Arriva Sapphire
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Parent | Arriva |
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Founded | April 2013 |
Service type | Luxury bus |
Routes | 50 (January 2022) |
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[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c2/Arriva_Sapphire_Logo.png/220px-Arriva_Sapphire_Logo.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/20/Arriva_Sapphire_2017_logo.png/220px-Arriva_Sapphire_2017_logo.png)
In February 2013, Arriva UK Bus ("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 Group ("Stagecoach") in 2007.
Arriva initially launched the Sapphire brand on four pilot routes:[2]
- Arriva Buses Wales' route 1 Wrexham to Chester[3]
- Arriva Midlands' route 31/31a Oadby to Leicester[4] this route now uses any vehicles
- Arriva North East's route 7 Darlington to Durham[5]
- Arriva Shires & Essex's route 280 Aylesbury to Oxford[6]
In 2014, the brand was extended to 11 more routes with another six scheduled for conversion in late 2015.[7][8][9]
In 2017, Arriva Sapphire was rebranded with a new logo and livery, in line with the switchover to the new Arriva brand. In 2018, the Arriva Sapphire logo was updated again, to reflect the new brand. [10]
In 2019, Arriva Midlands routes 1, 2, 2E running between Walsall and Cannock/Huntington were downgraded to regular buses after six years of Sapphire. Further routes across the country have since been withdrawn or removed from the Sapphire brand. As well as this, no further buses are being delivered in Sapphire specification in favour of the standard Arriva specification which in recent years has become very similar or equal to that of Sapphire.
In recent years, Sapphire-spec buses have occasionally been run on non-Sapphire routes,[11] and regular Arriva buses are also often run on Sapphire routes.[12]
Routes[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Arriva_Alexander_Dennis_Enviro400_%28YY14_WFU%29_on_High_Street%2C_Oxford.jpg/220px-Arriva_Alexander_Dennis_Enviro400_%28YY14_WFU%29_on_High_Street%2C_Oxford.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Arriva_Wright_StreetLite_DF_%28LK14_FTN%29-2_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Arriva_Wright_StreetLite_DF_%28LK14_FTN%29-2_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Arriva_Kent_%26_Surrey_YX17NEJ_%28side%29%2C_Chatham_Bus_Station%2C_16_January_2018_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Arriva_Kent_%26_Surrey_YX17NEJ_%28side%29%2C_Chatham_Bus_Station%2C_16_January_2018_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/AlexanderDennis_Enviro200_MMC_YX17_NPE_MiltonKeynes_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-AlexanderDennis_Enviro200_MMC_YX17_NPE_MiltonKeynes_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/10772_SN66VYT_%2850131574012%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-10772_SN66VYT_%2850131574012%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
As at January 2022, there were 50 Arriva Sapphire routes.
Vehicles[]
Buses have leather seats, free WiFi, power ports, 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, Wright StreetLites and Wright StreetDecks.[9] A number of Wright Pulsar/Pulsar 2 vehicles have been refurbished to operate Sapphire routes.[21] In 2020 a selection of Optare Versas in Yorkshire were repainted into the new Arriva Sapphire livery.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "Arriva launches Sapphire upgrade". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire. Arriva. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Commute with a little bit of sparkle thanks to Sapphire". North Wales Daily Post. Trinity Mirror. 29 April 2013.
- ^ "Sapphire is jewel in the crown of Arriva services". Leicester Mercury. Trinity Mirror. 29 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Sapphire launched in north east". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 11 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Arriva launches third Sapphire scheme". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 25 July 2013.
- ^ "11 new routes for Arriva's Sapphire". Route One. Diversified Communications UK. 9 July 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Where We Operate". Arriva Sapphire.
- ^ a b "ADL in pole position as Arriva confirms 2015 orders". Bus and Coach Professional. Plum Publishing Ltd. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "We're upgrading the Chatham to Bluewater 700 services to join our select family of premium Sapphire routes". Arriva. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018.
- ^ Smith, Lewis (17 March 2021). "GN04 UEL (6421) (image)". Flickr. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ Parnaby, Ray (5 August 2018). "NK57 GWY (image)". Flickr. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Arriva's new luxury buses add touch of sparkle to Derby". Derby Telegraph. Trinity Mirror. 8 August 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Sapphire in Tamworth". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 16 October 2014.
- ^ "Stormtroopers travel faster by bus on the new Arriva Sapphire 263 service". Arriva North West. 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Route 362 timetable" (PDF). Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Double deckers on Arriva Sapphire route". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 22 April 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Sparking in Leeds". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 21 April 2015.
- ^ "Sapphire investment brings sparkle to bus services". Arriva. 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Arriva North West & Wales – Initiatives for growth & quality". Bus & Coach Buyer. AT Graphics Ltd. 10 April 2014.
External links[]
Media related to Arriva Sapphire at Wikimedia Commons
- "Arriva Sapphire". Arriva.
- 2013 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Arriva Group bus operators in England
- Bus transport brands
- Luxury brands