Go-Ahead Ireland has been awarded a new contract from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to more than double the number of routes it will operate within the Greater Dublin Area.   

A new five-year agreement, extendable for a further two years, will see Go-Ahead Ireland expand to provide services on 65 routes across the Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area (ODMA) and progress its net-zero ambitions.   

Go-Ahead Ireland has been working in partnership with the National Transport Authority since 2018 to provide reliable, punctual and accessible services to their customers in the Greater Dublin Area.  

Last year, Go-Ahead Ireland served 22.5 million customers, a 20% increase on the previous year, and achieved the highest customer satisfaction within public transport in Dublin. Go-Ahead Ireland has also supported its community with initiatives including apprenticeship programmes, partnerships with national and local charities such as Down Syndrome Ireland, and five years of sponsorship of Dublin GAA. 

Under the new contract, Go-Ahead Ireland will:  

• Expand its network to 72 routes, including 65 ODMA routes aligned with the NTA’s BusConnects Network Redesign programme. 

• Add over 150 buses to its fleet, with plans to electrify its Ballymount depot in the future. 

• Open new depots, including in Ballycoolin, Dublin and Kilpedder, North County Wicklow. 

• Recruit for new team members including a focus on female bus drivers   

Speaking on the contract announcement, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said: “This agreement represents a significant investment in the future of public transport in Dublin and delivers on commitments set out in the Programme for Government. Expanding services and improving connectivity are central to our climate and mobility goals, ensuring that more people have access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable transport options.” 

Adding to this, newly appointed NTA CEO Anne Shaw said: “This contract is a key milestone in our BusConnects programme and in our broader vision for public transport in Dublin. By partnering with Go-Ahead Ireland, we are ensuring that passengers benefit from modern, efficient, and customer-focused services. Our goal is to make public transport the first choice for more people, reducing congestion and emissions while improving quality of life.” 

Dervla McKay, Managing Director, Go-Ahead Ireland, added: “We have a long-term commitment to our customers in the Greater Dublin Area, and we’re delighted to be able to serve even more members of our growing community. Our continued partnership with the NTA means we’ll create more jobs, advance our journey to net-zero, and continue offering reliable, punctual and accessible services. 

Go Cornwall Bus, part of Go South West, will be expanding its services across Cornwall following First South West’s decision to withdraw all bus operations from the county after 14 February 2026.

Recognising the importance of maintaining essential bus connections, Go Cornwall Bus is working in close collaboration with Cornwall Council to design a revised but comprehensive network. The intention is to ensure that people across Cornwall can continue to access bus services for work, education, healthcare, leisure and visiting friends and family.

This builds on Go Cornwall Bus’s long-standing commitment to the communities it serves, and its focus on reliable, accessible and trusted public transport across the county.

Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Go South West, said: “Cornwall is our home, and we are committed to protecting the bus services that so many people rely on. We will be introducing a revised but comprehensive network that keeps every community connected. Our priority is to ensure that any area currently served by First South West continues to have access to bus services.”

Martin Dean, Managing Director, UK Regional Bus, Go-Ahead, added:“We’re dedicated to keeping communities connected, whether that means introducing new routes, stepping in when other operators withdraw, or strengthening existing networks. We fully support the team at Go South West as they prepare for this important transition in Cornwall and are proud of the leadership and care they show for their communities.”

Go-Ahead has a strong track record of stepping in to support communities when other operators end services. Recent examples include the introduction of the ‘Kent Country’ network following Arriva’s withdrawal of Route 477, the expansion of Carousel Buses’ operations in High Wycombe after Arriva depot closures, and earlier interventions by Morebus and Bluestar in Bournemouth, Poole and Southampton. This experience means the Group is well placed to support Go South West through the transition in Cornwall.

Following Arriva’s recent decision to withdraw Route 477, an essential transport link between Orpington and Dartford, Go-Ahead Group will step in to serve local communities under the new brand name ‘Kent Country’, ensuring that no one along the route is left without access to vital bus services.

The closure, announced in early September, would have left residents without access to important destinations, including schools and places of work. Kent Country will ensure that the local community continues to have reliable connections to these key locations along the route.

Kent Country will operate from the Fastrack depot, providing continuity for customers. Services under the new operator will begin on 26 October 2025.

Isobel Hedley-Jones, Head of Fastrack, said: “We recognise the vital role this route plays in connecting people to essential destinations, and we are committed to supporting the community through this transition. The introduction of Kent Country will provide a seamless handover and a dependable service for passengers who rely on this route every day.”

Laura Trott MBE, MP for Sevenoaks, Swanley and the Dartford Villages, said: “I am delighted that, subsequent to my campaign, Go-Ahead will be taking over the Arriva 477 bus route in full from the end of October. This is brilliant news for residents – especially in Crockenhill – who were facing the prospect of being left without any public transport at all. I am extremely grateful to Go-Ahead for stepping in, and I look forward to working closely with them going forward.”

The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan has opened the new world class Operations Control Centre (OCC) for Go-Ahead London, the capital’s largest bus operator. Equipped with the latest technology, the new OCC will improve the reliability and punctuality of services for over one million customers who use the service each day.

Consolidating Go-Ahead London’s six OCCs into one purpose-built facility, the new OCC will monitor and co-ordinate the operation of Go-Ahead London’s services 24 hours a day, seven days a week across the entire fleet of over 2,400 buses on 170 routes across London.

The new OCC will enable controllers to oversee the entire network, work more collaboratively, and better allocate resource to ensure safe and reliable journeys for our passengers and our drivers. They will achieve this through access to live operational data for the whole of Go-Ahead’s London network, including information on road congestion, roadworks, bus departures and vehicle availability and reliability. This data will help the controllers make faster, more informed decisions. The OCC will also manage Go-Ahead London’s growing fleet of over 800 zero-emission buses, the largest in the city, by providing live information on the battery range and state of charge for all electric buses.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As the son of a bus driver, it was great to officially open Go-Ahead London’s fantastic new Operations Control Centre and meet the staff working to deliver safe and reliable journeys for bus drivers and more than one million Londoners. I’m proud we’ve taken London’s bus network from strength to strength since I became Mayor, delivering the Superloop network, the Hopper fare, improving safety, freezing bus fares for six years and ensuring there are now more than 2,000 zero emission buses in the capital. We’ll continue to ensure buses remain the most accessible, affordable and sustainable form of transport as we build a better London for everyone.”

 Matt Carney, CEO, Go-Ahead Bus said: “Putting the customer first goes to the heart of everything we do. Therefore investing in new technology and world class facilities to improve our teams’ workplaces whilst continuously improving the safety, reliability and punctuality of our services is an easy decision. We are proud to partner with TfL to keep London moving by delivering more than 1.8 billion bus journeys per year.”