which were later refurbished to the new standard Arriva livery and specification.
Arriva Yorkshire
- 415 Selby to York, Upgraded to Arriva Sapphire.
- 268 Wakefield to Bradford, Upgraded to Arriva Sapphire.
Vehicles
|
MAX branded vehicles have leather seats, free WiFi and a modified livery, some also include charging points (standard from early-2016), furthermore some buses also include air conditioning. Initially only refurbished vehicles were used with Arriva North East and Arriva Yorkshire opting for Wright Gemini 2 bodied VDL DB300s.
Since then, Arriva North East have also refurbished Scania OmniCitys and Alexander Dennis Enviro400s and more recently have purchased brand new stock in the form of further Alexander Dennis Enviro400s, Wright StreetLites and Volvo B9TLs. Meanwhile, Arriva Yorkshire has refurbished a mixture of Wright Gemini 2/VDL DB300s and Alexander Dennis Enviro400s as well as purchasing new Alexander Dennis Enviro400s. Elsewhere, Arriva Shires & Essex have refurbished Mercedes-Benz Citaros while Arriva Buses Wales have refurbished Wright Pulsar bodied VDL SB200s
Arriva Yorkshire upgraded 4 Volvo B7RLE Wright Eclipse Urbans for the MAX 229 service between Leeds and Heckmondwike.
See also
References
- ^ Arriva goes Max Coach & Bus Week 1 September 2014
- ^ Maximum Impact: Max comes to Northumberland Arriva 2 September 2014
- ^ Arriva North East launches first MAX route Bus & Coach Buyer 5 September 2014
- ^ Sapphire on Deeside Coach & Bus Buyer 20 March 2015
- ^ Max - new interurban express services from Arriva Arriva
- ^ Titan the robot entertains crowds at Arriva bus route event Yorkshire Evening Post 26 March 2015
- ^ Arriva Max brand launches in Leeds Archived 5 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine RouteOne 1 April 2015
- ^ More Arriva Max in Yorkshire Bus & Coach Buyer 1 April 2015
- ^ Titan takes bus travel to the Max The Northern Echo 29 April 2015
- ^ Arriva’s new look in Southend Bus & Coach Buyer 9 December 2015
- ^ "Arriva to withdraw Service 5". Leigh Times. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ Bus Passenger News September/October 2016 Essex Highways