Arriva Invests in New Buses for Guildford Routes

Published on: 2 May, 2017
Updated on: 3 May, 2017

The new Arriva buses on display outside Guildford Cathedral

Arriva has announced a significant investment in new buses for two routes in and around Guildford.

The company is introducing new minibuses on Service 3 between Guildford town centre and Bellfields, Merrow to counter problems serving estates and negotiating parked cars.

Currently operated by traditional buses, the new fleet will be more fuel efficient and quieter around the residential streets the route serves. The new minibuses entered service on Sunday (April 23).

On May 2 a new service, X1, will be introduced between Guildford and Horsham, with a fleet of modern coaches, providing a more comfortable and faster limited stop alternative to standard services between the towns.

Andy Isbell of Arriva said: “We are investing a significant sum of money across Kent and Surrey this year to enhance our fleet and services for our customers. The new vehicles have the latest Euro 6 clean engines to deliver our ambitious environmental targets across Arriva and by 2020.

“This is especially important on routes such as Service 3 in Guildford that takes in residential areas.

“The introduction of minibuses on that route will also help us to run a more reliable service, avoiding delays caused by buses struggling to negotiate obstructions on the tight streets.”

Arriva UK Bus is part of Arriva plc, one of the largest passenger transport providers in Europe, employing some 54,500 people and delivering more than 2.2 billion passenger journeys across 14 European countries every year.

The bus company currently operates a fleet of some 5,900 vehicles in the UK alone, providing services in the North East, North West and South East of England, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales.

In 2010, Arriva was acquired by Deutsche Bahn, and is now responsible for the growth and development of all Deutsche Bahn’s regional passenger transport