Green Line changes
Arriva’s Green Line coach service between Luton and London is set to change on 30 June. Set to be introduced are a revised timetable; new commuter links direct from Stopsley, Leagrave and Marsh Farm; and a new ticket for commuters, day-trippers and families. The round-the-clock 757 service will be running seven days a week and to a half-hourly frequency for the main part of the day between Luton Rail Station, the town centre, Stockwood Park and London. The move follows developments earlier this year that saw Arriva take legal proceedings against Luton Airport following its decision to give the contract to operate services to the airport to National Express, who took over the running of services to the facility on 1 May 2013. Arriva claimed the Spanish-owned London Luton Airport Operations Ltd (LLAOL) is trying to block coach travellers from using the 30 year old 757 service by offering the rights to National Express. Arriva claims easyBus’s new service from central London to the airport, which also started on 1 May, contradicts LLAOL’s position of preventing other operators like Arriva in favour of an ‘exclusive’ operator.
Despite this disagreement, Arriva is to run extra coaches to and from London at peak times. Another new feature is the inclusion of free bus travel on all Arriva services in the Luton and Dunstable area with some Green Line tickets. This will apply to commuters’ Season Tickets and also to the Green Liner Plus ticket. New ten trip fares are also being introduced for people travelling regularly but not always five days each week. All coaches are fitted with free Wi-Fi, air conditioning and reclining seats and stop at Brent Cross, Finchley Road, Baker Street, Marble Arch and Victoria for easy access to London’s bus and tube network. Arriva has also arranged with some of the main tourist attractions in the capital for Green Line customers to have two-for-one entry.
Arriva’s MD, Paul Adcock, said, ‘We have taken the opportunity to make some changes to our popular Green Line service between Luton and London which are designed to appeal both to commuters and to day trippers visiting the capital. Our new range of Green Line tickets allows customers to start their journey on our local buses in and around Luton and Dunstable at no extra cost, and the extension of some journeys to start in outlying areas is expected to be popular with commuters who will be able to get on the coach near their home and then sit back and relax until they reach London. With free on-board Wi-Fi our customers will be able to make the most of their journey by chatting to friends, checking their emails, browsing the internet or doing some online shopping. Amongst our new range of tickets is a £30 family day return ticket for up to two adults and two children travelling together which really cuts the cost of travel to London and some of the commuter tickets work out at less than £51 per week.’