Arriva invests £1.7m in more new buses for the Luton and Dunstable area

Arriva is putting into service eleven brand-new buses on its 38 Service which runs between Houghton Regis, Dunstable, L&D Hospital and Luton.

The new buses represent an investment by Arriva of £1.7m and bring the total number of new buses purchased for services in the area to 26 in the last 12 months, a total investment of over £4.5m.

The new buses are Volvo B7 RLE’s with a Wrightbus Eclipse 2 body. They have a 7.3 litre engine and they weigh over 10 tonnes when empty. They each have 46 seats and can carry 61 standing making these the biggest buses in our fleet.

The new buses are fully wheelchair accessible, which allows easy access for disabled, elderly and people travelling with young children, they are environmentally friendly with the latest Euro 5 engines which will mean they are among the cleanest vehicles operating in Luton.

The buses will also be the vehicles that operate along the busway when it opens in 2013, they are fully prepared for the fitment of the guide wheels and with different suspension to offer a smooth ride.

Providing handy links to between Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis as well as schools, colleges and the hospital, the 38 is popular with people travelling to work, school and college.

Arriva’s Managing Director, Paul Adcock, said “I’m delighted that we have once again been able to make a major investment in new buses for our services in Luton and Dunstable, the massive investment in the last 12 months demonstrates a strong commitment to providing everyone in the local area with a quality network of buses, routes and timetables.”

Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities (Strategic Planning and Economic Development) for Central Bedfordshire Council and local ward member in Dunstable, said: “We are really thrilled to be working with Arriva to bring the Busway to life and these new, top-quality buses are a fantastic part of what will be a top-quality service. Linking up Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis is already bringing significant economic benefits to the area. I’m sure that Route 38 will prove to be very popular and using the busway will open up the jobs market to the conurbation.”

Cllr Dave Taylor, Portfolio Holder for environment at Luton Borough Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome the arrival of the new fleet of Arriva buses that will be operating on the Luton Dunstable Busway next year. These modern low-floor buses are efficient, comfortable and well-presented internally and are fitted with Smart Card technology ticket machines.

“We are building the busway in order to dramatically improve journey times across the conurbation, and improve access to work, education, healthcare and leisure facilities. This investment by Arriva forms a vital part of the work going on with partners to additionally improve passenger experience and benefit the environment.”