Arriva Trains Wales DVT at Cardiff Central by Jeremy Segrott.jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, England.Companies House extract company no 347103
It was established in 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. and through a number of mergers and acquisitions was rebranded Arriva in 1997 and became a subsidiary of
Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...
in 2010. Arriva operates bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus services in 14 countries across Europe. As of September 2018, it employed 61,845 people and operated 2.4 billion passenger journeys annually. It operates as three divisions: UK Bus, UK Rail and Mainland Europe. Deutsche Bahn announced in 2019 they wished to sell Arriva, but the sale was placed on hold as of November in that year.


History

The company was founded by T. S. K. Cowie in
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in 1938 as a second-hand motorcycle dealer trading as T. Cowie Limited.History and growth
Arriva
In 1948 the business was re-launched by
Tom Cowie Sir Thomas Cowie (9 September 1922 – 18 January 2012) was an English businessman who was the honorary Life President of the Arriva Group, formerly known as Cowie Group plc. Career Cowie Group Cowie's father, Thomas Stephenson Knowles Cowie ...
, the founder's son, still selling motorcycles.Background
Sir Tom Cowie
T Cowie plc was floated in December 1964, and in 1965 it bought out the first of many car dealerships. In 1972, it formed Cowie Contract Hire, which became the largest contract hire business in the UK. In 1980 T. Cowie made its first foray into bus operations, buying the Grey-Green operation in London from the George Ewer Group."How Arriva arrived in the Capital"
''Focus Transport'' February 2012
In 1984, T. Cowie p.l.c. acquired the Hanger Group, which included Interleasing, a large vehicle leasing business.History
Masterlease
Further leasing companies acquired were Marley Leasing, RoyScot Drive and Ringway Leasing. Following the retirement of Tom Cowie, the company was renamed Cowie Group plc in April 1994. As part of the privatisation of London bus services, Cowie Group acquired the Leaside Buses and South London Transport business units in September 1994 and January 1995. Cowie p.l.c. bought United Automobile Services and British Bus in July and August 1996, both of which had acquired a number of privatised bus companies. As a result of these transactions, in October 1996 Cowie Group was reclassified on the stock exchange from a motor dealer to a transport group. In November 1997, the company was rebranded as Arriva p.lc. In that year it also bought Unibus in Denmark, its first venture outside the United Kingdom. In June 1999, Arriva sold its vehicle-hire business to
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
. In February 2000 Arriva purchased MTL Holdings, which included its first UK rail franchises, Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit. In 2002/03 Arriva sold its motor-retailing businesses and in February 2006 it sold its vehicle-rental business to Northgate. In April 2008 the LNWR train maintenance business in England was acquired. In 2010, it was reported that the government-owned railway companies of France (
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
) and Germany (
Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...
) were considering making takeover bids for the business. SNCF subsidiary Keolis and Arriva entered discussions regarding a merger, but in April 2010 Deutsche Bahn made a takeover offer for Arriva at £7.75 a share (£1.585 billion). The takeover was approved by the European Commission in August 2010, conditional on Deutsche Bahn disposing of some Arriva services in Germany.DB/Arriva
European Commission 11 August 2010
The takeover took effect on 27 August 2010, and Arriva was delisted from the London Stock Exchange on 31 August 2010. In late 2011, Arriva acquired Grand Central"Arriva in Grand Central Railway takeover"
. ''BBC News''. 4 November 2011.
and sold its Arriva Scotland West bus operation."Arriva exits Scotland with Sale to McGill's"
''Bus & Coach Professional'' 14 December 2011
In May 2013 Arriva purchased Veolia Transport's Central European business with 3,400 vehicles."DB acquires Central European business operations from Veolia"
. Deutsche Bahn. 16 May 2013.
"Arriva takes Veolia business"
''Bus & Coach Professional'' 20 May 2013
"Arriva takes the lead in central and east Europe"
. ''Passenger transport''. 22 May 2013.
Arriva changed its logo in January 2018. In March 2019, DB announced that it would be selling Arriva through either a sale or possible public flotation and invited companies interested in acquiring it to register expressions of interest by 3 May, but by mid-November the sale was placed on hold.


Current operations


Croatia


Bus

In May 2013, Arriva entered the Croatian bus market with the purchase of Panturist Veolia Osijek ( Veolia Transport Central Europe) with 120 buses. In August 2017 Arriva took a 78.34% share in Autotrans Group (ATG), thus becoming the number one private bus operator in Croatia


Czech Republic

Arriva group bought three medium-sized bus transport companies (Transcentrum Bus s.r.o., Bosák Bus s.r.o. and Osnado s.r.o.) in 2006 and 2007 end established its own rail transport company Arriva vlaky s.r.o. in 2009. These four companies are owned through Arriva holding Česká republika s.r.o. which is owned by the Dutch company Arriva Coöperatie W.A. (majority of 99.9% since 2008). In July 2013, the current Veolia Transport Česká republika a.s. with its four subsidiary companies fell under Arriva group as Arriva Transport Česká republika a.s. The daughter companies were simultaneously renamed and rebranded as Arriva Praha s.r.o., Arriva Teplice s.r.o., Arriva Vychodni Cechy a.s. and Arriva Morava a.s. They operate primarily buses (it is the biggest bus transport operator in the Czech Republic) but also trolleybuses in Teplice (Arriva Teplice) and Desná Railway (Arriva Morava). The two Arriva holdings in the Czech Republic have not any direct interconnection yet. Moreover, the Arriva group operated in the Czech Republic also through the German rail transport company Vogtlandbahn GmbH. Former Abellio's companies Probo Bus and PT Real, purchased in December 2013, are owned by DB Czech Holding s.r.o. which is owned by German DB Mobility Logistics AG.


Bus and coach

In December 2006, Arriva purchased Transcentrum Bus, operating services in Mladá Boleslav District of the Central Bohemian Region, north east of Prague. In January 2007 Arriva acquired Bosák Bus, which operates to the south west of Prague and the Příbram District of the Central Bohemian Region. In November 2007 Arriva acquired Osnado, which operates bus and coach services in the north of Hradec Králové Region in East Bohemia, in the foothills of Krkonoše mountains. The three bus companies retain their original names but with the Arriva corporate logo and livery. At the turn of 2014/2015, Bosák Bus s.r.o. was merged with Transcentrum Bus s.r.o. and Transcentrum Bus s.r.o. renamed to Arriva Střední Čechy s.r.o. In July 2013,
eolia Transport Aeolia or Eolia may refer to: * Aeolia daughter of Amythaon and wife of Calydon *Aeolia (mythical island), the mythical floating island (''nesos Aiolios'') visited by Odysseus in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Aeolis or Aeolia in Anatolia *Thessaly or Aeoli ...
Česká republika a.s. was purchased with its four subsidiary companies which were renamed Arriva Morava, Arriva Praha, Arriva Teplice and Arriva Východní Čechy. These four companies are owned by holding company Arriva Transport Česká republika. It also operates trolleybuses in Teplice (Arriva Teplice) and trains in Desná Railway (Arriva Morava). In December 2013, Abellio's Probo Bus and PT Real operations were purchased with 110 buses. As at November 2016, Arriva operated 1,960 buses in the Czech Republic.Arriva Czech Republic
Arriva


Train

German rail transport company Vogtlandbahn, owned by Arriva since 2004, operated several train routes in the Czech Republic as a subcontractor of České dráhy (München – Regensburg – Hof – Plzeň – Praha, line VB2 Zwickau – Plauen – Bad Brambach – Františkovy Lázně – Cheb – Mariánské Lázně, line VB8 Marktredwitz – Schirnding – Cheb) and
GW Train Regio GW Train Regio is a Czech railway company mainly engaged in the operation of passenger rail transport on regional lines. History The company was formed from the passenger divisions of Viamont, a Czech rail operator. In 2008, Viamont Regio a. ...
, formerly Viamont (line VB1 Zwickau – Klingenthal – Kraslice – Sokolov). Since December 2010, Vogtlandbahn operates under its own name the line Trilex (Liberec – Zittau – Varnsdorf – Rybniště/Seifhennersdorf). After Arriva was bought by Deutsche Bahn in 2010, Vogtlandbahn was resold to the Italian state railways
Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...
together with Luxembourg infrastructure fund Cube. Between September 2013 and December 2013, Arriva vlaky tried operating a commercial service from
Praha Masarykovo nádraží Praha Masarykovo nádraží (Prague Masaryk railway station) is a terminal railway station near Republic Square (náměstí Republiky) in the New Town area of Prague, Czech Republic. It was the first railway station in the city to serve steam ...
to Kralupy nad Vltavou in competition with subsidised lines of České dráhy. The company did not succeed with its effort to gain a subsidy for it to continue. Four trains on the local Desná Railway, operated by Connex Morava (lately Veolia Transport Morava) since 2002, were taken over by Arriva Morava in July 2013. In March 2016, Arriva introduced a weekly service from Praha to Trenčín in Slovakia and daily service from Praha to Benešov. It has applied to increase this to twice daily from December 2016.


Denmark


Bus

In September 1997, Arriva purchased ''Unibus''. In March 1999, Arriva Denmark expanded with the acquisition of ''Bus Danmark'' In April 2001 Arriva acquired Denmark's largest bus operator, ''Combus'' with 1,200 vehicles. In August 2004, Arriva purchased ''Wulff'', which operated buses in Jutland and Copenhagen. In 2007, Arriva acquired ''Veolia Denmark'', then Denmark's second largest bus operator with 640 buses. Arriva operates 50% of bus services in Copenhagen and 40% throughout Denmark.


Train

In mid-2002, Arriva began to operate services on the Varde to
Nørre Nebel Nørre Nebel is a town in southwest Jutland with a population of 1,316 (1 January 2022).Jutland. In March 2009 Arriva was awarded a new franchise until December 2018. Arriva operates 17% of the Danish rail network.


Waterbus

In 2000, Arriva began operating waterbuses in Copenhagen's harbour.


Hungary


Bus

In April 2008, Arriva purchased an 80% shareholding in Eurobus Invest, Hungary's largest private bus operator, which operates services in Hungary and Slovakia."Arriva moves into Hungary and Slovakia"
. ''Bus & Coach Professional''. 23 April 2008.
In 2009, Arriva purchased the remaining 20%. Arriva is in a joint venture with Videoton Holding operating as VT Transman. In May 2013, VT Transman began operating two bus contracts in Budapest for eight years. This will see 150 Mercedes-Benz Citaros added to the 225 bus fleet. The joint venture now operates under the VT-Arriva brand.


Italy


Bus and coach

In July 2002, Arriva purchased ''SAB Autoservizi'' and ''SAF - Società Autoservizi Friuli-Venezia Giulia'' operating in
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
, Liguria and
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...
regions of northern Italy. In May 2004, Arriva expanded into the Udine area of the
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...
region, buying 49% of 500 bus SAF, exercising an option in December 2005 to increase its stake to 60%. In October 2005, Arriva began operating in the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta regions of
northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
with an 80% shareholding in SADEM, increased to 100% in 2008. In 2006 Arriva purchased a 35% share in Trieste Trasporti, increased in 2007 to 40%. In June 2007, Arriva entered a joint venture with Ferrovie Nord Milano to purchase 49% of 317 bus SPT Linea, which was then renamed ASF Autolinee. In 2008, it took control of Brescia-based ''SAIA Transporti''.


Netherlands


Bus and coach

In January 1998, Arriva purchased ''Vancom Nederland'' followed in December 1998 by ''Veonn & Hanze''.Netherlands
Arriva
Arriva Timeline
Arriva
In June 1999, it formed a joint venture with Nederlandse Spoorwegen to operate bus services in Friesland, taking 100% ownership in 2003 and renaming it Arriva Openbaar Vervoer. In 2003, it won further work in
Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...
and
Province of Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn; fry, Grinslân) is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. It borders on Friesland to the west, Drenthe to the south, the German state of Lower Saxony to the east, and the Wadden Sea to the north. As of Feb ...
. It won further contracts in 2005 in Drenthe and Waterland and later in the Drechtsteden, Alblasserwaard, Rivierenland, Meierij, Oost-Brabant, and Vijfheerenlanden areas. In 2009, Arriva lost the contracts in Drenthe and Groningen upon retendering but in 2010 won a contract in Achterhoek and retained the Rivierenland contract. From December 2012 Arriva won the contract for
South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
North, around Leiden,
Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
and
Gouda Gouda may refer to: * Gouda, South Holland, a city in the Netherlands ** Gouda (pottery), style of pottery manufactured in Gouda ** Gouda cheese, type of cheese originally made in and around Gouda ** Gouda railway station * Gouda, Western Cape, a s ...
and in Friesland around Leeuwarden. It recently acquired most of Limburg in December 2016 both bus and train systems.


=Contracts

=


Train

Arriva established the joint venture with Nederlandse Spoorwegen in 1999 a public transport company
NoordNed NoordNed Personenvervoer B.V. (English translation Network North) was a public transport company operating trains and buses in the north and northeast of the Netherlands. Founded in 1999 as a joint venture by Arriva and Nederlandse Spoorwegen, a ...
op, taking 100% ownership in 2003, and dropping the name NoordNed two years later. In 2005 it secured a 15-year contract to operate trains from
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
to Leeuwarden, Delfzijl,
Roodeschool Roodeschool (Gronings: ''Roschoul'') is a community situated in the northeast of Groningen province in the Netherlands and forming part of the municipality of Het Hogeland. It had a population of around 860 in January 2017. Roodeschool's railway ...
and
Nieuweschans Bad Nieuweschans (also ''Lange Akkeren''; ; Gronings: ''Nij-Schans''; German: ''Bad Neuschanz'') is a village in the north-eastern Netherlands on the border with Germany. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fort ...
. It also secured a contract to operate trains from Leeuwarden to Harlingen Haven and to
Stavoren Stavoren (; fry, Starum; previously Staveren) is a city in the province of Friesland, Netherlands, on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Hindeloopen, in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren had a population ...
. Later that year it secured a contract to operate trains from Dordrecht to Gorinchem and on to
Geldermalsen Geldermalsen () is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Town of Geldermalsen The town centre of Geldermalsen contains a two-aisled Gothic church dating from the 15th century, with a Romanesque tower ...
(
MerwedeLingelijn MerwedeLingelijn is the name of the train service in the Netherlands between Geldermalsen and Dordrecht, on the western part of the Elst–Dordrecht railway. Train services were operated by Arriva until 8 Dec 2018, when Qbuzz took over. Since ...
). In 2012 Arriva commenced operating trains in the Achterhoek and between Zwolle and Emmen. These services operate under the
Spurt Spurt may refer to: * Secretory protein in upper respiratory tracts, a gene encoding a secretory protein * Spurt (Dutch Railways), a trade name for certain Dutch Rail routes See also * * * Blood spurt * Growth spurt, the increase in bone growth ...
brand. On 21 June 2013, Arriva was selected to operate a new service between The Hague and Brussels. Service was set to start in December 2015, but the project was cancelled in 2014 because the involved parties could not agree upon a final business case and because NS reactivated the original service to Brussels, making the new Arriva service unnecessary. It recently acquired most of Limburg in December 2016 both bus and train systems.


=Contracts

=


Bus and train combination

The Province of Limburg awarded a contract in June 2015 to Arriva to provide for the entire public transport (buses and five regional rail lines) in Limburg from December 2016 up until 2031.
Abellio Abellio (also Abelio and Abelionni) was a god worshiped in the Garonne Valley in Gallia Aquitania (now southwest France), known primarily by a number of inscriptions which were discovered in Comminges, in the Pyrenees. He may have been a god of ...
has originally been named the preferred bidder, but after it was discovered Abellio had gained some information that was not available to the other bidders, the contract was withdrawn. Another tenderer, Veolia, announced they will object to the decision of the province.


Poland


Bus

In May 2013, Arriva entered the Polish market through its acquisition of Veolia Transport Central Europe with 840 buses.


Train

Arriva formed Arriva PCC, a joint venture with
PCC Rail DB Cargo Polska (formerly DB Schenker Rail Polska and PCC Rail) is a Polish company operating mainly in rail freight transportation. It is presently owned by the German state railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB). The primary materials transported by ...
in December 2006. In December 2007 Arriva commenced operating services on all non-electrified lines in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. In June 2010 Arriva took 100% ownership of the business and renamed it Arriva RP.Arriva Poland
Arriva
In December 2010 Arriva RP won a 10-year extension. In December 2013, Arriva will start operating trains on four electrified lines in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship for two years with 12 existing trains.


Portugal


Bus and coach

In November 2000, Arriva purchased ''João Carlos Soares e Filhos'', ''Viação Costa & Lino Lda'', ''Ami-Transportes'' and ''Abílio da Costa Moreira & C Lda'' who were running inter-urban local bus services in the north west of Portugal.Arriva Portugal
Arriva.
In June 2002, Arriva bought a 51% shareholding Transportes Sul do Tejo, a scheduled bus and coach operator in the growing commuter region south of
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. In September 2003, Arriva exercised an option to buy the remainder of the company. In May 2006, Arriva acquired a 21.5% share of leading transport company ''Barraqueiro'', with bus and rail operations in and around Lisbon, increasing the shareholding in January 2008 to 31.5%. In December 2021, Arriva Portugal announced the closure of its operation by the end of the year.


Serbia


Bus

In May 2013, Arriva entered the Serbian bus market with the purchase of Veolia Transport Central Europe (Veolia Transport Litas in Požarevac and Veolia Transport Luv in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
) with 250 buses. In January 2015, Arriva commenced operating bus services in Niš with 33 buses.


Slovakia


Bus

In July 2008, Arriva entered the Slovak bus market with the purchase of an 80% share in Eurobus Invest. In July 2015, it purchased SAD Liorbus and SAD Trnava. Coach services are operated under the Arriva Express brand. by November 2016, Arriva was employing 2,390 people and operated 1,335 buses. Later, Arriva also bought the bus companies Veolia transport Nitra, SAD Nové Zámky, SAD Michalovce. In 2021, Arriva won a 10-years contract to operate IDS BK regional buses in
Bratislava Region The Bratislava Region ( sk, Bratislavský kraj, , german: Pressburger/Bratislavaer Landschaftsverband (until 1919), hu, Pozsonyi kerület) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. Its capital is Bratislava. The region was first esta ...
via its subsidiary Arriva Mobility Services s.r.o.


Slovenia


Bus

In May 2013, Arriva entered the Slovenian bus market with the purchase of Veolia Transport Central Europe (Veolia Transport Štajerska, Veolia Transport
Dolenjska Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the n ...
and
Primorska The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...
) with 270 buses.


Spain


Bus

In July 1998, Arriva purchased ''Ideal Auto Sociedad Anónima (IASA)'' followed in September 1999 by ''Transportes Finisterre'', both in
Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...
. Their services cover three of the four provinces in the region: A Coruña,
Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...
and
Ourense Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...
, including part of the famous Santiago pilgrimage route. In January 2002, Arriva commenced operating in
Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
with the purchase of ''Autocares Mallorca'' and ''Bus Nord''.Arriva Spain
Arriva
These operate on the northern and western parts of the island, linking the capital
Palma Palma or La Palma means palm in a number of languages and may also refer to: Geography Africa *Palma, Mozambique, city ** Palma District *La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, Spain **La Palma (DO), a ''Denominación de Origen'' for wines from the ...
with towns such as Soller, Inca and
Alcúdia Alcúdia () is a municipality and township of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the main tourist centre in the North of Majorca on the eastern coast. It is a large resort popular with families. Most of the hotels ...
. In 2007, Arriva acquired ''Autocares Fray Escoba'' and ''Esfera'' in Madrid. In July 2008, Arriva acquired ''Empresa de Blas y Cia'', which operates routes between Madrid and southwestern cities in its metropolitan area (
Alcorcón Alcorcón () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. as of 2020, it had a population of 172,384. Geography The municipality, largely flat, lies at an average altitude of 711 metres above sea level, with the h ...
, Móstoles, Villaviciosa de Odón,
Navalcarnero Navalcarnero is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located about from Madrid. Sights include the church of Inmaculada Concepción. History By the end of 1499 the city of Segovia founded the location of Navalcarnero, to put an en ...
...), and between those cities.


United Kingdom


Bus and coach

Arriva operates 5,900 buses in London, the north east, north west and south east of England, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales.


Patient transport

Arriva Transport Solutions provides non-emergency ambulance services, typically to convey disabled patients to and from hospital out-patient appointments. These services, formerly provided by ambulance services are now awarded by competitive tender. The company has been running these services in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland since 2012. A report by the Care Quality Commission in 2014 said that patients were "often" arriving late for appointments, and taxi drivers with "poor attitudes" being used when other resources were unavailable.
Following its successful bid over the rival North West ambulance service for non–emergency transport, in Greater Manchester Arriva admitted it had submitted incorrect performance figures which had earned it a £1.5 m bonus. Arriva had been the subject of many complaints about its service. Comparisons were drawn with misreporting in the UK Serco scandal and MPs said the Serious Fraud Office may need to be involved.


Train

Arriva has operated a number of rail franchises in the UK since
privatisation Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
in 1996 through its subsidiary, Arriva UK Trains. It gained its first franchises in February 2000. Arriva UK Trains currently runs a number of
train operating companies A train operating company (TOC) is a business operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993. The ...
: *
Arriva Rail London Arriva Rail London is a train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operates the London Overground concession on behalf of Transport for London. History In April 2015, Transport for London placed a notice in the ''Official Journal ...
: operates London Overground, concession runs until May 2024 *
Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Railw ...
: operates services on the Chiltern Main Line, franchise runs until December 2027 *
CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
: operates long-distance cross-country routes, franchise runs until October 2023 * Grand Central:
open-access operator In rail transport in Europe, an open-access operator is a train operating company that takes full commercial risk, running on infrastructure owned by a third party and buying paths on a chosen route and in countries where rail services run under ...
with services on the
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...
purchased in November 2011
Arriva TrainCare Arriva TrainCare (formerly LNWR) is a railway rolling stock maintenance company. Formed in 1993 by Pete Waterman, it is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. History In 1993, Pete Waterman formed LNWR to provide maintenance for locomotives and roll ...
(previously LNWR) operates train maintenance depots at Bristol, Cambridge,
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
, Eastleigh and Newcastle. Following the purchase of Arriva by Deutsche Bahn in August 2010, Arriva UK Trains expanded to take over Deutsche Bahn's existing
DB Regio DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany. DB Regio AG, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn Group and there part of the DB Regio bus ...
UK division which consisted of
Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Railw ...
, Tyne & Wear Metro and London Overground Rail Operations. Arriva UK Trains wishes to expand the number of UK Rail businesses it operates by developing open access operations and successfully bidding for further
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
rail franchises."Rail Professional interview: Bob Holland"
''Rail Professional''. October 2011.
Alliance Rail Holdings continues to develop new open access proposals following the rejection of its initial plans by the Office of Rail Regulation in 2011. During 2011/12 Arriva's applications to bid for the
InterCity West Coast InterCity West Coast (ICWC) was a 1997–2019 railway franchise in the United Kingdom for passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line (and branches thereof), between London Euston, the West Midlands, North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Carlis ...
,
Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city ser ...
, Essex Thameside and Thameslink franchises were all rejected by the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
. Following this run of failure Arriva was publicly critical of the government's prequalification process and called for it to be abolished. However Arriva was subsequently shortlisted for the Greater Western, Crossrail, Caledonian Sleeper and
ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...
franchises.


Former operations


Germany


Bus

In February 2005, Arriva purchased Sippel, a bus operator in the Rhine Main.Annual Report 31 December 2004 Arriva In May 2006 Verkehrsbetriebe Bils was purchased followed in December 2006 by 80% of NeiBeverkehr.Annual Report 31 December 2006 Arriva


Train

In April 2004, Arriva purchased Prignitzer Eisenbahn Gruppe which operated five franchises. In October 2004 a 77% shareholding, increased later in the year to 93%, was purchased in Regentalbahn. In 2007, Arriva purchased an 85% shareholding in Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen. As part of the takeover of Arriva by
Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...
, Arriva's German railway operations were sold to
Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...
to comply with a European Commission condition. These are now branded as
Netinera Netinera (formerly Arriva Deutschland) is a railway company operating in Germany. It was founded as a subsidiary of British Arriva plc in 2003 and initially headquartered in Hamburg. After the acquisition of Regentalbahn in 2004, the company's se ...
.


Malta


Bus

In July 2011, Arriva commenced operating a ten-year concession to operate all scheduled bus services on Malta and
Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...
. Arriva held a 67% shareholding with the local
Tumas Group The Tumas Group is a real estate and development company in Malta, founded in the 1970s by Tumas Fenech (deceded 1st February 1999). The group is today headed by Raymond (Ray) Fenech. Tumas Group is active in online gaming, hospitality and leisu ...
owning the remaining 33%. The main fleet of Arriva Malta was formed of 172 new King Long buses. These were supported on high-density routes by 68 former Arriva London Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaro articulated buses. Ten hybrid Optare Solos and two Bluebird mini-buses for use in the city of Valletta were also purchased. An assortment of the newest buses from the former owner/driver pre-July 2011 operation were also acquired and refurbished to bring them broadly into line with the rest of the fleet. This included the fitting of air conditioning and CCTV equipment and rebranding into standard Arriva livery for daily use alongside the main fleet. These included buses built by SCARNIF, MCV, BMC, King Long and Saracakis among others, with the main common factor being that they are all fully automatic and low floor designs. Arriva has been harshly criticised both by commuters and by the government agency Transport Malta for consistently failing to keep up standards. On 14 November 2012, Arriva was harshly reprimanded by Transport Malta and given until the end of the month to bring up all its routes to 100% efficiency before TM deploys its own shuttles at Arriva's expense. In August 2013, the Government of Malta instructed Arriva Malta to remove the articulated buses from service, pending investigation following three major fire outbreaks in the span of 48 hours. The fires destroyed the buses and in one case caused extensive damage to some nearby vehicles belonging to
MaltaPost MaltaPost p.l.c. is the postal service company in Malta. The public limited company took over the postal services previously carried out by Posta Limited, and started operating on 1 May 1998. History MaltaPost p.l.c. was registered with the Malt ...
, the country's postal operator. Nobody was injured in these incidents. Like in the UK when the same buses had caught fire, these buses became a popular joke in conversations and social media sites. By the end of December 2013 Arriva had run up losses of €50 million in two and a half years. On 1 January 2014, Arriva ceased operations in Malta, with the services nationalised by the Maltese government as
Malta Public Transport Buses were introduced to Malta in 1905. As well as providing public transport across the country, up until 2011, the traditional Malta bus (Maltese: '' xarabank'' or ''karozza tal-linja'') served as a popular tourist attraction due to their uniqu ...
. Upon being tendered, the services were taken over by ALSA.


Sweden


Bus

Arriva operated bus lines in southern Sweden/The Skåne Region from 1997 when it purchased ''Unibus'' of Denmark.Arriva Sweden
Arriva
Arriva operated bus lines in certain municipalities in the
Stockholm County Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...
:
Sigtuna Municipality Sigtuna Municipality (''Sigtuna kommun'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Märsta, approximately north of the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The municipality is a part of Metropolita ...
,
Upplands Väsby Municipality Upplands Väsby Municipality (''Upplands Väsby kommun'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, with a population of 38,963 (2010). Its seat is located in the town of Upplands Väsby. The municipality was created in connec ...
and Vallentuna Municipality from the 1st of March 2009 until the 21st of June 2019. In Ekerö Municipality, traffic started on the 1st of March 2009 however Arriva won this contract again in 2019. The E32 contract which was procured in 2019 had three contesters Arriva who came on first place, Nobina who came on second place and Transdev who came on third place. In August 2012 Arriva began operation in western Stockholm with 255 buses under a 12-year contract with the regional transport authority.Arriva gears up for start of services in Stockholm
Arriva Sweden 10 August 2012
In January 2013 a further 229 buses were added.
Deutsche Bahn 8 January 2013
When Arriva took over the Roslagen Light Rail and bus traffic in the Roslagen area of Stockholm, there was total chaos. Arriva's failure to follow the contract resulted in a fine of 174 million kronor. Arriva operated services in the Halland Region from June 2010, partly taking over services from Swebus. In July 2022, Arriva sold all of its Swedish bus operations to VR Group with 800 buses.Finland's VR Group acquires Arriva Sweden
''International Railway Journal'' 24 March 2022
VR completes acquisition of Arriva Sweden
''International Railway Journal'' 7 July 2022


Train

In June 2007, Arriva won a nine-year franchise for the '' Pågatåg'' regional rail services in
Skåne County Skåne County ( sv, Skåne län, link=no ), sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the most southern county, or , of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronobe ...
, south Sweden. In 2009, Arriva expanded its rail operations in the country with a new contract operating the between Göteborg and Örebro. In December 2010, ''DB Regio Sverige AB'' started to operate regional trains in
Östgötapendeln Östgötapendeln is a commuter rail system that stretches from the historical provinces Östergötland into Småland in Sweden. Östgötapendeln started its operation June 12, 1995 with the line Norrköping-Linköping-Mjölby-Tranås. In 201 ...
. In November 2011, the company was renamed ''Arriva Östgötapendeln AB''. From August 2012, Arriva has operated the Stockholm light rail systems Cross Light Rail, Nockeby Light Rail, Lidingoe Light Rail and Saltsjoe Light Rail. In January 2013, Arriva commenced operating the Roslagen Light Rail in the north of
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. In July 2022, Arriva sold all of its Swedish rail operations to VR Group with 238 trains.ref name=IRJ070722/>


United Kingdom


Bus

* Arriva Scotland West sold to
McGill's Bus Services McGill's Bus Services is a bus operator based in Greenock, Scotland.The Original Tour Tootbus London, formerly The Original Tour is a London bus tour operator using open-top double-decker buses. It also holds the franchise to run City Sightseeing's London tour. Based in Wandsworth, it is a subsidiary of RATP Dev. History T ...
sold to
RATP Group RATP may refer to: Transportation: * RATP Group, or ', a public transport operator based in Paris, France * RATP Iași (), a transit operator responsible for public transportation in Iași, Romania * RATP Ploiești (), a transit operator responsi ...
in September 2014 * Arriva Horsham sold to Metrobus in 2009


Train

*
Arriva Trains Merseyside Arriva Trains Merseyside was a train operating company in England owned by Arriva that operated the Merseyrail Electrics franchise from January 1997 until July 2003, when the Merseyrail railway franchise was transformed into the local Merseyrai ...
ran urban rail services on Merseyside from February 2000 until March 2003 *
Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company in England owned by Arriva that operated the Regional Railways North East franchise from March 1997 until December 2004. Arriva resumed operating Northern train services again on 1 April 2016 ...
ran local rail services in Northern England for the Regional Railways North East franchise from March 1997 until December 2004 *
Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales (ATW; cy, Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales, ...
: operated the majority of rail services in Wales, the Wales & Borders franchise ran from 7 December 2003 until 13 October 2018. * London Overground Rail Operations 50/50 joint venture with MTR Corporation, operated London Overground concession from November 2007 until November 2016, now operated by
Arriva Rail London Arriva Rail London is a train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operates the London Overground concession on behalf of Transport for London. History In April 2015, Transport for London placed a notice in the ''Official Journal ...
* Arriva Rail North: operated from 1 April 2016 until 29 February 2020 * Tyne & Wear Metro operated from April 2010 until March 2017 * Wrexham & Shropshire joint venture open access operation (50% shareholding). Ran services between Wrexham and London, ceased January 2011 due to lack of profitability


Branding

Prior to being rebranded as Arriva in November 1997, the Cowie fleets generally were still trading under their pre-privatisation names with individual liveries. As part of the rebranding the operations were renamed as Arriva Derby,
Arriva Fox County Arriva Midlands East, is a bus company operating services in Leicestershire. It is a trading division of Arriva Midlands which is a subsidiary of Arriva plc which is itself owned by the government of Germany through Deutsche Bahn. History ...
etc. A uniform livery of aquamarine (pantone 321) with a cream coloured semicircle at the front with a yellow skirt and signwriting was adopted. This livery was adopted by most by Arriva's European acquisitions as well as
Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company in England owned by Arriva that operated the Regional Railways North East franchise from March 1997 until December 2004. Arriva resumed operating Northern train services again on 1 April 2016 ...
and
Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales (ATW; cy, Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales, ...
. The same livery was applied to the Arriva London fleet albeit with red in lieu of aquamarine to comply with a Transport for London requirement for buses to be 80% red. London vehicles are now painted all-over red to comply with Transport for London's amended requirements. In the mid-2000s, an aquamarine livery with less cream, a dark blue skirt and yellow stripe was adopted for some longer distance services in the United Kingdom. The first buses to carry this new style were 3 Northern Counties Palatine II DAF DB250s based at the Gillingham garage for routes 700/701 between Medway Towns and Bluewater. Dubbed the interurban livery, in September 2009 it was decided to adopt this livery as standard for all UK buses. Most European operations retain the old livery, although some Czech buses have also received it. In December 2008 Arriva Trains Wales unveiled a dark blue livery on its
Mark 2 Mark 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In this chapter, the first arguments between Jesus and other Jewish religious teachers appear. Jesus heals a paralyzed man and forgives his sins, m ...
carriages, this has since been adopted as its standard livery. Exceptions to standard livery include: * Arriva Denmark – Yellow and blue (following Sydttrafik, Midttrafik, Nordjyllands Trafikselskab and Movias own colour schemes) * Arriva London – red livery specified by Transport for London * Arriva Mobility Solutions (Slovakia) - red livery according to
IDS BK IDS may refer to: Computing * IBM Informix Dynamic Server, a relational database management system * Ideographic Description Sequence, describing a Unihan character as a combination of other characters * Integrated Data Store, one of the first da ...
specifications *
Arriva Rail London Arriva Rail London is a train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operates the London Overground concession on behalf of Transport for London. History In April 2015, Transport for London placed a notice in the ''Official Journal ...
– white, orange & blue livery specified by Transport for London * Arriva Rail North - white & blue livery specified by
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
* Arriva Stockholm – Red and blue specified by SL *
Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Railw ...
– existing white & blue livery retained, superseded in 2013 by a white & silver livery *
CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
– maroon, grey & pink * Grand Central – existing black & orange livery retained * Green Line Coaches – light & dark green *
Glasgow Flyer The Glasgow Flyer was a branded airport bus service in Glasgow, Scotland. It connected Glasgow Airport to central Glasgow, operating as a shuttle bus via the M8 motorway. In Glasgow city centre it operated from the Buchanan bus station, also ...
– white, green & black * – white with red logos *
Spurt Spurt may refer to: * Secretory protein in upper respiratory tracts, a gene encoding a secretory protein * Spurt (Dutch Railways), a trade name for certain Dutch Rail routes See also * * * Blood spurt * Growth spurt, the increase in bone growth ...
– red and white * VT-Arriva, Hungary – light blue *
Wardle Transport Wardle Transport was a bus operator based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Formed in 1963 as Jack's of Norton, it expanded from 2001 to operate a network of local bus routes using over 60 vehicles. Arriva purchased the company in Dece ...
– Arriva livery but with red in lieu of aquamarine * Yorkshire Tiger – Yorkshire Tiger branded vehicles are mainly orange with the exception of Tiger Blue and Flying Tiger which are blue *
Transportes Sul do Tejo Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Sapphire brand for premium services in the UK, in similar fashion to Stagecoach Gold with buses fitted with leather seats and WiFi.


Suppliers

Arriva Bus & Coach was a bus and coach dealership based in
Gomersal Gomersal is a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south of Bradford, east of Cleckheaton and north of Heckmondwike. It is close to the River Spen and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. History Gomersal was attested ...
, England. Established in 1951 as Stanley Hughes, it was purchased by the Paul Sykes Group in 1982 and the Cowie Group in 1988. It sold primarily Plaxton bodied coaches, and was a
DAF Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly Iranian) frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbe ...
dealer. Hughes DAF was rebranded to Arriva Bus & Coach in 1998 and is now the main dealer for Temsa and Van Hool. coaches in the UK as well as more recently Ilesbus. In June 2020, it was announced the company would restructure to significantly downsize. During January 2021, it was announced Arriva Bus & Coach would close on 31 March 2021.Bus and Coach dealership announces closure date
''Coach & Bus Week'' 12 January 2021


References


External links


Arriva official website
{{Authority control Arriva Group companies Auto dealerships of the United Kingdom Bus operating companies Bus transport in Spain Companies based in the City of Sunderland Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Private providers of NHS services Public transport operators Transport companies established in 1938 Transport operators of the United Kingdom 1938 establishments in England