Arriva Sapphire
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| Parent | Arriva |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 2013 |
| Service type | Luxury bus |
| Routes | 28 (January 2016) |
| Fleet | Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Wright Pulsar/Pulsar 2 Wright StreetLite |
| 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 premium brand used by various Arriva bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.
History
In February 2013, Arriva announced it would be launching a premium 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 in 2007.
The brand was rolled out initially on four pilot routes:[2]
- Arriva Buses Wales' route 1 Wrexham to Chester[3]
- Arriva Midlands' route 31/31a Oadby to Leicester[4]
- Arriva Shires & Essex's route 280 Aylesbury to Oxford[5]
- Arriva North East's route 7 Darlington to Durham[6]
In 2014, the brand was rolled out on a further 11 routes with another six scheduled for conversion in late-2015.[7][8][9]
In 2015, the Sapphire brand was shortlisted for an award for exemplary commitment to customer excellence at the International Association of Public Transport World Congress & Exhibition.[10]
Routes
There are currently 29 Arriva Sapphire routes.
Arriva Buses Wales
Arriva Midlands
- 1//2/2E - Huntington to Walsall
- 31/31A - Oadby to Leicester[4]
- 38 - Stenson Fields to Derby[12]
- 110 - Tamworth to Birmingham[13]
- X3 - Leicester to Market Harborough[14]
Arriva North East
- 3/4/X3/X3A/X4 - Whitby, Loftus and Lingdale to Middlesbrough
- 5/5A - Easington to Middlesbrough
- 6 - Durham to Bishop Auckland and Cockfield
- 7 - Darlington to Durham[6]
- 22 - Durham to Sunderland
- 24/24X - Durham to Hartlepool
- X21/X22 - Ashington to Newcastle-upon-Tyne[15]
Arriva North West
- 38 - Crewe to Macclesfield[16]
- 130 - Manchester to Macclesfield[16]
- 263 - Manchester to Altrincham[17]
- 362 - Chorley to Wigan
- 575 - Wigan to Bolton
- X1 - Liverpool to Windmill Hill
Arriva Shires & Essex
- 6 - Lakes Estate to Wolverton
- 100/101/102 - Stevenage to Luton
- 280 - Aylesbury to Oxford[5]
- 320 - Hemel Hempstead to Rickmansworth
- 321 - Watford to Luton
Arriva Southern Counties
- 101 - Gillingham to Maidstone[18]
- 480/490 - Dartford to Valley Drive[18]
Arriva Yorkshire
Vehicles
Buses have leather seats, free WiFi, power points 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][20] Mostly since then new buses have been purchased, primarily Alexander Dennis Enviro400s and Wright StreetLites.[9] A number of Wright Pulsar/Pulsar 2 vehicles have been refurbished to operate Sapphire routes.[21]
See also
References
- ^ a b Arriva launches Sapphire upgrade Bus & Coach Professional 21 February 2013
- ^ Where We Operate Arriva Sapphire
- ^ a b Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire North Wales Daily Post 29 April 2013
- ^ a b Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services Leicester Mercury 29 June 2013
- ^ a b Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme Bus & Coach Buyer 25 July 2013
- ^ a b Sapphire launched in north east Bus & Coach Buyer 11 December 2013
- ^ 11 new routes for Arriva's Sapphire RouteOne 9 July 2014
- ^ Where We Operate Arriva Sapphire
- ^ a b ADL in pole position as Arriva confirms 2015 orders Bus & Coach Professional 5 March 2015
- ^ UITP award nomination for Sapphire brand Bus & Coach Professional 14 May 2015
- ^ Sapphire on Deeside Bus & Coach Buyer 20 March 2015
- ^ Arriva's new luxury buses add touch of sparkle to Derby Derby Telegraph 8 August 2014
- ^ Sapphire in Tamworth Bus & Coach Buyer 16 October 2014
- ^ Arriva Leicester welcomes report Bus & Coach Buyer 15 April 2016
- ^ Sapphire launched in Ashington Bus & Coach Buyer 7 August 2014 page 10
- ^ a b New buses set to be launched on the 130 route between Macclesfield and Manchester Macclesfield Express 4 September 2015
- ^ Stormtroopers travel faster by bus on the new Arriva Sapphire 263 service Arriva North West 4 April 2016
- ^ a b Double deckers on Arriva Sapphire route Bus & Coach Buyer 22 April 2015
- ^ Sparking in Leeds Bus & Coach Buyer 21 April 2015
- ^ Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services Arriva 20 June 2013
- ^ Arriva North West & Wales - Initiatives for growth & quality Bus & Coach Buyer 10 April 2014
External links
Media related to Arriva Sapphire at Wikimedia Commons- Company website
