Stretching the MAX

Launched in September 2014 as the first ‘Grand Yorkshire Connection’ MAX route, Arriva’s 268 has been extended beyond Dewsbury. It now provides a link between Bradford and Wakefield with a host of new intermediate journey opportunities. The Wakefield extension operates up to every 20 minutes, whilst the core Bradford to Dewsbury section retains its frequency of up to every ten minutes. The peak vehicle requirement has been increased with five additional vehicles to MAX standard. These vehicles feature refreshed exteriors, ambient interiors, high backed leather style seating, free Wi-Fi and journey planning technology.

The extended service was formally launched by Titan the Robot during a promotional event at Trinity Wakefield where one of the vehicles was on show. As part of the launch, Arriva Yorkshire announced the names of the four winners of the ‘268 MAX stars’ competition where passengers were asked to let the company know ‘Where does your Grand Yorkshire Connection take you?’ The winners; Aiden Fryer who catches the bus to his local line dancing class in Wakefield, Shirley Ann-Prior who visits the local supermarket where she buys her gran’s weekly shop, Jeff Holt who uses the bus with his guide dog Sam, and Jonathan Steel who uses the bus to explore new places, will now have images of themselves and their entries displayed on the entrance to buses.

Regional MD for Arriva Yorkshire, Nigel Featham, said, ‘Our passengers are at the heart of everything we do, and what better way to recognise the local communities we serve by inviting four customers to be the stars of the show! Our depots are very proud of the fact that they help keep the region moving and this competition really celebrates that.’