Update on Arriva 85 Bus Service

Published: 28 February 2023

Following ongoing concerns raised by users of the Arriva 85 bus route, representatives from the Parish Council met with Arriva’s General Manager for Leicestershire. The key points from the meeting are:-

That Countesthorpe residents should be reassured that there is no intention to cut the 85 service. Arriva consider it to be one of their profitable bus routes. They are intending to use a number of their newly introduced buses onto the route so passengers should see these soon. It is hoped that the introduction of these buses will reduce the number of incidents of buses breaking down which can result in a bus being missed out. In response to queries raised by residents as to whether smaller buses should cover the 85 route, Arriva have confirmed that these are no more economical to run than a standard double decker bus. They also confirmed that they would not cancel a bus for monetary reasons.

Arriva have explained that, now the South Wigston depot has closed, it can take 40 minutes to repair a replacement bus or if a driver phones in to say that they have broken down. This is why a replacement bus does not arrive. However, it should be that the next bus arrives on time.
With regard to the bus timetable, Arriva have redesigned their website to make it easier to access up-to-date timetables. Visit www.arrivabus.co.uk and under ‘Services and Timetables’ search for the 85 under the Download Timetable page. Printed copies of the timetables are available from the Village Hall. (Arriva no longer provide printed copies of the timetable – however their customer services provide braille and large print copies) When a driver calls in with an issue, Arriva’s commercial team make every effort to list the bus as ‘cancelled’ on their systems so that it displays as cancelled in real time on the website and App. Arriva acknowledges that it can be difficult for people without a smartphone etc to be aware of this. They also cannot display changes to the timetable on the bus as each bus can be moved to a different service.

There is currently a national shortage of bus drivers and Arriva have been carrying out works to restructure their recruitment process to speed or the recruitment process. There is currently a number of new drivers in the pipeline who are currently receiving their training. Arriva has also recruited additional drivers from agencies. Arriva has a small number of reserve drivers ready at the start of the day but sometimes the number of drivers that can call in sick can exceed the number of reserve drivers. There is also a national shortage of qualified and apprentice engineers.

Arriva have reassured that buses are not missing Countesthorpe out of its route, unless planned due to roadworks etc. Arriva has investigated arising from complaints raised about this as they can track the buses. The tracking systems show that these incidents were planned due to road works along the routes and were planned and updated on the website and app accordingly. It is recommended that if you think that this has occurred that you record a complaint to Arriva’s Customer Services department on 0344 800 44 11 and they can check the tracking of that particular bus.

David Findlay, Senior Constituency Assistant MP Alberto Costa MP will liaise with Leicestershire County Council to establish if their real time bus timetables at the bus stops can be upgraded as they are not currently communicating with the Arriva buses’ systems. Alberto Costa has received a petition of 200 signatures which indicates the strong feeling of Countesthorpe residents for the need for the 85 bus service.

A trial timetable is currently in place with an additional evening departure to Countesthorpe. Arriva will carry out an analysis of statistics in June to establish whether the trial timetable will continue.