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News Category: Bus

Trading update for the year ended 2nd July 2022

11 July 2022

Trading update for the year ended 2nd July 2022

Go-Ahead today provides a trading update for the year ended 2 July 2022 (FY22).

“”
Passenger numbers on public transport have continued to recover from the pandemic and in certain parts of the UK, such as Manchester, our buses are as busy as they were before COVID-19. We are encouraged to see so many people using buses and trains and we expect a busy summer ahead, particularly in tourist areas.

Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, The Go-Ahead Group

Our markets

Regional Bus

In our Regional Bus division, we have continued to see a steady recovery in passenger demand, with commercial volumes across the business now over 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. In some areas, we have seen particularly encouraging volumes in recent weeks, with pre-pandemic volumes being recorded on some days. These trends give us confidence in the continuation of passenger recovery in the coming months.

The Board now expects Regional Bus to deliver operating profit before exceptional items ahead of that of the prior two years.

London & International Bus

Our London & International Bus division will benefit from performance that is ahead of plan in London and Singapore, including better than anticipated Quality Incentive Contract (QICs) payments in London In Sweden, Flexbuss, which we acquired in April 2022, is trading positively and in line with our expectations.

The Board now expects the division to deliver operating profit before exceptional items at least in line with pre-pandemic underlying profitability levels (2019: £51.2m).

UK Rail

Following the successful commencement of GTR’s new National Rail Contract on 1 April 2022, the Board expects UK Rail to deliver operating profit before exceptional items within the range set out in the Group’s interim results of £25m – £30m.

International Rail

In Germany, we continue to progress our improvement plans in Baden-Württemberg, although financial penalties relating to operational performance have been slightly higher than anticipated in the period. Following discussions with our client in Baden-Württemberg, we are pleased to have reached a memorandum of understanding which will result in a modest improvement to the financial performance of the contract over its life. Further negotiations remain underway.

The first of two contracts in Bavaria started on 12 December 2021 and the second will commence in December 2022. Following the successful mobilisation of the first contract, performance has been in line with our expectations.

Mobilisation of the second contract in Bavaria remains underway ahead of its commencement in December 2022. As previously indicated, there are inherent uncertainties and risks associated with the mobilisation of this contract and in estimating the impact of key success factors including driver recruitment. As part of our year end procedures, we will be carefully reviewing the projections for the second contract in Bavaria and assessing the requirement for any potential further provision.

As announced on 28 June 2022, a new agreement was reached between the Norwegian Railway Directorate and Go-Ahead Norway A/S, regarding the structure of its rail contract. Under the original contract, which began in December 2019, the revenue risk associated with changes in passenger demand rested with Go-Ahead. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Norwegian Government provided financial support to rail operators, preventing material losses.

The amended contract takes effect from 1 July 2022 and runs for the duration of the original contract, until December 2027 (plus a two-year extension option until December 2029). The contract provides a revenue support scheme until the end of the contract. The amended contract also includes an incentive scheme linked to revenue growth. As a result of these improved contractual arrangements, the Group expects to significantly reduce the £66.2m onerous contract provision relating to its rail operation in Norway in its full year results for the year ending 2 July 2022.

The Board expects International Rail to deliver an operating loss before exceptional items within the range set out in the Group’s interim results of £15m – £20m.

Balance sheet and liquidity

The Group has a strong balance sheet and maintains good liquidity. The Board continues to expect FY22 adjusted net debt/EBITDA to be at the lower end of the 1.5 to 2.5 times range, significantly below the 3.5 times bank covenant.

Overall performance

Overall, the Group expects to report a good performance for the year ended 2 July 2022.

Certain statements in this announcement constitute profit estimates for the purposes of Rule 28 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. Further details on the basis of preparation of the profit estimates and certain confirmations from the directors of Go-Ahead in relation to the profit estimates can be found in the scheme document published by Go-Ahead dated 11 July 2022 which is available at https://www.go-ahead.com/investors/offer.

Manchester is bouncing back – buses reach pre-pandemic passenger levels

05 July 2022

Manchester is bouncing back – buses reach pre-pandemic passenger levels

  • Go North West’s buses are as busy as they were prior to COVID-19
  • Manchester operator is the first Go-Ahead company in the UK to reach pre-pandemic levels
  • Recovery boosted by high reliability, sufficient drivers and strong local economy
  • Plans in place to lay on more buses as demand grows further

Mancunians are leaving the pandemic behind and re-embracing public transport. Go North West’s buses are as busy as they were before COVID-19 – and plans are in place to boost the number of buses on the network.

The company is now operating 9 out of every 10 buses that ran pre-Covid, and over the last few months it has seen a surge in customers getting on board; with passenger levels per bus now equalling 2019 figures.

Go North West is the first in The Go-Ahead Group’s UK-wide network to hit this level of passenger recovery. Across the UK as a whole, bus usage is at about 85% of pre-pandemic levels. Across Go-Ahead’s 11 regional bus companies, patronage varies between 80% and 100%, depending on demographics, the length and type of journeys and the strength of local economies.

The recovery has been supported by Bus Recovery Grant funding from the Department for Transport. Marketing initiatives to encourage customers back have included a £1 fare promotion for passengers travelling in the evenings, and the company has stepped up efforts to recruit more bus drivers to keep up with demand.

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We’re delighted to see Manchester bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of a young population, a thriving local economy and a lively nightlife scene have all contributed to this recovery in customer levels. We are now looking to the future with plans to add additional resource to our network to ensure we meet the demand.

Nigel Featham, Managing Director, Go North West

A recovery in public transport usage has accelerated over recent months as the rising cost of petrol has discouraged people from using their cars. Across Britain, the proportion of people taking a bus journey at least once a week has risen from 12% to 15% since March, as the cost of a tank of petrol has reached £100 in some parts of the country.

Summer weather, open air concerts, student events and eating out promotions have added to the steadily rebuilding commuter market to attract people back to Go North West’s buses, which are based at the Queen’s Road depot in north Manchester. Furthermore, Go North West has maintained high reliability, sufficient driver numbers and near full mileage through the pandemic.

Looking forward, Go-Ahead anticipates modal shift from car to bus across the UK as the Government’s decarbonisation agenda, together with investment under the National Bus Strategy, takes effect.

The recovery has been supported by Bus Recovery Grant funding from the Department for Transport. Marketing initiatives to encourage customers back have included a £1 fare promotion for passengers travelling in the evenings, and the company has stepped up efforts to recruit more bus drivers to keep up with demand.

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We’re grateful to the Government for Bus Recovery Grant funding which has been essential in enabling us to keep a comprehensive service running throughout COVID-19.

The cost of living crisis has focused peoples’ minds on the price of transport – and catching a bus is a far better value way of travelling than driving a car. With passengers coming back, demand is in good shape for the introduction of Transport for Greater Manchester’s franchised model.

Nigel Featham

A year of progress: Go-Ahead advances along the road to Net Zero

04 July 2022

A year of progress: Go-Ahead advances along the road to Net Zero

  • Centre of Excellence for zero emission vehicles to be established in London
  • High voltage electric substation installed in Oxford for upcoming electric bus fleet.
  • Proof of concept demonstrated for Bus2Grid technology
  • Fleet of hydrogen buses ordered for the Crawley, Redhill, and Gatwick area

The Go-Ahead Group has taken significant steps towards decarbonising its business in the 12 months since the launch of the group’s climate change strategy in July 2021, which set out an ambition of becoming a net zero company by 2045.

To bring together expertise within the group on electric and hydrogen buses, the group will shortly open a Zero Emission Centre of Excellence in London. Go-Ahead is the capital’s largest operator of electric buses.

Other recent developments include the installation of a substation at Oxford Bus Company’s Cowley depot, ready for a programme under which funding has been secured from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme for 159 electric buses to be deployed in Oxford.

To mark Net Zero Week 2022 (2 – 8 July), Go-Ahead is proud to highlight its efforts to date in, taking the lead in Net Zero initiatives for UK transport:

  • Brighton & Hove and Metrobus purchased 20 hydrogen buses for its operations in Crawley, Redhill, and the Gatwick Airport area, with the possibility of a follow-up order for a further 34 vehicles.
  • Proof of concept has been demonstrated of “Bus2Grid”, under which a bus has discharged remaining electricity back into the grid at the end of its daily duties. The project is taking place at Go-Ahead London’s Northumberland Park depot, which is one of Europe’s largest overnight charging depots for electric buses.
  • In November 2020, Go-Ahead launched the first fully electric bus fleet in the North East of England, providing 55,000 journeys and covering 300,000 miles across Newcastle and Gateshead each year.
  • Hatfield station, part of the Govia Thameslink Railway network, is home to the UK rail network’s biggest charging hub for electric vehicles.
  • Govia Thameslink Railway’s Class 700 fleet recycles 15.8GWh of energy returned into the network to power additional services, decreasing energy demand by more than 50% on the rolling stock it replaced.
  • Geofenced buses have been introduced in Brighton which automatically switch to zero-emission mode when they pass into specified zones of the city centre which face challenges in air quality.
  • Go-Ahead’s buses on the south coast of England and in Singapore have been fitted with solar panels. Weighing 20kg, these can generate 1kW of energy to charge the batteries on the buses.

Go-Ahead achieved a 27% reduction in carbon emissions between 2016 and 2021.

Mark Anderson, Go-Ahead’s Customer and Commercial Director, said: “There is still much more to be done, but we are making great progress towards our net zero targets. We are working hard to make sure that everything we do meets the targets we have set to cut emissions.

But we can only go so far by decarbonising our own business. The real key for the transport industry in addressing climate change is for people to leave their cars at home and switch to walking, cycling and public transport. We hope that bus priority schemes, and initiatives to promote rail and bus travel, will do just that”.

Go-Ahead named top apprenticeship employer in the UK transport industry

29 June 2022

Go-Ahead named top apprenticeship employer in the UK transport industry

  • Go-Ahead hires more than 1,100 apprentices annually across its bus and rail operations
  • Transport operator ranked 13th on list of the UK’s Top 100 apprentice Employers
  • Ranking puts Go-Ahead top of six transport companies in the league table

The Go-Ahead Group has been named as Britain’s top provider of transport apprenticeships in a ranking developed by the Department for Education.

The ‘Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers’ list is intended to help future apprentices, parents and careers advisers to identify apprenticeship opportunities at the country’s leading employers.

Go-Ahead ranks 13th overall on the list, and is top in the transport industry – ahead of Hays Travel, Network Rail, Stagecoach, Abellio and Southeastern.

The company takes on 1,100 apprentices annually – making it the biggest employer of apprentices in the public transport industry.

More than 700 apprentices are presently training to be London bus drivers at Go-Ahead London’s academy in Camberwell. Go-Ahead London was named Macro Employer of the Year for London in the 2021 National Apprenticeship Awards.

A further 450 apprentices are in training at Govia Thameslink Railway, the UK’s largest railway network, working across engineering, driving and customer service roles.

Go-Ahead’s apprenticeship program is highly diverse. Nearly a third of recruits are over 50 years old. Women account for 37% of rail apprentices and 17% of bus apprentices – a significantly higher proportion than can be found across the transport industry as a whole. And two thirds of Go-Ahead London’s apprentices are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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Apprenticeships are a great way to begin a career in transport, whether it may be driving a bus, training to be an engineer, working in customer services or driving a train.

Our apprenticeship program is preparing a new generation of people to operate public transport across Britain and we view it as a crucial investment in the long-term success of our company. We’re very proud that Go-Ahead has been named as one of the country’s top apprenticeship employers.

Scott Maynard, Group HR Director, The Go-Ahead Group

The ‘Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers’ list is published by the Department for Education in partnership with High Fliers Research, which independently assesses and ranks the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

Top ten journeys to see Britain by bus: Go-Ahead selects its most scenic routes

20 June 2022

Top ten journeys to see Britain by bus: Go-Ahead selects its most scenic routes

What better way to see Britain’s dales, beaches, villages, and cityscapes than by bus? The Go-Ahead Group, which operates buses from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland, has picked out ten of the best from its nationwide route network.

The list is inspired, in part, by the Reverend Richard Coles, the broadcaster and former Church of England parish priest, who recently named Go-Ahead’s number 12 service from Brighton to Eastbourne as “the best in the world”.

Reverend Coles said: “I will always encourage people to travel by bus because it’s a great way to see the country and takes cars off the road.”

Stretching from the Isle of Wight to Hadrian’s Wall, Go-Ahead’s favourite journeys are as follows. Welcome aboard!

 

  • The Moors Explorer, East Yorkshire buses

East Yorkshire Buses’ Moors Explorer is the perfect way to travel to the North York Moors from Hessle, Hull, Cottingham and Beverley and a great opportunity to explore the area’s quaint villages. The route takes travellers to the picturesque Hutton le Hole or the Moors National Park Centre at Danby.

Bus

Moors Explorer returns for summer 2022 – East Yorkshire (eastyorkshirebuses.co.uk)#

 

  • Needles Breezer, Southern Vectis

The Needle Breezer route goes from Yarmouth to Needles Battery and back via Freshwater Bay, Alum Bay, Totland. It is one of the most spectacular bus rides in all of England, an open-top ride with views that will simply take your breath away.

Enjoy a cliff-hugging, dizzy climb from Alum Bay right up to the Needles Battery, high up where the vistas out to sea are intoxicating. The route also links Yarmouth to Freshwater Bay, Dimbola Museum and Galleries, Farringford Estate, Fort Victoria Country Park, as well as historic places of interest and areas of outstanding beauty.

Open top bus

https://www.islandbuses.info/services/SVCT/TNB?date=2022-05-11&direction=outbound

 

  • Hadrian’s Wall Country Bus, Go North East

Hadrian’s Wall Country Bus makes it easy to explore our Roman heritage and to visit some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes – along the defensive foundation that once protected the northern reaches of the Roman empire. The journey will immerse passengers in time travel and provide glimpses of what life was like in Roman times.

Hadrians wall

AD122 Hadrian’s Wall Country Bus – Go North East

 

  • Ocean City Sights, Go South West

Plymouth CityBus’s number 25, known as Ocean City Sights, is a circular route from Plymouth City Centre around the historic Barbican and onto Plymouth Hoe and Plymouth Sound. The route is often served by an open top bus so locals and tourists can see the city from the best vantage point.

Bus

25 – City Centre to Plymouth Hoe, via Barbican and West Hoe (Open Top) | Plymouth Bus

 

  • Breeze, Brighton and Hove and Metrobus

The Breeze bus routes wind their way through the South Downs National Park. With ‘Breeze Up To The Downs’ you can swiftly speed out of the busy city and be surrounded by quiet, picturesque natural vistas in under an hour. The bus services take passengers to the Sussex Downs beauty spots of Devil’s Dyke, Stanmer Park and Ditchling Beacon.

Bus

Breeze up to the downs – Brighton & Hove Buses

 

  • River Rapids, Oxford Bus Company

The River Rapids buses from Oxford to Reading or Henley-on-Thames make for fabulous car-free days out. With the River Rapids buses, you can explore the delights that South Oxfordshire has to offer. On this journey you can enjoy flowering gardens or ruined abbeys, award-winning museums, and riverside pubs.

River

River Rapids – Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel

 

  • No 100 Salford Reds, Go North West

Route number 100 on Go North West’s network starts in Manchester and winds its way out of the city to Warrington, via Salford Shopping Centre. On the way, it passes landmarks such as the AJ Bell Stadium, Barton Aerodrome (City Airport) and some refreshing green fields as the urban sprawl comes to an end.

100 Salford’s Reds – Manchester to Warrington | Go North West

 

  • Purbeck Breezer, No. 50, Morebus

Take a day out to the beach on the Purbeck Breezer – the number 50 from Bournemouth to Swanage, via Sandbanks and Studland. Sandbanks is known for its golden sands and clear waters. At Shell Bay & Studland you can take in the sea breeze, explore the dunes and nature reserve.

Open top bus

https://www.morebus.co.uk/services/WDBC/50

 

  • Clacton Breeze, Hedingham and Chambers

Go East Anglia’s Route 97/98 from Walton on the Naze to Clacton on Sea along the Essex Sunshine Coast is not to be missed. The open top bus offers a glimpse of traditional English seaside scenes, passing scenic beaches, promenades, beach huts and cafes. Step aboard and admire the surf breaking on the shore.

97 – Clacton to Walton on the Naze | Hedingham and Chambers

  • The No 12 Coaster, Brighton and Hove Bus

Finally, Brighton and Hove Buses, the No12 Coaster goes from the city of Brighton with breath-taking views of coastal scenery through to the picturesque town of Eastbourne. Enjoy the journey from the top deck, taking you via the Sea Life Centre, Rottingdean, Peacehaven, Seaford, Seven Sisters and East Dean.

Bus
Brighton and Hove Buses, Coastliner, 2015,

12 – Eastbourne-Brighton | Brighton & Hove Buses

The Go-Ahead Group and Lacroix & Savac agree strategic partnership

01 June 2022

The Go-Ahead Group and Lacroix & Savac agree strategic partnership

  • Partnership will explore opportunities to bid for bus contracts in Paris
  • The French market was identified as a priority under Go-Ahead’s new corporate strategy

The Go-Ahead Group and Groupe Lacroix & Savac have entered a strategic partnership to explore opportunities to bid together for public transport contracts in France.

Under the partnership, the two companies will target the market for bus services in and around Paris, where the city authorities have begun a process of putting routes out to tender as state-owned Epic RATP will lose its Paris bus monopoly in 2025.

Go-Ahead identified the opening of the French market as a priority for new business opportunities in The Next Billion Journeys, its recently published strategy. Lacroix & Savac is an established operator in the Ile de France region with more than 80 years’ experience.

Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, The Go-Ahead Group, said: “Go-Ahead’s strength lies in running busy commuter transport services, and a key part of our strategy is to explore new opportunities in bus and light rail. With an outstanding track record and deep local knowledge, Lacroix & Savac is the perfect partner for us to work with in France.”

Stéphane Guenet, President of Lacroix & Savac, said: “This partnership will allow us to benefit from Go-Ahead’s expertise in mass transit and in entering urban areas that are newly open to competition. This will help us to adapt our offering for the Paris and suburban bus networks, which will be operated on behalf of Île-de-France Mobilités”.

Bus fares cut across Cornwall as Go-Ahead delivers trailblazing low fares pilot

11 April 2022

Bus fares cut across Cornwall as Go-Ahead delivers trailblazing low fares pilot

  • Ticket prices across Cornwall cut by between 20% and 40% from April 10
  • Government-backed scheme will measure impact on travel habits across the county over four years
  • Visitors to Cornwall will benefit from cheaper buses in tourist areas this summer

Ticket prices on buses operated by Go-Ahead Group in Cornwall have been cut by up to 40% under a Government-backed pilot scheme, “Make Big Savings By Bus”, to persuade motorists to leave their cars at home.

Beginning on April 10th, a four-year scheme will measure the extent to which lower fares can stimulate a change in travel behaviour by kick-starting growth in bus use. Transport for Cornwall has set a goal of increasing bus usage by 10% across the county.

The initiative, funded by Transport for Cornwall using a £23.5 million grant from the Department for Transport, stretches the length of Cornwall, from the River Tamar to the Land’s End peninsula, taking in towns and cities including Truro, Newquay, Redruth, Falmouth, Camborne, St Ives and Penzance.

Go Cornwall Bus is the county’s largest bus operator, operating over 100 routes carrying 90,000 passengers per week. Go-Ahead has invested £25 million in rural transport services in the county since entering Cornwall in 2020.

The pilot scheme follows an “any ticket, any bus” initiative making tickets interchangeable between Cornwall’s bus companies. It is consistent with goals under the Government’s National Bus Strategy to encourage partnership working between operators and local authorities, and to promote the social, economic and environmental benefits of bus usage.

Fares under the scheme will include:

  • £2.50 a day or £10 a week for adults within Cornish Towns
  • £5 a day or £20 a week for adults for travel across Cornwall
  • Adult singles from £1.60, returns from £2.40
  • Family ticket for £10 a day, up to 2 adults and unlimited children under 16
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Baroness Vere, the Buses Minister, said: “The launch of this excellent scheme across Cornwall is a significant moment in our ambition to level up transport links across the country. Backed by a £23.5m Government investment, we want to place Cornwall at the leading edge of a national bus revolution, which will underpin our drive towards net-zero, increase connectivity between communities and provide relief at the ticket booth at a time when finances are tight.”

Mark Anderson, Go-Ahead’s Customer and Commercial Director, said: “With petrol prices soaring, this is a timely initiative aimed at persuading motorists to switch to buses in a largely rural part of England. It’s a win-win both for locals all year round and for visitors, who will be able to take cheaper buses to Cornwall’s spectacular beaches this summer.

“To become carbon neutral as a country by 2050, we need to encourage people to switch from car to bus. Investment in fares is a useful tool alongside bus priority schemes, flexible ticketing and digital payments to make journeys as swift and easy as possible.”

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: “Cheaper bus journeys will help Cornish young people get to school or college and will make it easier to access jobs for those living in rural areas, something which can be a barrier to getting and keeping work for so many. This trailblazing initiative is incredibly welcome and I’m delighted to see Cornwall once again leading the way with an innovative scheme as a rural area, leading the charge nationally in the Government’s goal of levelling up and encouraging more people to travel by bus.”

Go-Ahead expands international bus business into southern Sweden

10 March 2022

Go-Ahead expands international bus business into southern Sweden

The Go-Ahead Group is to begin operating bus services in southern Sweden through a deal to take ownership of a family run bus company, Flexbuss Sverige AB.

Flexbuss provides scheduled bus services, school transport, medical transfer and private hire buses. The company will be integrated into Go-Ahead’s London and International bus division, which operates franchised buses in London, Singapore and Dublin.

All revenue in Sweden will be generated through contracts, without direct exposure to changes in passenger demand. Under Go-Ahead’s ownership, services will continue to be overseen by Flexbuss’s proven and experienced management team.

Flexbuss operates approximately 380 vehicles and employs 600 people. It is expected that the transaction will be completed in April 2022.

Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, The Go-Ahead Group, said: “This is an expansion of our successful London and international franchised bus business into a new territory. It will play to Go-Ahead’s strengths in operating bus contracts on behalf of local authorities, partners and third parties.”

Go-Ahead welcomes government funding to build back passengers on local bus services

01 March 2022

Go-Ahead welcomes government funding to build back passengers on local bus services

In response to the Department for Transport’s announcement of a £150 million funding package for local bus and light rail services, The Go-Ahead Group’s Chief Executive, Christian Schreyer, said:

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We welcome this funding for local buses, which will allow the industry time to build back passenger numbers. We’ve bounced back well from the Omicron variant, and our buses are carrying about 80% of the number of passengers they had before the pandemic. But working habits have changed, and it will take a little longer for a ‘new normal’ to settle in.

“In time, there are excellent prospects for bus usage to grow across Britain. Funding under the National Bus Strategy for bus lanes and priority schemes will speed up services in towns and cities, making them more attractive to passengers and allowing us to increase frequencies. If Britain is to move towards a net zero future, it is vital that people leave their cars at home and switch to public transport. This short-term finance will go some way towards bridging the gap and will help us build a broader network of successful bus services

Media availability

For an ‘on the ground’ perspective on the Government’s decision today to extend COVID recovery funding to bus operators for a further six months, Ed Wills, Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, is available for interview.

Filming and broadcast opportunities on request.

Please contact Andrew Clark – 07977 343846 / communications@go-ahead.com.

The Go-Ahead Group expands in Ireland

03 February 2022

The Go-Ahead Group expands in Ireland

  • Recruitment campaign launched to hire 180 people, bringing total workforce close to 800
  • Roles to support ongoing expansion of bus operations in and around Dublin
  • Ireland is one of Go-Ahead’s four public transport markets outside the UK

The Go-Ahead Group is seeking to recruit 180 staff at its Go-Ahead Ireland bus business, bringing its total workforce in Ireland to close to 800 people across all functions.

The company is looking to recruit bus drivers, engineers, administration, supervisory and business support functions.

Go-Ahead Ireland was appointed by the National Transport Authority in 2018, and currently operates 25 Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area (ODMA) routes, and 5 Dublin Commuter routes, with a fleet of over 200 buses. The company also operates two services on the recently launched ‘C-Spine’ BusConnects network.

The new roles are being created due to the ongoing expansion of the business, and to meet the requirements of the implementation of the new BusConnects network redesign in Dublin. The company will provide fully paid training to new drivers who do not currently have a license to drive a bus.

Over the last decade, Go-Ahead has expanded from its base in Britain to operate public transport services in four additional countries – rail in Norway and Germany, and buses in Singapore and Ireland.

Go-Ahead Ireland has achieved industry-leading punctuality and reliability. The company is also a key supporter of Gaelic sports, as title sponsor of the Dublin GAA’s football, hurling and camogie championships.

Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, Go-Ahead Group, said: “Go-Ahead is committed to international expansion and Ireland is a key market. We are pleased with the way our bus operations in Dublin have performed since 2018 and we’re delighted to be creating new jobs for the local community.”

Andrew Edwards, Managing Director, Go-Ahead Ireland, said: “This is an important milestone for Go-Ahead Ireland, and we are delighted to announce this growth. Since entering the market, we have steadily increased our presence, focusing on providing service excellence to the communities that we serve.”