Belle Vue to up revenue by £1m
Stockport-based operator takes on school contracts previously operated by Selwyns
Belle Vue Manchester has completed a deal which has created 20 jobs at the company and will add £1m to its revenues in a regular year.
The Stockport-based operator has taken over 17 school transport contracts previously operated by Selwyns Travel of Runcorn. The contracts with Transport for Greater Manchester involve schools mainly in the Trafford and Stockport areas. As well as taking pupils to and from school, Belle Vue will also provide transport for educational day trips.
In a regular year, Belle Vue expects the new services to add almost 450,000 passenger journeys to its current total. Financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.
Phil Hitchen, managing director of Belle Vue, said the company continues to seek similar strategic deals to further strengthen its core business.
Belle Vue has added 22 vehicles to its fleet to service the new contracts. Fifteen of the additional vehicles are Volvo Wright Gemini buses from Selwyns. The other seven are Scania OmniCity models acquired from Essex-based Ensignbus. Following the transaction, Belle Vue has created jobs for drivers and maintenance staff, taking employee numbers to 100.
Phil Hitchen said: “Although this is an immensely challenging period, we continue to operate school services for the children of key workers and contracts to take key NHS staff to and from their workplace.
“The sector’s landscape is changing and we have an appetite for further strategic acquisitions from operators thinking of leaving the industry to strengthen our market share.
“With clean air zones, new regulations affecting the sector and now a downturn in trade, operators may be looking for an exit and we can offer a solution.”