Go Ahead Goes for Arriva? (3)

London Country --> Arriva --> Kent Country

It is worth remembering that many of the bus routes in the Dartford area were run by London Transport's green buses ...

... others in West Kent by Maidstone and District.

Arriva became the dominant operator post deregulation by acquiring both.

As well as the 477 (yesterday's blog) GoAhead has taken over FOUR other ex-Arriva routes, but this time indirectly.

A longer distance route from Gravesend to Sevenoaks ..,

... was a well established Arriva service.

Arriva could not make a go of the service commercially, so, out to tender it went. The latest incumbent was Redroute ,,,

... who lost out to GoAhead's burgeoning Kent Country business.

The timetable is somewhat messy Monday to Friday, less so on a Saturday.

But you would guess that not many passengers would willingly sit on a 308 for a one hour and forty minutes full length journey!

For some time the 414 was also part of Arriva's network ...

... but not destined for huge passenger numbers. Its commercial service ceased to be replaced by a tender won by Redroute buses.

The route has been stable since Arriva's day ...

... and now joins the Kent Country (KC) catalogue.

The 416 and 417 were treated as a pair, again by Arriva.

Back in the heady days when helpful leaflets were printed (as opposed to today's unhelpful on-line offering) ...

... you also had a map!

Both routes started from Bluewater shopping paradise; or is it the shopping home to the prophetic burning fires that never go out?

Both routes were later with Redroute ...

... and both have now passed to KC.

 

The 416 heading is misleading. The main service runs from Vigo ...

... with only occasional short journeys Monday to Friday operating from Meopham. The 417 is straightforward but infrequent.

A bit of a modern mystery were the Darts 1 and 2 with a school trip as Dart 3.

These  services only started in May 2025 ...

... operated by 1st Bus Stop. The company explained just over a year ago.

fbb assumes that the present timetables have not changed, nor is there any obvious record as to why the company lost out to KC.

Dart 1 serves areas to the west of Dartford Town Centre ...

... whereas Dart 2 strikes out towards Temple Hill on roads that used to be part of an estate called Joyce Green.

1st Bus Stop still trades running numerous school services in North Kent area with just one all day route, namely the 489 to New Ash Green.

Unsurprisingly, the 489 was once operated by ...

... Arriva!

So we see a steady decline in the Arriva business now supplanted by an uprising from GoAhead Kent Country.

When, do our readers think, might Arriva sell their declining Kent business to GoAhead?

There are rumblings!

 Next Ecclesiastical bus blog : Weds 11 Nov 

Go Ahead Goes for Arriva? (2)

 Arriva Withdraws ...

The 477 has been around for a long time. It was a London Transport country (GREEN) bus as seen above, snowbound at Hextable. Here is an RT in traditional country bus livery.

And fbb thinks this is an ex Green Line double deck coach. 

It carries the London Country brand. The Southern end terminus does vary over the years.

London Country South East was sold to Arriva ...

... who continued the route as per this Robert Munster timetable

The rot set in when Arriva pulled out of Bluewater, terminating at Dartford.

The Go Companies Get Going

Then along came GoCoach of Sevenoaks and started a competitive 477 between Dartford and Swanley.

So Arriva walked away announcing the closure of the long-standing 477.

Confused? Have a Map!

Reading from top right to bottom left we have Dartford. Hextable (snow), Swanley (GoCoach terminus)! Chelsfield and Orpington. Bluewater is due east of Dartford, just off the map.

Then up pops a new company (or is it just a "brand"?).

This is a GoAhead operation, managed via GoAhead London and based in the Fastrack depot at Dartford.

This runs HOURLY seven days a week ...

.... whilst Arriva's 477 was half hourly. BUT GoCoach were there going as far as Swanley. 

The two "competitors" have a joint day ticket ...

... which shows a measure of common sense way beyond normal for the UK bus industry!

We have to assume that the 477 was/is a success; So it should come as no surprise thar GoAhead, a k a Kent Country, should win a clutch of local authority tenders. 

After all, there us a ready-made Fastrack depot ...

... part of the industrial area served by the ieTrams.

fbb will prognosticate tomorrow.

 Next Dartford Plus blog : Tues 10th Nov 

Go Ahead Goes for Arriva? (1)

Blog Berra Dhyworth Kernow

fbb is blogging from somewhere in Cornwall, easily located on the  above map extract. 

So here goes with a possibly prophetic posting about ...

GoAhead won the contract to operate ...

... Fastrack, based on Dartford in Kent. For those unfamiliar with the scheme, it was a network of bus only roads, bus gates and bus priorities along a riverside strip which includes vast swathes of housing ...

... Bluewater Shopping Centre ...

... the huge Darent Valley Hospital and, later ...

... an Amazon mega warehouse.

The latter was the cause of a big bus bludner when GoCoach of Sevenoaks won a contract to provide enhanced services for Amazon ...

... route AZ. Largely this was a frequent service in addition to the equally frequent Arriva network.

The AZ was dramatically cut back to a shift change 'works' service ,...

... whilst the 'normal' Fastrack A service (RED) was diverted to call at Amazon.

It was all a bit of a disaster darling!

Then, in November 2024, GoAhead took over with a 15 year contract. Initially the company used vehicles from other fleets ...

SN61 BKZ (above) was from GoAhead London.

But the contract was for trendy "ieTram" vehicles (they are not trams!) ...

... which eventually appeared; although the articulated version did not find favour, or more importantly, budget!

But they are electric with rooftop charging gubbins ...

... so even more trendy.

The present network from Dartford is straightforward, with the original A and B routes ...

... now reduced ro every 12 min ... joined by the 'works' AZ and a half hourly night services N ...

... all bring well publicised in the latest map.

Services to the east have changed as the development developed, but, as this was supposed to be a brief blog to enable fbb to at least acknowledge the presence of his hosts (!), further nformation will follow in due course.

But, in tomorrow's posting, the old bloke speculated on this question. 

With a substantial presence in Dartford for Fastrack, what might the opportunities be for GoAhead to continue to go ahead with its Kent business?

 Next Dartford Plus blog : Mon 9th Nov