Arriva Sapphire

Arriva Sapphire

Slogan Making everyday journeys sparkle
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]

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

Arriva North East

Arriva North West

Arriva Shires & Essex

Arriva Southern Counties

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

  1. 1 2 Arriva launches Sapphire upgrade Bus & Coach Professional 21 February 2013
  2. ↑ Where We Operate Arriva Sapphire
  3. 1 2 Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire North Wales Daily Post 29 April 2013
  4. 1 2 Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services Leicester Mercury 29 June 2013
  5. 1 2 Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme Bus & Coach Buyer 25 July 2013
  6. 1 2 Sapphire launched in north east Bus & Coach Buyer 11 December 2013
  7. ↑ 11 new routes for Arriva's Sapphire RouteOne 9 July 2014
  8. ↑ Where We Operate Arriva Sapphire
  9. 1 2 ADL in pole position as Arriva confirms 2015 orders Bus & Coach Professional 5 March 2015
  10. ↑ UITP award nomination for Sapphire brand Bus & Coach Professional 14 May 2015
  11. ↑ Sapphire on Deeside Bus & Coach Buyer 20 March 2015
  12. ↑ Arriva's new luxury buses add touch of sparkle to Derby Derby Telegraph 8 August 2014
  13. ↑ Sapphire in Tamworth Bus & Coach Buyer 16 October 2014
  14. ↑ Arriva Leicester welcomes report Bus & Coach Buyer 15 April 2016
  15. ↑ Sapphire launched in Ashington Bus & Coach Buyer 7 August 2014 page 10
  16. 1 2 New buses set to be launched on the 130 route between Macclesfield and Manchester Macclesfield Express 4 September 2015
  17. ↑ Stormtroopers travel faster by bus on the new Arriva Sapphire 263 service Arriva North West 4 April 2016
  18. 1 2 Double deckers on Arriva Sapphire route Bus & Coach Buyer 22 April 2015
  19. ↑ Sparking in Leeds Bus & Coach Buyer 21 April 2015
  20. ↑ Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services Arriva 20 June 2013
  21. ↑ Arriva North West & Wales - Initiatives for growth & quality Bus & Coach Buyer 10 April 2014

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.