FirstGroup has completed its acquisition of London bus operator RATP Dev Transit London Ltd and its subsidiaries. The Acquisition sees First re-enter the London bus market and is part of its strategy of growing and diversifying its revenue base. RATP London is one of the principal bus operators in London, with a c.12% market share. […]
Go-Ahead has acquired Oxfordshire-based Pearces Coaches. Pearces Coaches will join Go-Ahead as part of the Oxford Bus Company and follows acquisitions in the Oxford and Gloucestershire region including Pulhams and Swanbrook coaches. Go-Ahead has grown its coach services and is now one of the largest coach operators in the UK with over 400 coaches. Its […]
The Coach Travel Group has appointed Ian Fraser as Regional Managing Director of London and the South East region. A well-respected professional in the coach travel industry with over 30 years’ experience, during which time Ian led the growth of Kent-based The Kings Ferry and National Express Transport Solutions. Ian has extensive experience in managing […]
Alex Strawbridge has been named the FlixBus UK Driver of the Year 2024, operating services with operator partner Cymru Coaches. Originally from Swansea, Alex received the highest ranking of all drivers on the fast-growing UK FlixBus network last year, and is the first Welshman to win the award. 40-year-old Alex joined Swansea-based operator Cymru Coaches as a […]
The tax burden on SMEs has rarely been as great, and hiked further by the additional National Insurance added by the current government. Added to the legislative burden, the cost and additional paperwork required from each coach and bus operator – and a myriad other businesses – is truly epic, and showing no sign of […]
Unite says its members will strike at First in Hampshire, and again for seven days in March, claiming that a pay deal has been imposed on drivers. The union claims that First has offered workers just over a 4% pay deal and refused to reinstate many terms and conditions that were removed during the Covid […]
Following the end of Megabus routes into England, National Express is filling the void in a new partnership with Scottish Citylink. NatEx is expanding its network from 25 February with frequent daily services connecting hundreds of destinations in England and Wales with Scottish cities, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. John Boughton, Commercial […]
Alexander Dennis has taken a firm order from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for 58 of its Enviro400EV zero-emission buses. The electric buses are expected to join the city region’s current fleet later this year. Publicly owned by the Combined Authority, they will be operated by a commercial bus operator ahead of the introduction […]