Press releases

• Photocall: Gwyneth Dunwoody MP, Mr Neville Price, Chairman, Cheshire County Council and Mr Tom Balshaw, operations director for Arriva North West and Wales, to launch 12 brand new buses for Cheshire.
• Meet : 12.45pm at Brewers Fayre, London Road, Leftwich, near Northwich.

A brand new fleet of buses has been unveiled by Gwyneth Dunwoody MP, as part of a drive to provide better public transport links and increase bus use in Cheshire.

The 12 new buses will be operated by Arriva, who in partnership with Cheshire County Council, have received government Kickstart funding of almost £1 million towards the project. Further contributions from Arriva and the local authority have resulted in an investment of over £3 million.

The new vehicles will be used on services between Northwich, Winsford, Leighton Hospital and Crewe.

All the buses are low floor vehicles, meaning easier boarding for senior citizens, wheelchair users and mums with pushchairs. CCTV cameras have also been fitted to ensure customer safety.

They have the new Plaxton Centro Body on a VDL SB 120 chassis.

Tom Balshaw, operations director for Arriva North West and Wales, said:

Earlier this year, Cheshire County Council and Arriva carried out a route and branch review of bus services in Cheshire. We made a number of improvements, such as the increased service to Leighton Hospital, and this has now been complemented by the new buses.

It's a real boost for Arriva to have the support of the government and Cheshire County Council as we continue to enhance our network in the region.

Cheshire County Council Chairman Neville Price said:

This was the second largest amount awarded for the Kickstart project in the country and was supported by borough and parish councils.

Over the next three years it will greatly enhance bus travel between Northwich, Winsford and Crewe, as we aim to attract more people out of the car and onto public transport.

As part of the partnership, the County Council will also be upgrading bus stops along the route to provide a high quality waiting environment.

• Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in mainland Europe, employing nearly 33,000 people and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year.
• Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in eight European countries: Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
• Arriva is the largest private bus operator in Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands and is London's largest bus operator.
• Revenue from Arriva's mainland European operations has doubled in the past three years to £621.2 million.
• Arriva was the first UK transport company to become a signatory of the European Road Safety Charter.