Arriva Sapphire

Arriva Sapphire
Slogan Get there in style with Arriva
Parent Arriva
Founded April 2013
Service type Luxury bus
Routes 30 (June 2017)
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

Arriva Sapphire logo used 2013–17

In February 2013 Arriva announced that it would launch 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 launched initially on four pilot routes:[2]

In 2014 the brand was Extended to 11 more 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]

In 2017 Arriva Sapphire was rebranded with a new logo and livery, in line with the complete rebrand of Arriva. [11]

Routes

As at February 2017 there were 29 Arriva Sapphire routes.

Service no. Route start Route end
Arriva Buses Wales
1 Wrexham Chester[3]
10/10A Chester Connah's Quay and Holywell[12]
12 Rhyl Llandudno
Arriva Midlands
1/2/2E Huntington / Cannock Walsall
31/31A Oadby Leicester[4]
38 Stenson Fields Derby[13]
110 Tamworth Birmingham[14]
158 Leicester Nuneaton via Hinckley
X3 Leicester Market Harborough[15]
Arriva North East
3/4/X3/X3A/X4 Whitby, Loftus and Lingdale Middlesbrough
5/5A Easington Middlesbrough
6 Durham Bishop Auckland and Cockfield
7 Darlington Durham[5]
22 Durham Sunderland
24 Durham Hartlepool
43/44 Newcastle Morpeth
45 Newcastle Dinnington
X21/X22 Ashington Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Arriva North West
38 Crewe Macclesfield[16]
130 Manchester Macclesfield[16]
263 Manchester Altrincham[17]
362 Chorley Wigan[18]
575 Wigan Bolton
X1 Liverpool Windmill Hill
Arriva Shires & Essex
5/6 Lakes Estate Wolverton
100/101 Stevenage Luton
280/X8 Aylesbury Oxford[6]
320 Hemel Hempstead Rickmansworth
321 Watford Luton
Arriva Southern Counties
101 Gillingham Maidstone[19]
480/490 Dartford Valley Drive[19]
700 Chatham Bluewater[20]
Arriva Yorkshire
110 Hall Green Leeds via Wakefield[21]
163/166 Castleford Leeds via Kippax, West 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][22] 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.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Arriva launches Sapphire upgrade". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 21 February 2013.
  2. ↑ "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire. Arriva.
  3. 1 2 "Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire". North Wales Daily Post. Trinity Mirror. 29 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services". Leicester Mercury. Trinity Mirror. 29 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Sapphire launched in north east". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 11 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 25 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "11 new routes for Arriva's Sapphire". Route One. Diversified Communications UK. 9 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire.
  9. 1 2 "ADL in pole position as Arriva confirms 2015 orders". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 5 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "UITP award nomination for Sapphire brand". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 14 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "We're upgrading the Chatham to Bluewater 700 services to join our select family of premium Sapphire routes". Arriva. 12 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "Sapphire on Deeside". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 20 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Arriva's new luxury buses add touch of sparkle to Derby". Derby Telegraph. Trinity Mirror. 8 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "Sapphire in Tamworth". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 16 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Arriva Leicester welcomes report". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 15 April 2016.
  16. 1 2 "New buses set to be launched on the 130 route between Macclesfield and Manchester". Macclesfield Express. Trinity Mirror. 4 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Stormtroopers travel faster by bus on the new Arriva Sapphire 263 service". Arriva North West. 4 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Route 362 timetable" (PDF). Transport for Greater Manchester.
  19. 1 2 "Double deckers on Arriva Sapphire route". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 22 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "We're upgrading the Chatham to Bluewater 700 services to join our select family of premium Sapphire routes". Arriva. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "Sparking in Leeds". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 21 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services". Arriva. 20 June 2013.
  23. ↑ "Arriva North West & Wales – Initiatives for growth & quality". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 10 April 2014.
  • Media related to Arriva Sapphire at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Arriva Sapphire". Arriva.
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