Davidc
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Posts: 245
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Post by Davidc on Apr 25, 2008 23:22:22 GMT 1
Is there likely to be any major changes on Monday or is it going to be a gradual take over. But then what changes are there going to be? Is this just a take over on paper or are there going to be changes with the fleet?
Stagecoach haven’t had the greatest of success in Huddersfield. It will be interesting to see what Arriva do with the services.
David.c
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Apr 26, 2008 11:56:44 GMT 1
I imagine we will see 'Arriva' logos stuck on the fleet after a short time (which on the vehicles which still carry YTC livery will be the second time they've stuck a logo on) and the legal lettering panel changed
I doubt Arriva will change the services, it's not as if they are well known to innovate, and Stagecoach have already cut them down to the bare minimum
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Post by gledhill56 on Apr 26, 2008 21:02:14 GMT 1
I'm sure Arriva will find a way of cutting the services down beyond the bare minimum, they seem to do a good job of cut backs around this area anyway.
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Post by angrycommuter on Apr 28, 2008 10:56:32 GMT 1
So today is the first day of Arriva operations in Huddersfield? Will services 231/2 and 262 be interworked with Dewsbury and Wakefield or will they remain a separate service operated by "The Huddersfield Bus Company"?
The first change I forsee is the reduction in frequency of the 262 to hourly. They have done this with many services in North Kirklees recently (219,253,278 etc.) so I am sure that the 262 will be next.
Have the buses that are based in Huddersfield transferred to Arriva, or have they gone down to Barnsley?
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Davidc
Forum Member
Posts: 245
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Post by Davidc on Apr 28, 2008 11:47:55 GMT 1
At the moment its business as usual. Been out this morning into Huddersfield and the only thing ive noticed is a lot of the Stagecoach buses have lost their Stagecoach branding. I haven't noticed the legal lettering on any of them yet but I think this should have changed.
I got a few pics of some of the Stagecoach buses while I was out. Theses are now on my site, link in my signature below.
David.c
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Post by the110 on Apr 28, 2008 15:03:21 GMT 1
Funny really how there hasn't been any mention of the takeover on either Stagecoach or Arriva's Websites. Also wonder if a website will be set up for "The Huddersfield Bus Company".
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riclam
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Posts: 147
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Post by riclam on Apr 28, 2008 18:44:14 GMT 1
Funny really how there hasn't been any mention of the takeover on either Stagecoach or Arriva's Websites. Also wonder if a website will be set up for "The Huddersfield Bus Company". waterloo based buses no longer have stagecoach names or legals, just Huddersfield Bus Co Ltd, Leicester
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Post by jackh on Apr 28, 2008 18:52:16 GMT 1
So the legals say Huddersfield Bus Co Ltd, but why is it registered address the HQ for Midlands unless you have got it wrong?
Have they put Huddersfield Bus Co Ltd fleetnames on or is it blank where the Stagecoach names used to be?
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Post by Craig on Apr 28, 2008 19:57:09 GMT 1
The operator registration gave Arriva's Maidstone base as the address for this Huddersfield company, are you sure it wasn't the Maidstone address on the legals?
I'm still completely lost why, when Arriva is a company so keen on uniform branding, they have chosen to run this incognito?
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Post by jackh on Apr 28, 2008 20:13:40 GMT 1
Well Arriva seem to have kept its most recent subsidiaries to their own brand rather than stamping the corporate brand. Must be a few years since Arriva had taken over MK Metro from Julian Peddle, that still carries the MK Metro brand. Furthermore, Cross Country Trains, not an Arriva logo in sight on the trains painted up in new livery either.
Still no official word from either companies publicising the takeover.
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Apr 28, 2008 20:21:11 GMT 1
You assume that they won't use the fleetname Arriva. Many companies have different legal names. (The most obvious would be Teamdeck who trade as K-Line, plus of course Stagecoach Yorkshire is still 'Yorkshire Traction Co Ltd')
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Post by jackh on Apr 28, 2008 21:51:02 GMT 1
Yes you are right Richard, the legal lettering is actually Leicester, Daniel Stazicker points out that the address given is the operating centre of Centrebus.
What does the next chapter hold in this tale of the takeover, who knows?
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Post by Craig on Apr 28, 2008 22:03:15 GMT 1
You assume that they won't use the fleetname Arriva. Many companies have different legal names. (The most obvious would be Teamdeck who trade as K-Line, plus of course Stagecoach Yorkshire is still 'Yorkshire Traction Co Ltd') You are quite right, however this is invariably only true in cases of acquisitions of bus companies. For Arriva to be setting up a brand new company and it not be called something such as Arriva Huddersfield is unusual; if they were just directly taking over Stagecoach then yes it would probably still legally be called Yorkshire Traction, however this is not happening.
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Post by dazzauk123 on Apr 28, 2008 22:23:05 GMT 1
Can I just throw a apple in so to speak, I have just been informed that K-Line, (Teamdeck) have been purchased by the same people who have bought StageCoach Waterloo Huddersfield.??
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Post by angrycommuter on Apr 29, 2008 8:43:38 GMT 1
I though Teamdeck/K-Line/Taylors had already been bought out by Arriva once before, and then K-Line started again in Huddersfield? Aren't K-Line wages paid through Arriva too?
If this is the case, then "Huddersfield Bus Company" will have quite a bit more clout in the area. Could this mean a start of competition between First and Arriva?
Do you think that Huddersfield Bus Company will use the traditional red colours or the area to make them stand out from the Dewsbury Arriva services?
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Post by gledhill56 on Apr 29, 2008 9:54:02 GMT 1
Arriva have already sold Waterloo on to another company, i believe that it has been sold to Centrebus of Leicester, hence the appearance of Leicester legals on all vehicles at Waterloo. If K-Line have been bought out by the same company, then it will certainly make things interesting in Huddersfield on the competition front. Information sourced from groups.yahoo.com/group/ydbn
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Post by bc on Apr 29, 2008 10:44:59 GMT 1
Arriva have already sold Waterloo on to another company, i believe that it has been sold to Centrebus of Leicester, hence the appearance of Leicester legals on all vehicles at Waterloo. If K-Line have been bought out by the same company, then it will certainly make things interesting in Huddersfield on the competition front. Information sourced from groups.yahoo.com/group/ydbnA very, very interesting development, and remember that the Centrebus group has just divested of its St Albans operations so starting up (or taking over) a similar-sized operation elsewhere would probably be quite feasible right now. Could provide First Huddersfield with its biggest competitive threat in years..!
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Post by angrycommuter on Apr 29, 2008 10:50:53 GMT 1
Just looking on Wikipedia, and Centrebus are run by ex-Arriva management and seem to take on services that Arriva no longer want. If it is true that they have also bought K-Line, then it gives them a nice chunk of the Huddersfield market. Hopefully they will expand and provide competition throughout the area.
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Post by jackh on Apr 29, 2008 18:39:55 GMT 1
The company that is taking over Stagecoach's Huddersfield and K Line (maybe) is Centrebus Holdings. This is a venture of which Arriva has 40% stake in. It is a seperate company from Centrebus Ltd.
Julian Peddle is in discussions with both companies staff on what identity would be used.
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Post by Craig on Apr 29, 2008 19:07:05 GMT 1
Veeeeery interesting. At least this answers why the Arriva name isn't being used.
My Buses magazine subscription ended a while ago, so can someone fill me in on who exactly this Centrebus outfit is? I recognise Julian Peddle's name (it appeared in Buses mag virtually every issue somewhere) and I know he had MK Metro, but I gather from earlier posts this was sold to Arriva (sold outright or do Arriva just have a stake in it like this new Hudds operation?)
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Post by jackh on Apr 29, 2008 19:13:19 GMT 1
Centrebus is a small group who have operations in Leicester, they have sold their St Albans operations to Uno. I think they still have operations in Grantham. Here some photos I have of their fleet in Leicester taken last month. jacksbusphotos.fotopic.net/c1479327.html
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Post by Burnside on Apr 30, 2008 6:53:25 GMT 1
From my memory (which is not always great! lol) , i think Arriva took full control of MK Metro, but with an agreement not to paint everything in sight.
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Post by humberside on Apr 30, 2008 10:45:44 GMT 1
Centrebus is a small group who have operations in Leicester, they have sold their St Albans operations to Uno. I think they still have operations in Grantham. They still have some operations in the South East i think. Still have Grantham and dont they also own Bowers Coaches?
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Post by do74 on Apr 30, 2008 11:33:27 GMT 1
Centrebus is a small group who have operations in Leicester, they have sold their St Albans operations to Uno. I think they still have operations in Grantham. They still have some operations in the South East i think. Still have Grantham and dont they also own Bowers Coaches? Correct. Centrebus is just Julian Peddles latest incarnation. He owns it jointly with Dennis Upton, a former arriva manager. The sale of MK MTRO was complete. The reason there has been no change of livery is that the local managers felt there was no need. Given the number of changes of ownership of MK METRO, a period of stability is probably a good idea. The arriva involvement seems to be on the basis of them chucking the Huddersfield operation in the pot in return for a 40% holding. Looking at what else is in the pot, a reasonable exchange. Wait for the exciting livery to appear - Dark blue and orange, applied with a bog brush! Whats the odds on them buying Doncaster depot from stagecoach now that is being closed?
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Post by angrycommuter on Apr 30, 2008 13:52:42 GMT 1
Has anything official been announced regarding Centrebus/Arriva/Stagecoach/K-Line or is everything still rumour? I would have thought that if a new operation was to be introduced incorporating Stagecoach/K-Line then a publicity lauch etc. would have taken place. All that seems to have happened is the new legals on the buses with little or no mention of it from any parties involved.
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