Dazzling new bus fleet for Durham

• Arriva to make unprecedented investment in new buses forDurham
• 27 new buses and 27 refurbished buses to start service in oneday
• Durham bus users 'impressed' following trial of newbus

A renewed bus fleet introduced by Arriva is set to change toface of public transport in the city. Some 27 new and 27refurbished buses will start service – and all in one day.

The state-of-the-art new vehicles will feature car-like levelsof comfort including seating with headrests, tinted windows and adistinctive new 'look and feel' giving an improved ambience and abetter travelling experience.

The investment of around £3 million will mean thatArriva's full Durham fleet will be low floor easy access –well before the target, set by Government, of 2017. And all the newbuses will feature CCTV.

Arriva has already trialled an unbranded new vehicle inDurham, to test reaction from customers. 'Feedback received bydrivers was terrific',

said Arriva North East managing director Steve Noble.

They liked the accessibility, comfort and smoothness ofthe ride. And that's what our investment is about, improving ourcustomers' journey experience and encouraging more people to trythe bus.

By introducing so many new vehicles into service at onetime, in one place, we will change the face of public transport inDurham overnight.

Arriva has plans to improve services in July tocoincide with the arrival of the new buses.

This will build on the success of our networkimprovements last year and help us to encourage more people to takethe bus

said Steve Noble.

Working in partnership with Durham County Council, furtherbenefits to bus users will include the provision of information atbus stops and the introduction of real time information at stopsacross the county. Improvements will be made to the central busstation, which will be ready for the introduction of the newbuses.

Chris Tunstall, deputy chief executive (Environment and ChangeManagement) at Durham County Council, said:

This is great news for public transport users anddemonstrates the commitment of Arriva in working in partnership forthe provision of a first class bus service in CountyDurham.

Steve Noble said:

We have chosen Durham to receive this investment as webelieve the area is ripe for bus passenger growth and the newvehicles will complement our comprehensive, easy to understandnetwork.

Our investment here reinforces our commitment toproviding people with real transport options and represents a stepchange for the future of public transport in Durham.

Arriva is also investigating route branding on buses to helppromote specific services in Durham. And, to ensure that the newfleet is well maintained, Arriva is investing in improvements tothe engineering facilities at its Durham garage.

Notes to Editors

• The new vehicles will be introduced in July 2005. Furtherdetails of the launch event will follow.
• Arriva plc is one of the largest transport servicesorganisations in Europe, providing more than one billion passengerjourneys every year.
• Arriva is one of the UK's largest bus operators, with over6,000 vehicles serving customers in the North East, North West andSouth East of England, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Scotland andWales.