Go-Ahead steers bus expansion
Monday November 23 2009
Transport group Go-Ahead on Monday said it had tabled a £20 million local bus service bid as it looks to reinforce its regional footprint.
Go-Ahead said it had made the offer for Plymouth City Bus (PCB) after being named as the preferred bidder by the city's council.
PCB operates a fleet of 173 buses and 11 coaches and carries around 14 million passengers a year in a network around the area.
The bus operator, which is currently owned by Plymouth City Council, took £17.6 million in revenues in the financial year to March 31.
Go-Ahead said PCB employs 485 staff and is based at a site located in the Milehouse area of the city.
Completion of the deal is subject to full council approval, expected at the end of this month.
Go-Ahead operates around 3,500 buses carrying an average 1.6 million passengers every day in London and the South East, the North-East and Oxford.
In recent months the firm has increased its business in the South, with an acquisition of Arriva's bus interests in Horsham, with services to Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
It also bought East Thames Buses from Transport for London in July.
The firm, which employs around 27,000 people across the country, also operates the Southern, Southeastern and London Midland rail franchises.
Press Association
