Bamford on brink of deal to save Wrightbus
Following a breakthough in talks last week, a team has been resident in the bus manufacturer’s factory in Ballymena, preparing to restart production Frozen in time: A glimpse inside the dormant Wrightbus factory At the time of writing the last stage in lifting Wrightbus more or less intact out of administration was awaiting...
Bold new vision for a billion more bus users
The Confederation of Passenger Transport’s plan contains a range of new commitments from the industry and desired actions from government Bus operators have unveiled a bold new strategy to improve services in England, help tackle climate change and get a billion more passenger journeys by bus by 2030. It contains a range of...
Translink networks record patronage boost
Passenger numbers have increased across Northern Ireland’s public transport networks according to new figures released by Translink With the introduction of Glider services connecting East Belfast to West Belfast and to Titanic Quarter, Metro passenger journeys grew to over 30 million Belfast’s Metro bus services recorded a 7.1% increase in passenger journeys last...
Scotland to spend £500m on bus priority
Bus operators welcome commitment to invest in improved infrastructure – ‘it is fantastic to see buses at the heart of the Scottish Government agenda’ First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with pictured Scottish bus operators ahead of the PfG announcement The Scottish Government this week announced a “landmark investment” of £500m to improve bus infrastructure...
Boris Johnson – I will transform bus services
Prime minister Boris Johnson declared his love for buses during a speech in Manchester and pledged to support delivery of ‘London style bus system’ Prime minister Boris Johnson declared local bus services to be among his government’s domestic priorities in a speech in Manchester last month. Johnson told an audience at the city’s...
Wrightbus reviews its options for the future
Company appoints Deloitte to advise on investment options Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus has appointed financial advisors Deloitte to find potential investors. It is understood that this could also ultimately lead to a sale. A number of turnaround funds have been approached to canvas their interest in ploughing tens of millions of pounds into...
Go-Ahead to spend £3m on Manchester operation
Group sets out priorities for Go North West David Cutts, left. David Brown, right Go-Ahead has announced plans to invest £3m in its recently acquired bus operation in Greater Manchester. Formally launching the new Go North West operation at a special stakeholder event this week, group chief executive David Brown committed to the...
Virgin brands UK rail market ‘uninvestable’
Group explores open access opportunities in Spanish rail market Virgin is expected to hand back the keys to the West Coast franchise next year Virgin Group says it intends to explore opportunities outside the UK following the collapse of its bid to operate the West Coast Partnership franchise with Stagecoach and SNCF. It...
FirstGroup coup fails, but chairman departs
Shareholders decline Coast Capital’s proposals, but Wolfhart Hauser leaves the group following ‘a very clear shot across the bows of the board’ Wolfhart Hauser FirstGroup avoided an overhaul of its current board of directors after shareholders this week voted against proposals put forward by activist investor Coast Capital. All of the resolutions put...
Summit offers a glimpse of the future
Scania’s futuristic NXT concept was on show at the Global Public Transport Summit in Stockholm this week, where public transport was hailed as ‘the art of the future’ Scania’s NXT More than 15,000 public transport professionals from around the world were offered a glimpse of the future in Stockholm this month. Exhibiting on...
First Bus for sale, but group faces showdown
Activist investor Coast Capital will attempt to unseat FirstGroup’s board at meeting in London later this month, as group plots sale of UK bus business FirstGroup’s board faces a showdown with activist investor Coast Capital at an extraordinary general meeting in London later this month. The gathering at 2pm on June 25 at...
£320m sale of ADL will ‘boost global growth’
Alexander Dennis Limited has been sold to a North American bus builder, but boss Colin Robertson is staying on to lead new international expansion Colin Robertson (left), pictured in Edinburgh with Paul Soubry, NFI’s President and CEO The UK’s largest bus builder, Alexander Dennis Limited, claims that its sale to Canada-based NFI Group...
