Arriva Yorkshire announces that 37 brand new, more environmentally friendly, buses will go into service from the 26th June, as part of an £8m investment. The buses on the current Castleford 163/166 and 189 routes, as well as the Heckmondwike 254/255 route will all be replaced with new state- of-the art buses carrying Arriva’s new livery and offering free WiFi, USB sockets and comfy e-leather seating. The 163/166 will also have audio-visual next stop announcement installed.
Jon Croxford, area managing director, for Arriva Yorkshire said: “This is an incredible proud moment for Arriva as we put another multi-million pound investment into the network and increase the journey experience for our customers.”
With the new buses going live onto these three routes it also enables the local bus company to upgrade the buses on the Wakefield 444/446 & 425/427 routes. These will go into service towards the end of July/early August. All new buses will carry Arriva’s new bright and vibrant livery which will then be gradually rolled out across the region, on all new and refurbished buses.
To celebrate the launch of the new buses Arriva will host a free Family Fun Day at its Castleford depot on Sunday 25th June between 11am and 3:30pm. On the day members of the public can get an exclusive preview of the buses before they go into service. Whilst everybody can jump on board and have a look around, a lucky few will also have the opportunity to be the first to ride these new buses on the day around Castleford on a special tour.
Referring to the Family Fun Day, Croxford added: “We hope as many people as possible come to have a look around and see the new buses. Dewsbury Bus Museum have also kindly offered to bring along their 1967 Castleford Leyland Panther bus to showcase alongside our new vehicles. As well as being able to get on the buses and have a look around we’ll also be offering a free BBQ, giant hog roast, fun fair stalls, live music and face painting. It promises to be a great day and a magnificent celebration of our investment into West Yorkshire.”