Arriva Closes Stafford Garage

It has actually happened Arriva has closed it's garage at Stafford. It had already been downgraded a couple of times to an outstation of Cannock but there has been a bus garage in the town since the 1920's when the fast expanding Midland Red arrived to be joined a few year later by  PMT. Arriva says it has done everything it can to get people on to the buses, and that is true as buses often don't turn up and if one looks at the fares they charge it's hardly surprising the town has a problem with too many cars. On the other hand D&G operate the now combined former Stevenson's and Greatrex service to Great Heywood and on to Uttoxeter which despite it's rural nature one often has to share seats as the buses run almost to capacity at various times of the day. But here after they took it over from Arriva not only did they cut the fares to make them more attractive buses miraculously almost always run to time. A team of regular drivers are also a feature and I cannot count the times they have waited for me when they've seen me running in my heels. Right to the end Stafford had it's own allocation of Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Darts but as can be seen here on August 26th Cannock buses were drafted in to help out like Wright bodied VDL 3740. Final closure was on 2nd September 2016 a day which also saw services at the other end of Staffordshire in Burton on Trent pass to Midland Classic. I think as the Arriva hold weakens we might see more significant changes in the not to distant future especially as First isn't doing a very good job in the Potteries either. Will National Express West Midlands spread it's wings or maybe even Stagecoach might see some potential here especially as they are experts at getting fresh blood out of a dying Stone.