Double deckers on Arriva Sapphire route

Following successful passenger growth on one of its recently upgraded Sapphire routes, Arriva Southern Counties is adding two Enviro400 double-decks to the fleet.

Demand for Service 480/490 which provides links across the Kent Thameside area from Gravesend to Dartford has grown since the service was introduced in October and the company is now adding the vehicles to increase capacity. It will also be seeking customer comments about the use of double-deck buses on the route for the first time in many years.
Marketing Manager for Arriva, Richard Lewis, said, ‘We have found that demand for our two Sapphire services, the 480/490 in Kent Thameside and the 101 between Maidstone and the Medway Towns, has significantly increased once people find out about the extra features that Sapphire offers to improve their journey experience. We have just added another six brand-new Sapphire Enviro400s to work the 101, joining six similar buses that were new last September, and between them representing an investment of £2.4m.’