1st Sep 2009 15:15
GO-AHEAD ACQUIRES ARRIVA'S HORSHAM BUS INTERESTS
1 September 2009
The Go-Ahead Group plc ('Go-Ahead') is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Arriva's Bus interests in Horsham for a total cash consideration of £5 million. The transaction is due to be completed by the beginning of October 2009.
These interests, which will include a fleet of 19 vehicles and 58 employees, will operate as part of Metrobus, Go-Ahead's bus operation which provides bus services in Sussex, Surrey and Kent including regulated services for Transport for London (TfL).
Commenting on the transaction, Go-Ahead's Group Chief Executive, Keith Ludeman said "The acquisition of Arriva's Bus interests in Horsham provides Go-Ahead with another opportunity to further develop Metrobus' high quality service offer and benefits to passengers".
Ends
For further information, please contact:
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Go-Ahead Group |
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Keith Ludeman, Group Chief Executive |
020 7821 3920 |
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Nick Swift, Group Finance Director |
020 7821 3922 |
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Jim Boyd, Group Corporate Affairs Director |
020 7821 3927 |
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Citigate Dewe Rogerson Limited |
020 7638 9571 |
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Michael Berkeley |
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Angharad Couch |
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Notes to Editors
GO-AHEAD
Go-Ahead is one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transport services operating in the bus, rail and aviation services sectors. Employing over 27,000 people across the country, around 920 million passenger journeys are undertaken on our services each year. In addition to the travelling public, customers include the Department for Transport (DfT), TfL, local authorities, British Airports Authority (BAA) and major airlines.
METROBUS
Metrobus' fleet of over 400 buses runs local services in and around Crawley and throughout parts of Sussex, Surrey and Kent, as well as tendered services for Transport for London (TfL) in Croydon and Orpington.
The TfL league tables, which report operator performance on a range of punctuality and reliability measures, consistently place Metrobus among their highest achievers.
Metrobus operates the acclaimed Fastway service which connects Gatwick Airport, with Crawley, Horley and Redhill through a network of dedicated bus lanes and guideways, shortening journey times and avoiding traffic hotspots. Fastway 10 is one of the most successful night services outside a major city, running a 24-hour service to Gatwick Airport so that customers have an alternative to the car whenever they travel.
The average age of Metrobus' fleet is only 5.3 years, substantially below the industry average and the Government's industry target of eight years.
BUS
Go-Ahead is one of the UK's largest bus operators. With a fleet of over 3,400 buses, we carry, on average, around 1.6 million passengers every day. Our operations are focused on high density commuter markets. We have a strong presence in London where we provide regulated services for TfL. We operate deregulated services in the north east; Oxford; the south east and southern England.
RAIL
The rail operation, Govia, is 65% owned by Go-Ahead and 35% by Keolis. It is the busiest rail operation in the UK, responsible for nearly 30% of all UK passenger rail journeys through its three rail companies: Southern (which includes the Gatwick Express), Southeastern and London Midland. The Southeastern franchise will include the operation of new high speed trains on the domestic Channel Tunnel Rail Link into St Pancras International from 2009, significantly reducing current journey times.
For further information about our rail franchises please visit our factsheets: http://www.go-ahead.com/goahead/ir/factsheets_rail/
AVIATION SERVICES
The Group's aviation services division is one of the UK's largest independent providers of cargo services (primarily Plane Handling), ground handling (primarily Aviance UK) and car parking (Meteor). The division operates from 14 airports and services major airline operators such as British Airways (BA), Virgin and bmi. Market leading services within Meteor include 'Meet & Greet' and 'Pink Elephant' services.
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