Central Buses

[James4368]

Central Buses have a new Enviro 200 YX64VLZ

https://www.facebook.com/centralbusesfans/photos/a.1511118542453398.1073741828.1509323025966283/1535259736705945/?type=1&theater

[Thomas Davies]

[bwsau cymru]

Looks good, just a shame they keep having these smart demonstrators but still go for the boring generic spec. what routes it planned for?

[Rainman13]

when will X602 be back with central buses

X602EGK ex ensign bus in blue and silver
On Longbridge rail replacement to redditch

[Dutsey]

Does anybody know how the expre55 service is going between Lichfield and Tamworth.

It does seem to be busy but this morning I have noticed that Arriva have really started to push more buses on this route - 2 direct services

I hope they don't squeeze them out!!!

[covlad27]

I often see the x55 with a handfull of passengers on, however a driver on the Arriva x65 said since Central Buses stared the X55 Arriva have seen a 25% increase in their passengers this could be why they are now using 2 buses

[covlad27]

What people forget is Arriva is owned by DB and together are market leaders in transport and logistics.  Throughout the company as a whole including Arriva and DB there is a wealth of expertise and so small companies such as Central we would like to see succeed its only a matter of time before its no longer viable to run the services, a shame for small companies like central

[winston]

What people forget is Arriva is owned by DB and together are market leaders in transport and logistics.  Throughout the company as a whole including Arriva and DB there is a wealth of expertise and so small companies such as Central we would like to see succeed its only a matter of time before its no longer viable to run the services, a shame for small companies like central

Arriva market leaders ??? That must have passed me by.......

The bulk of DB's business was German Rail prior to the Arriva takeover, they are a state owned company that has never had to compete to operate rail routes/franchises in the past. However, their size could be reduced as Germany goes out to tender for various rail contracts and opens up competition. NX Group has already won one German Rail route and I'm sure the likes of MTR, SNCF and Ned Railways will be participating.

What exactly has changed at Arriva since the acquisition by DB? It just seems to be business as usual in the UK.

It's interesting that the appearance of Central Buses X55 has spurred Arriva in to action to introduce a copycat X65 and it now offers reduced ticket prices, where before they made people pay much higher prices.

Similar to Arriva's reactive actions when NXWM won numerous South Staffs Cannock area tenders......

Getting back on topic, I'd view Central Buses being the innovative ones in the example of the 765 vs X55, they introduced brand new route branded buses with Wifi and an express version of the 765 with reduced journey times with cheaper pricing than the incumbent.

[arrifirststage]

What people forget is Arriva is owned by DB and together are market leaders in transport and logistics.  Throughout the company as a whole including Arriva and DB there is a wealth of expertise and so small companies such as Central we would like to see succeed its only a matter of time before its no longer viable to run the services, a shame for small companies like central

Arriva market leaders ??? That must have passed me by.......

The bulk of DB's business was German Rail prior to the Arriva takeover, they are a state owned company that has never had to compete to operate rail routes/franchises in the past. However, their size could be reduced as Germany goes out to tender for various rail contracts and opens up competition. NX Group has already won one German Rail route and I'm sure the likes of MTR, SNCF and Ned Railways will be participating.

What exactly has changed at Arriva since the acquisition by DB? It just seems to be business as usual in the UK.

It's interesting that the appearance of Central Buses X55 has spurred Arriva in to action to introduce a copycat X65 and it now offers reduced ticket prices, where before they made people pay much higher prices.

Similar to Arriva's reactive actions when NXWM won numerous South Staffs Cannock area tenders......

Getting back on topic, I'd view Central Buses being the innovative ones in the example of the 765 vs X55, they introduced brand new route branded buses with Wifi and an express version of the 765 with reduced journey times with cheaper pricing than the incumbent.

It just goes to show that Central,even with the remoteness of their garage,can still compete with Arriva in Staffordshire,yet cannot compete much nearer home against NXWM.
Quite a compliment to NXWM when you think about it.

[winston]

What people forget is Arriva is owned by DB and together are market leaders in transport and logistics.  Throughout the company as a whole including Arriva and DB there is a wealth of expertise and so small companies such as Central we would like to see succeed its only a matter of time before its no longer viable to run the services, a shame for small companies like central

Arriva market leaders ??? That must have passed me by.......

The bulk of DB's business was German Rail prior to the Arriva takeover, they are a state owned company that has never had to compete to operate rail routes/franchises in the past. However, their size could be reduced as Germany goes out to tender for various rail contracts and opens up competition. NX Group has already won one German Rail route and I'm sure the likes of MTR, SNCF and Ned Railways will be participating.

What exactly has changed at Arriva since the acquisition by DB? It just seems to be business as usual in the UK.

It's interesting that the appearance of Central Buses X55 has spurred Arriva in to action to introduce a copycat X65 and it now offers reduced ticket prices, where before they made people pay much higher prices.

Similar to Arriva's reactive actions when NXWM won numerous South Staffs Cannock area tenders......

Getting back on topic, I'd view Central Buses being the innovative ones in the example of the 765 vs X55, they introduced brand new route branded buses with Wifi and an express version of the 765 with reduced journey times with cheaper pricing than the incumbent.

It just goes to show that Central,even with the remoteness of their garage,can still compete with Arriva in Staffordshire,yet cannot compete much nearer home against NXWM.
Quite a compliment to NXWM when you think about it.

Operators struggle to compete against NXWM because of the dominance of their travelcard which is by far the most popular over anything NWM offer. Unless they can find a NXWM route that takes high proportions or cash fares & OAP passes, they're always going to struggle.

[the trainbasher]

Am I right in saying too that the bigger the empire, the higher the overheads?

[winston]

Am I right in saying too the bigger the empire, the higher the overheads?

Yes. The big empires have far more back office staff & management that all need paying, larger premises, higher utility costs etc which is a big mouth to feed. The big empires can benefit from negotiating cheaper rates for fuel & insurance due to buying in bulk. But the smaller operates have a far simpler company structure with fewer people that need paying.

[andy]

Am I right in saying too the bigger the empire, the higher the overheads?

Yes. The big empires have far more back office staff & management that all need paying, larger premises, higher utility costs etc which is a big mouth to feed. The big empires can benefit from negotiating cheaper rates for fuel & insurance due to buying in bulk. But the smaller operates have a far simpler company structure with fewer people that need paying.

But of course larger operators can afford to run 'loss leaders' where smaller ones can't sustain that type of activity for long.

Central have been very innovative with the express service, but the residents of Whittington may disagree. The 765 was one of the few examples of a commercial service that used it's overall margins to effectively subsidise a regular and reliable service for a rural area that otherwise wouldn't sustain it.

[John]

Central Buses have a new Enviro 200 YX64VLZ

https://www.facebook.com/centralbusesfans/photos/a.1511118542453398.1073741828.1509323025966283/1535259736705945/?type=1&theater

Now in fleet livery and on the 89 today

[Solo1]

central new 1 in Walsall  https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanjack/15331970542/