Template:Infobox Bus transit
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 28 Arriva Sapphire routes. A further route is due to be upgraded in the near future with service 263 launching in April 2016.
Arriva Buses Wales[]
- 1 - Wrexham to Chester
- 10/10A - Chester to Connah's Quay and Holywell
- 12 - Rhyl to Llandudno
Arriva Midlands[]
- 1//2/2E - Huntington to Walsall
- 31/31A - Oadby to Leicester
- 38 - Stenson Fields to Derby
- 110 - Tamworth to Birmingham
- X3 - Leicester to Market Harborough
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
- 22 - Durham to Sunderland
- 24/24X - Durham to Hartlepool
- X21/X22 - Ashington to Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Arriva North West[]
- 38 - Crewe to Macclesfield
- 130 - Manchester to Macclesfield
- 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
- 320 - Hemel Hempstead to Rickmansworth
- 321 - Watford to Luton
Arriva Southern Counties[]
Arriva Yorkshire[]
- 110 - Hall Green to Leeds
Future Routes[]
- 263 - Altrincham Interchange to Manchester - April 2016
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][12] 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.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Arriva launches Sapphire upgrade Bus & Coach Professional 21 February 2013
- ↑ Where We Operate Arriva Sapphire
- ↑ Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire North Wales Daily Post 29 April 2013
- ↑ Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services Leicester Mercury 29 June 2013
- ↑ Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme Bus & Coach Buyer 25 July 2013
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 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
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Dounle deckers on Arriva Sapphire route Bus & Coach Buyer 22 April 2015
- ↑ Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services Arriva 20 June 2013
External links[]
- Template:Commons category-inline
- Company website
Template:Arriva Group UK