Arriva Buses Wales
Encyclopedia
Arriva Buses Wales is a division of Arriva
that operates bus services in north Wales
. It has its origins in the former Crosville Motor Services
. Arriva Buses Wales has approximately 700 employees. The company's official name is Arriva Cymru Ltd.
, who ran services in Wales and northern England. The company was split following deregulation in 1986, with the Welsh operation called Crosville Cymru. The English operations would eventually be split between Arriva Midlands
, Arriva North West
and First Chester & The Wirral
.
Crosville Cymru was bought by its management team in 1987 before being taken over by National Express Group
in 1989. Drawlane would buy the company in 1991, with Drawlane eventually re-named as British Bus and then Arriva
. The company would be known as Arriva Cymru until 25 February 2002, when it merged with Arriva North West
, forming part of Arriva North West and Wales. However, on 1 January 2009, the Welsh operations were split off again, under a new managing director, Michael Morton, and a management team based at Llandudno Junction.
There are also smaller outstations or sub-depots at other locations, including Pwllheli, Holyhead and Amlwch (outstations of Bangor depot), Dolgellau, Machynlleth, New Quay, Lampeter and Pencader (outstations of Aberystwyth depot).
s, of the low-floor SLF and MPD varieties, make up about half of the fleet. More recent deliveries have been VDL SB120
and SB200
with Wright Cadet
, Commander
and Pulsar
bodywork, and Optare Solo
s. Other types operated include the Optare Tempo
, eleven of which are used on TrawsCambria
services south from Aberystwyth.
Only 7 double-deckers are in ordinary service, all of them Volvo Olympian
s with Northern Counties Palatine
bodywork, shared between Bangor and Aberystwyth depots. The open-top double-deckers are operated in Rhyl, for use on the 120 Pensarn - Rhyl - Talacre summer route. Some examples find occasional use for special event private hires, such as football victory parades.
During March 2010 Arriva Buses Wales announced that the whole fleet is now 100% low floor (except open-tops and College/School duties).
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
that operates bus services in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It has its origins in the former Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
. Arriva Buses Wales has approximately 700 employees. The company's official name is Arriva Cymru Ltd.
History
The original predecessor of Arriva Buses Wales was Crosville Motor ServicesCrosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
, who ran services in Wales and northern England. The company was split following deregulation in 1986, with the Welsh operation called Crosville Cymru. The English operations would eventually be split between Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a division of Arriva. It operates bus services around the Midlands area of England and is made up of various previous bus operators.-Arriva Midlands North:...
, Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
and First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & Wirral is a division of bus operator First Manchester Ltd., running local bus services in and around Chester and the Wirral, north west England. The company is a subsidiary of FirstGroup plc, the largest bus operator in Britain....
.
Crosville Cymru was bought by its management team in 1987 before being taken over by National Express Group
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
in 1989. Drawlane would buy the company in 1991, with Drawlane eventually re-named as British Bus and then Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
. The company would be known as Arriva Cymru until 25 February 2002, when it merged with Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
, forming part of Arriva North West and Wales. However, on 1 January 2009, the Welsh operations were split off again, under a new managing director, Michael Morton, and a management team based at Llandudno Junction.
Operating centres
The company has depots in:- AberystwythAberystwythAberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
- Park Avenue. - BangorBangor, GwyneddBangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
- Llandygai Industrial Estate, Llandygai. - HawardenHawardenHawarden is a village in Flintshire, North Wales. Hawarden forms part of the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh/English border. At the 2001 Census, the population of Hawarden Ward was 1,858...
(near ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
) - Manor Lane Industrial Estate, Manor Lane. - Llandudno JunctionLlandudno JunctionLlandudno Junction , once known as Tremarl, is a small town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River...
- Glan-y-Mor Road. - RhylRhylRhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
- Ffynnongroew Road. - WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
- Berse Road, Caego.
There are also smaller outstations or sub-depots at other locations, including Pwllheli, Holyhead and Amlwch (outstations of Bangor depot), Dolgellau, Machynlleth, New Quay, Lampeter and Pencader (outstations of Aberystwyth depot).
Fleet
Dennis DartDennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s, of the low-floor SLF and MPD varieties, make up about half of the fleet. More recent deliveries have been VDL SB120
VDL SB120
The VDL SB120 is a low-floor light-weight midibus produced from 1999 by VDL Bus International of the Netherlands primarily for the UK market....
and SB200
VDL SB200
The VDL SB200 is a light-weight 12m citybus produced from 2001 by VDL Bus International...
with Wright Cadet
Wright Cadet
The Wright Cadet was a midibus body built by British coachbuilder Wrightbus, solely on the DAF/VDL SB120; it was sold via VDL dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. For a time, Volvo additionally sold the chassis/body combination, however the body was marketed as the Merit.The Cadet was replaced by the Wright...
, Commander
Wright Commander
The Wright Commander is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on DAF/VDL SB200 chassis. Examples entered service in the UK between 2002 and 2007, the majority with Arriva subsidiaries...
and Pulsar
Wright Pulsar
The Wright Pulsar is a bus body built by Wrightbus for the VDL SB200 lightweight bus chassis. It is the replacement for the "Classic" style Commander, Merit and Cadet....
bodywork, and Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
s. Other types operated include the Optare Tempo
Optare Tempo
The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals....
, eleven of which are used on TrawsCambria
TrawsCambria
TrawsCambria is a brand name applied to a network of long and medium-distance express bus routes in Wales which are sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government.-History:...
services south from Aberystwyth.
Only 7 double-deckers are in ordinary service, all of them Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
s with Northern Counties Palatine
Northern Counties Palatine
The Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis...
bodywork, shared between Bangor and Aberystwyth depots. The open-top double-deckers are operated in Rhyl, for use on the 120 Pensarn - Rhyl - Talacre summer route. Some examples find occasional use for special event private hires, such as football victory parades.
During March 2010 Arriva Buses Wales announced that the whole fleet is now 100% low floor (except open-tops and College/School duties).
Fleet summary
| Double-deck, low-floor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis | Count | Body type(s) | Image(s) |
| DAF DB250 | 4 | Alexander ALX400 Alexander ALX400 The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders... |
|
| Double-deck, step-entrance | |||
| Chassis | Count | Body type(s) | Image(s) |
| Volvo Olympian Volvo Olympian The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian.... |
7 | Northern Counties Palatine Northern Counties Palatine The Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis... |
 |
| Scania N113 Scania N113 The Scania N113 was a transverse-engined bus chassis built by Scania AB of Sweden between 1988 and 2000.Like its predecessor, the N112, the N113 had an 11-litre engine mounted at the rear, coupled to either a Scania or Voith gearbox... |
1 | Northern Counties (open top) | |
| Leyland Olympian Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:... |
2 | Alexander R Type (open-top) |  |
| Leyland Olympian Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:... |
4 | ECW (open-top) | |
| Single-deck, low-floor | |||
| Chassis | Count | Body type(s) | Image(s) |
| Dennis Dart SLF / MPD | 115 | Plaxton Pointer Plaxton Pointer The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m... Plaxton Pointer 2 Alexander ALX200 Alexander ALX200 The Alexander ALX200 was a midibus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was one of the ALX-series, which accounted for 5 different models , built for new generation bus chassis produced since late 1990s.It was designed by John Worker, and was launched in summer... |
  |
| VDL SB200 | 42 | Wright Commander Wright Commander The Wright Commander is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on DAF/VDL SB200 chassis. Examples entered service in the UK between 2002 and 2007, the majority with Arriva subsidiaries... Wright Pulsar Wright Pulsar The Wright Pulsar is a bus body built by Wrightbus for the VDL SB200 lightweight bus chassis. It is the replacement for the "Classic" style Commander, Merit and Cadet.... |
  |
| Optare Solo Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative... |
25 | Optare Solo |   |
| VDL SB120 | 18 | Wright Cadet Wright Cadet The Wright Cadet was a midibus body built by British coachbuilder Wrightbus, solely on the DAF/VDL SB120; it was sold via VDL dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. For a time, Volvo additionally sold the chassis/body combination, however the body was marketed as the Merit.The Cadet was replaced by the Wright... |
 |
| Optare Tempo Optare Tempo The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals.... |
11 | Optare Tempo |  |
| Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7RLE Volvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE... |
7 | Wright Eclipse Wright Eclipse The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on Volvo B7 chassis. It shares its design with the Wright Solar on Scania L94 chassis.... |
 |
| Optare Versa Optare Versa The Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day.... |
2 | Optare Versa | |
See also
- Photos of Arriva Buses in North Waleshttp://northwalesbus.photoblog.org.uk/c1915948.html