Arriva plans to sell its Colchester depot, buses and staff to First Bus, with First running routes 1, 2, 3 and 8 from 20 December if the CMA approves.

Arriva plans to sell its Colchester bus depot to First Bus, and First would take over the town’s routes 1, 2, 3 and 8 on Sunday 20 December. Arriva announced the plan on Monday 12 October. The sale still needs approval from the Competition and Markets Authority.

If the deal goes through, the depot, the buses and everything else at the site move to First Bus. So do all the staff who work there. Arriva’s last day running buses in Colchester would be Saturday 19 December.

That comes from Arriva’s own Colchester depot update, published on its website.

Which routes are affected

Arriva says the four services run from the depot “will be maintained”. The routes are listed in the national bus open data, as shown on bustimes.org:

Route Runs between
1 Shrub End and Greenstead
2 Horkesley Heath and Highwoods
3 Colchester and Greenstead
8 Highwoods and Monkwick

Between them they serve Greenstead, Highwoods, Mile End, Shrub End, Monkwick and the city centre.

What Arriva said

Arriva said the sale followed “a detailed review of the operation”. It called it a difficult decision and said it was “not a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our colleagues in Colchester”.

The company said selling to First Bus “gives customers continuity of service and gives colleagues better job security”. It added that it would keep running services until the transfer takes place.

What still has to happen

The Competition and Markets Authority has to clear the sale first. First already runs buses in and around Colchester as First Essex, so after the sale the two networks would have one owner.

We checked the CMA’s published merger cases on 15 October. No case for this deal had been opened yet. If the review is not finished in time, the 20 December date could move.

First Bus has not published its own statement on its website. We will add it when it does.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Arriva says customers “should not expect any changes in the short term”, and its buses keep running until 19 December.
  • Routes 1, 2, 3 and 8 continue. Arriva says they will be maintained after the handover. It has not said whether timetables or fares will change later, and that would be for First to decide.
  • Think before buying a long ticket. Arriva’s notice does not say whether its season or period tickets will be accepted by First after 19 December. Check with Arriva before buying one that runs past that date.
  • Christmas travel. The handover lands in the week before Christmas. Our Christmas trains and buses page will carry the festive timetables once the operators publish them.

The council is also consulting on a new bus station on the old Queen Street site, with a last drop-in on Wednesday 21 October. Our bus station story has the details.