A surge in demand has led to an expansion of our flagship red arrow coach service which provides an express connection between Nottingham, Derby and Chesterfield.

Since we made a £1 million investment in new coaches earlier this year, the improved red arrow has attracted around 9,000 extra customers per month and ticket sales are continuing to rise despite the difficult economic climate.

As a result, we've introduced further timetable improvements with more evening buses and Commercial Director, Alex Hornby, explained: "You can hardly travel for more than a few minutes on the A52 without seeing one of our distinctive red arrow coaches.

"The message is certainly getting across that it provides a quick, comfortable and more environmentally friendly alternative to the car."

Alex said features such as air-conditioning, leather seats and free wi-fi had contributed to the success of the service, along with a range of innovative ticket deals.

"In recent months we have reached agreements with other bus operators in the region and Nottingham Express Transit, the company behind the city's trams," he continued. "These agreements enable day ticket customers to travel on red arrow for just £2."

The new evening buses, which will run approximately every half hour, complement the existing daytime schedule, which has buses operating every ten minutes between the two cities and every 30 minutes to Chesterfield.

"This continuing success is a great tribute to the red arrow team who have made it their business to make people feel so welcome," added Alex.