Messages

Kevin your perspective on Chaserider is a mirror of my findings over a two week period last October.  However I very much doubt that your comments will do anything to stop the Chaserider (formerly Arriva Cannock) knockers from their negative views even posting negative comments about Chaserider on the threads on other operators.

Fleet no 743 is a VDL SB200/Plaxton Centro a Centrebus vehicle from Grantham ?  I was told by my granddaughters that 2 Chaserider buses were in a nose to rear shunt in Stafford last week, they said one was white and the other red, don't know anymore than that, but 743 could be a loan to cover.

I have been reading all of the posts regarding Chaserider's, according to some totally unreliable service and would like to add my experiences over the last few weeks after having had eye surgery and not being able to drive.  I would like to make it clear that I have no link to the company, no knowledge of running a bus service and no knowledge of the workings of a modern bus.  Over the last 4 weeks I have used the 74 to and from my home on the boundary of Stafford Borough into Stafford, the 74 to and from Cannock to Stafford, the 25/26 Pye Green Circular and the 826 from Stafford to Rugeley oh and one trip on the 63 from Rugeley to Hednesford.  I have traveled on Volvo, Plaxton Dart, Commander, Solo's, the Versa, Enviro 200's, Evolution Dart and the Centrebus Centro's, all of them rattle the worse, in my opinion being the E200's the best the Centro's but oh the seating in the Centro's, might as well go back to the days of wooden slatted seats. The bottom line is that I have suffered no breakdowns, no none shows and when late only a couple of minutes.  The only criticism I have is that the SWB Solo's are not really suitable for any route other than very sparsely populated countryside ones due to capacity. All in all in my opinion D & G/Chaserider aren't doing to bad considering everything.

Seen in Pye Green on the 25 circular service was Centrebus 309 an Optare Solo M850 in the old Centrebus livery but with Chaserider fleetnames.  By my reckoning that makes 4 Centresbus liveried loans (?) or transfers (?) with 603, 605 and 606 the VDL SB120/Plaxton Centros.

re D & G/Chaserider fleet list posted by DJ
Corresponds to the one I have but there have been two additions from last week. 2 more VDL120/Plaxton Centro's numbered 603 and 605,  KE06NZX and FJ56BVV have come from Centrebus currently in the old Centrebus livery. 

I've just read "WilliamLeylandNational's" comments about Chaserider and he like others seems to mis-understand the link between D&G Bus and Select Bus Services.  They do not have common owners and do not have the same livery colours.  D&G is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrebus whose majority shareholder is Julian Peddle.  Select is owned by Ben Brown with Julian Peddle as a minority shareholder.  The liveries are not the same, granted they are both red but the shades used are very different both in the main colour and the skirt, Select skirt colour is very much darker, put side by side the differences are easily seen, From a personal point of view I prefer the Select colours.  They do work closely together in that Select have taken surplus vehicles from both D&G and Centrebus (I assume some payment would have been made) and some routes in the area have been swopped.  It's also worth noting that D&G have moved operation of two Stafford services from their Adderley Green depot to Cannock.

what fleet nos are FJ 06 ZTH and FJ 55 BWA carrying ?

FJ06ZTE now in full fleet liverey, FJ06ZTF will be the next 1 in for paint

Is ZTF fleet no 24 ?

My experience of D & G would suggest that they are to astute to buy vehicles to scrap them.  Wonder where Bob gets his information.

So we enter the last week in 47 years that Arriva /  Midland  Red have an operational base in Cannock area , sad to see but good luck to new operation

And its 100 years since the old B.M.M.O opened their garage in Stafford.

They take over the operation on the 10th January and as Arriva don't run any services out of Cannock on a Sunday I think it can be assumed that the re-branding of those Arriva buses being kept and those added will be done on the Saturday night / Sunday.

Pretty old age profile then.  By my reckoning the youngest are 2 of the Solos at 11 years and the oldest the Cadet 2748 at 18.  Apparently there are others coming from Centrebus, be interesting to see how old they are.

Before any one points it out that they are a different company to D & G, I love the Midland Classic livery which I'm sure is based on the yellow/red Midland Red North scheme in British Bus Days and in my view the concept of a white/red version for the D & G operation in the Cannock area would be excellent. We need something bright and cheerful after the, sorry if I offend, it's a personal opinion, dull NXWM offering we see in Cannock.

Interesting.  One man is involved to a larger or smaller degree in all of the companies that mix in with Arriva Cannock at present.  Status and D & G in Stafford and Midland Classic in Lichfield.

Very tetchy comments so i'll add my pennyworth, what has the health problem in Leicester got to do with the DfT and Staffordshire.  Leicester is in Leicestershire and health problems come under the DoH. The only link between Leicester and Staffordshire is that some but not all services in both areas are run by Arriva.