A £1 million investment by trent barton is set to create 15 new jobs as well as increase the frequency of services on the firm's most popular route.
celebrating the launch Managing Director, Jeff Counsell (left) and Commercial Director Alex Hornby with driver Sue Blount wearing the exclusive new red arrow uniform.
trent barton has introduced five new, high specification coaches that will run on its flagship red arrow route providing an express service between Nottingham, Derby and Chesterfield.
The company's Commercial Director, Alex Hornby, believes the buses and a new 'turn up and go' 10-minute timetable between Derby and Nottingham will also provide a welcome boost to the local economy.
"The red arrow is already very popular, clocking up more than 75,000 customer journeys every month and, as well as creating new jobs, we hope this investment will lead to even more people visiting shops and businesses in the two cities and Chesterfield," he explained.
"We feel it is important to invest now so that public transport can continue to offer people realistic, sustainable travel options, whilst ensuring we are well-equipped when the economy improves.
"The new vehicles benefit from the latest, environmentally friendly engines and have been luxuriously appointed with leather seats, tables and air conditioning. Customers with laptops or other mobile devices can also work or browse the internet whilst on board thanks to free wi-fi."
The red arrow now runs every 10 minutes between Derby and Nottingham, replacing the previous frequency of every 15 minutes. Meanwhile the service between Derby and Chesterfield - which also stops in Alfreton and Ripley - has been doubled from every hour to a coach running every 30 minutes, with the Sunday timetable between Derby and Chesterfield also doubled to now run hourly.
The Derby-Nottingham Sunday timetable continues to run every 30 minutes, in addition to late coaches also running every 30 minutes until 3:30am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Added Alex: "Thanks to its use of the A52, travelling non-stop between Derby, the QMC and Nottingham and with lengthy bus lanes in and out of the cities, we can often beat the car not just on speed but on price too, when you consider the expense of city centre parking and the rising costs of fuel and insurance.
"Independent market research has shown that our friendly, dedicated team of red arrow drivers, along with vehicle cleanliness and punctuality are the key reasons why people use the service and we hope the expanded product will prove a huge success."
Prior to launch of the new timetable, visitors to Derby, Nottingham and Chesterfield were given the opportunity to look around the latest additions to the trent barton fleet during a series of 'red arrow HITS THE SQUARE' events. In Derby this included a family fun day that featured a range of outdoor games and entertainment.