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[We have been closely following industry guidance on social distancing and from 8th July we will be changing our onboard seating guidance.Please sit one per row unless travelling with a member of your own household.This excludes Leicester and surrounding areas, where our current seating guidelines remain in place in line with the localised lockdown of the area.To protect your fellow customers and our drivers you can also follow the below steps when travelling onboard:- Please keep your face covering on for the entire journey. Face coverings must be worn onboard.- Follow our no standing policy- Pay by contactless or the app. Only use cash as a last resort and with exact fare only as our drivers cannot provide change.- Please don't travel if you feel unwell- Face away from others when sitting onboardThroughout the pandemic your and our employees' safety has been and continues to be our priority and we will continue to monitor our service levels in line with current demand and ongoing advice from public health bodies.For more information please visit: arrivabus.co.ukStay safeArriva UK Bus]

Hi Simon

Had this targeted email the other day (see below). Does the recent change of tone and capacity (excluding Leicester of course) suggest more general customers are been welcomed back? The same tone seems to be also been seen with other operators, First Kernow for example are putting summer frequencies back up for tourist routes routes with open tops from 12th July:


We have been closely following industry guidance on social distancing and from 8th July we will be changing our onboard seating guidance.

Please sit one per row unless travelling with a member of your own household.

This excludes Leicester and surrounding areas, where our current seating guidelines remain in place in line with the localised lockdown of the area.

To protect your fellow customers and our drivers you can also follow the below steps when travelling onboard:

- Please keep your face covering on for the entire journey. Face coverings must be worn onboard.

- Follow our no standing policy

- Pay by contactless or the app. Only use cash as a last resort and with exact fare only as our drivers cannot provide change.

- Please don't travel if you feel unwell

-  Face away from others when sitting onboard

Throughout the pandemic your and our employees' safety has been and continues to be our priority and we will continue to monitor our service levels in line with current demand and ongoing advice from public health bodies.

For more information please visit: arrivabus.co.uk

Stay safe

Arriva UK Bus

You could say its a 'basket case', yes.  Arriva obviously still have the passenger numbers to warrant some form of a service, so that's why they haven't pulled out of Cannock.
It could be said that the period of decline has already happened and that this has been the 'new normal', so I wouldn't have said the current fleet is accelerating the decline.  Telford operate the same vehicles in their fleet and they run perfectly.  Perhaps it is Cannock's maintenance that causes the poor quality of the vehicles that you describe?

Having used the Cannock operated services quite a bit pre lockdown, most of the fleet sampled was fine, vehicles well presented generally too. One that stood out was 3841 which internally could do with some retrims of some seats but in fairness it arrived like that and Cannock have improved sisters 3845/6 from when they first arrived. I have found all the Commanders tidy and yes done most of them over the winter, they are good vehicles, would rather travel on them over Versas and Scanias. 3742/3 were ok when did them both on the 2 Walsall run, 3742 was still a good example as it was when based at Oswestry, 3743 did have a issue with the gearbox and sadly the USB charge points were not working as they had been vandalised. SPDs 2367-70 are still excellent vehicles, despite their age, I'm sure Oswestry (where they were highly regarded) would have them back in a heartbeat and happily send the Scanias the other way :). I couldn't comment too much on the B7RLEs, I avoid them!

Does anyone know if the Southern Counties 3742/3/4 YJ57 BWB/C/E are likely to come to Midlands to become 3842/3/4? I understood they were expected but didn't come due to Wrights not having delivered all the Streetlites due to the administration / production delays last year.

As suggested on the Oswestry thread, Shrewsbury depot have today started assisting Oswestry depot on the 70 service with AM and PM workings starting and ending from Shrewsbury and some duplicates over the daytime trips. 2997 was used on the peaks whilst some Solos provided daytime duplicates to Oswestry based vehicles, one was 6004.

Versas are appearing as standard the last few days by all accounts, a snap after work today of 3691 on the 70 bound for Oswestry, it was duplicating Oswestry's 3786 just infront:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35721472@N08/50017347371/in/pool-2750913@N23

3691 returned alone on the 17:22 70 ex OS. Notable yesterday that 3698 was doing this diagram, back on the route it was new for!

As suggested on the Oswestry thread, Shrewsbury depot have today started assisting Oswestry depot on the 70 service with AM and PM workings starting and ending from Shrewsbury and some duplicates over the daytime trips. 2997 was used on the peaks whilst some Solos provided daytime duplicates to Oswestry based vehicles, one was 6004.

Streetdeck 4600 FJ64 ETZ is now missing from Oswestry and is understood to have departed back to Tamworth having only operated for 7 days on peak AM and PM working on the 70 to Shrewsbury and a morning 400 Oswestry Town Service single loop during its time here. It last operated on Tuesday 9th June, DB250 4803 Y485 UGC covered for it the remainder of this week just gone.

COVID related timetable changes in Oswestry from 15th June sees the 53 to Ellesmere returned to normal service from PVR of 2, the 70 goes from a 2 hourly service to a hourly (70/70A is a 30 minute service pre COVID). The revised timetable for the 70 online now implies Shrewsbury depot may have involvement on some of the workings with a 06:42 ex SY and a PM working terminating at the SY end i.e. 50/50 operation between Oswestry and Shrewsbury depots on the 70 is suggestive, we shall however see!

A number of Scanias are getting ready for a return to service from Monday as are Pulsars 3761/2 which are now retaxed.

What’s the streetdeck likely to be on?

Cannot confirm but today it operated AM and PM peak 70 Oswestry to Shrewsbury and return workings and one 400 Oswestry Town Service, Aston Way 'loop' only. Due to it's height it cannot see universal use at Oswestry due to Whittington Road bridge.

It tracks on the BusTimes.org as 'SP OS' obviously been the spare Oswestry ticketer machine https://bustimes.org/vehicles/199352 but don't be fooled as it also claims to be operating at Derby still and on the X38 today and did when it was at Tamworth as seen here! https://bustimes.org/vehicles/37832   

A record shot to illustrate here from a few snapped:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35721472@N08/49961310866

Streetdeck 4600 FJ64 ETZ turned up at Oswestry yesterday on loan from Tamworth and is expected to see use next week to aid with social distancing here. DB250s 4803 Y485 UGC and 4806 X502 GGO are expected to also return back to use in order to provide extra capacity.

Yes and they were 3 year old Omnilinks as opposed to 13 year old buses!

3510-12 that Cannock once had are in comparison nearing around the 12 year mark now, I'm sure Oswestry would be happy to see them leave in preference of more SB200's.

2985 and 3790 have been retaxed by 18th May, this due to extra 2B/2C workings been added to supplement the 2 and 2A due to increasing loadings over the border.

3790 is also on SORN as of the end of April.

For those interested in operations here, the following status of active and inactive (SORN due to COVID-19):

Active:
2945, 2946, 2986, 2987, 3756, 3762, 3785, 3786, 3787, 3788, 3789, 3790, 3791, 6005, 6006

Inactive (SORN):
2985, 3508, 3509, 3510, 3511, 3512, 3761, 4803, 4806

3762 has now been placed onto SORN at the end of April.

For those interested in operations here, the following status of active and inactive (SORN due to COVID-19):

Active:
2945, 2946, 2986, 2987, 3756, 3762, 3785, 3786, 3787, 3788, 3789, 3790, 3791, 6005, 6006

Inactive (SORN):
2985, 3508, 3509, 3510, 3511, 3512, 3761, 4803, 4806

Why doesn't Shrewsbury operate any form of Sunday service at all?  The town centre on a Sunday is pretty busy so there is obviously people who want to go to town.  If they were to operate a Sunday service, I think these would be the most suitable routes (based on passenger usage in the week): 1, 11, 24, 25.

There has been Sunday operation over the years but was funded by Shropshire Council, once funding was pulled, so were the services. Oswesrtry even had a two hourly Sunday 70 some years ago.

No doubt to be on the park & rides?

On Harlescott P&R on Friday.

Has it been transferred perhaps?  Must have been short of streetlites on the 4 today as I saw an E200 on there as well.

Had it confirmed elsewhere on loan for a few weeks following the demise of 2768.