Find a transport partner

I'm looking for

in

News Category: Corporate

Go-Ahead strengthens leadership in zero-emission transport

09 April 2025

Go-Ahead strengthens leadership in zero-emission transport

Go-Ahead, in partnership with the Department for Transport and local authorities, will invest in an additional 45 zero-emissions buses for its operating companies in Hull, Salisbury, Brighton & Hove, Isle of Wight and Plymouth.

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood visited the team at East Yorkshire Buses yesterday to hear about their plans to decarbonise the bus network across the region.

Go-Ahead’s zero-emission bus fleet is the largest in the United Kingdom with 1,500 zero-emission buses in operation or on order, demonstrating its commitment and leadership in zero-emission transport. Go-Ahead has received government support for 246 zero-emission buses, with some being introduced into service in the next few months.

Customers of East Yorkshire Buses, Salisbury Reds, Brighton & Hove Buses, Southern Vectis (Isle of Wight) and Plymouth CityBus will enjoy quieter and smoother journeys with the added benefit of knowing their travel is environmentally friendly.

Matt Carney, CEO, Go-Ahead Bus commented: “Our leadership and commitment to zero-emission transport is something we’re extremely proud of at Go-Ahead. We’re very grateful to the Department for Transport and our local authorities for this partnership, which will give more customers access to cleaner, greener public transport across the country.”

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said: “Our investment will deliver new zero-emission buses to communities across England by 2027. This funding will not only make bus travel cleaner, greener, and more comfortable, but it will also create jobs, support local economies, and accelerate our journey towards a zero-emission future. From Hull to Hove, there’s an electrifying future on the way for our buses.”

Chris Fowler appointed as Managing Director for GTS

02 April 2025

Chris Fowler appointed as Managing Director for GTS

Chris Fowler will take on the role as Managing Director for GTS, the future operator of the Elizabeth line.

GTS is a joint venture between Go Ahead, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation and will be responsible for operating the Elizabeth line from 25 May 2025.

Chris joins GTS from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) where he is Network Operations Director and is responsible for performance on one of the UK’s largest and most complex rail operations.

GTR manages four rail companies and is responsible for almost 20% of all UK rail journeys. It operates over 1 billion journeys every year and is a leader in adopting new technology, including leading the introduction of digital signalling on the UK mainline rail network.

Chris’ experience spans both private and public sectors with his current role split with Network Rail Sussex. He started his career with Transport for London where he held roles including Train Operations Manager and Chief of Staff to Managing Director. He has also served as Customer Services Director at GTR’s Southern Railway and as interim Managing Director for Southern Railway and Gatwick Express.

Patrick Verwer, CEO, Rail, Go-Ahead said: “Chris will make an excellent partner to Transport for London with his knowledge that strong partnership between private and public sector is vital in delivering the best service for customers. His expertise and leadership will help us build on the success of the Elizabeth line as GTS takes on the responsibility for operating the most popular railway in the country, on behalf of TfL.”

Chris Fowler added: “I’m delighted to be appointed as the Managing Director of GTS. The Elizabeth line has already transformed travel in London, becoming the UK’s busiest rail line. It’s a shining example of how investment in our capital’s transport network can drive economic growth and help enrich lives every day; as a proud Londoner, I’m excited for GTS to build on this success. By working with colleagues across the network, we will unlock the line’s full potential as a world-class railway, be a fantastic place to work, and represent London’s position as a global leader in transport.”

Chris Fowler

Go-Ahead strengthens rail team in Australia and New Zealand

06 March 2025

Go-Ahead strengthens rail team in Australia and New Zealand

Go-Ahead has appointed Michael Contreras as Executive Director, Rail Operations, Australia and New Zealand.

Michael has extensive experience leading large-scale public transport operations and joins from the Department of Transport & Planning, Victoria, Australia where he was Director of Operations & Performance. He spent over twelve years at Metro Trains Melbourne in key senior roles, such  as General Manager, Network Operations

Go-Ahead has recently opened a new office in Melbourne, to explore rail opportunities in Australia and New Zealand where it can apply its knowledge of operating large and complex rail operations for millions of customers.

Go-Ahead operates billions of rail journeys each year for customers in the UK and the Nordics and will soon take over operations of the iconic Elizabeth line in London, the new flagship railway network in London, and Stockholm Metro, the largest public transport contract in continental Europe.

Patrick Verwer, CEO, Rail, Go-Ahead said: “Michael joins Go-Ahead at a very exciting time and we’re delighted to welcome him to the team. We’re growing our rail operations with the Elizabeth Line and Stockholm Metro and excited to assess new opportunities in Australia and New Zealand.”

Go-Ahead opens a new office to target rail opportunities in Australia and New Zealand

17 February 2025

Go-Ahead opens a new office to target rail opportunities in Australia and New Zealand

Go-Ahead has opened a new office in Melbourne to explore rail opportunities in Australia and New Zealand, where it can apply its knowledge of operating large and complex rail operations for millions of customers.

Go-Ahead operates billions of rail journeys each year for customers in the UK and the Nordics. It has established itself as a trusted partner, working on complex operations to deliver reliable, punctual and welcoming rail services.

In the UK, Go-Ahead is one of the largest rail operators. Through Govia Thameslink Railway, which manages four rail companies in the south of England, it is responsible for almost 20% of all UK rail journeys. It operates over 1 billion journeys every year and is a leader in adopting new technology, including leading the introduction of digital signalling on the UK mainline rail network. From May 2025, Go-Ahead will take over the operation of the iconic Elizabeth line in London, the new flagship railway network in London that has quickly become one of the most popular and fastest growing railways in the country, serving more than 700,000 customers a day.

Go-Ahead is also expanding its rail operations in the Nordics, where it already runs services in Norway. Later this year, Go-Ahead will start operating Stockholm’s Metro network, as part of the largest public transport contract in continental Europe, serving 350 million passengers annually.

Piero McCarthy has been appointed as Business Development Director for Go-Ahead Rail, Australia and New Zealand. Piero brings twenty years’ worth of industry experience and has held senior business development roles at Go-Ahead and led operations within the UK’s largest rail franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway.

Patrick Verwer, CEO, Rail, Go-Ahead said: “We have ambitious plans to build on our recent success and continue to grow our rail operations. We’re excited about exploring opportunities in Australia and New Zealand where we can apply our experience of operating busy, complex transport networks.”

Go-Ahead expands West of England operations with acquisition of Swanbrook Transport

25 November 2024

Go-Ahead expands West of England operations with acquisition of Swanbrook Transport

• Coach operator to become part of Go-Ahead’s Pulhams Coaches operation
• Deal adds to Go-Ahead’s expanding network of UK coach operators

The Go-Ahead Group has agreed a deal to acquire Swanbrook Transport, a bus and coach operator based in Cheltenham.

Swanbrook operates local bus, home to school services and private hire and will become part of Pulhams Coaches, which sits in Go-Ahead’s Oxford division.

This latest deal builds on Go-Ahead’s recent acquisitions across England, including four coach companies across West and North Yorkshire, and the North East which further strengthens its service offering for schools, businesses, private hire and local authority partners.

Go-Ahead is now one of the largest coach operators in the UK with over 400 coaches from the South West to the North East, integrating its network with existing bus operations.

“”
Pulhams Coaches already has an excellent reputation in the Cheltenham area as both a local bus operator, and as specialist providers of coach services. Our acquisition of another reputable operator in the area in Swanbrook is an exciting opportunity to provide an even greater range of services locally and integrate it with our existing network.

Luke Marion

Managing Director of the Oxford Bus Company

“”
We’re delighted to welcome Swanbrook to the Go-Ahead Group, and to grow our presence in the UK coach market. As a company, we’re committed to connecting communities, so providing coach services across the country for schools, groups, small business and local authority partners is important to us. This is an exciting expansion of our coach operation to provide for more customers in the West of England.

Matt Carney

CEO – Go-Ahead Bus

“”
We are excited by the opportunities that joining such a prestigious group in Pulhams and Go-Ahead will bring to the company. Having established our business as a well respected operation in the local area we believe this is the natural progression for the business to further develop and be well equipped to meet the challenges of the industry for the future.

John Thomas

Operations Director, Swanbrook Transport Ltd

New appointments to the Go-Ahead Group Board

19 November 2024

New appointments to the Go-Ahead Group Board

The Go-Ahead Group, the UK’s leading international bus and rail public transport operator, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sharon Flood as an independent non-executive director, further strengthening its leadership team and enhancing governance.

Sharon joined the Board in October as non-executive director and chair of the audit committee, bringing a wealth of expertise in finance, strategy, and consumer-focused businesses, alongside deep industry knowledge. Her skills and experience will reinforce Go-Ahead’s governance framework. Sharon’s distinguished career includes executive and non-executive roles, and she currently serves on the boards of Getlink SA, where she chairs safety and security, CityFibre Ltd where she chairs audit and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC. She has also been a non-executive director at Network Rail, where she served as chair of the audit committee/treasury and chair of environmental sustainability.

Additionally, Mackayla Hanney, Chief Commercial Officer at Kinetic, was appointed to the Board earlier this year as director representing Kinetic, a major shareholder of the Go-Ahead Group. Mackayla has led significant growth initiatives at Kinetic, including the acquisition of Go-Ahead and New Zealand’s Go Bus. She brings valuable commercial expertise and a proven track-record in strategic M&A, tender processes, and stakeholder engagement, which supports Go-Ahead’s growth aspirations in the UK and internationally.

With the recent appointments of Sharon and Mackayla, together with Louise Cheeseman, the Board of Go-Ahead has reached 40% female representation, further enriching its sector expertise while enhancing its commitment to diverse, robust governance.

“”
We are delighted to welcome Sharon and Mackayla to their new roles on the Board of the Go-Ahead Group. Their extensive knowledge and experience will be invaluable for us as they will play a vital role in supporting our management team to deliver its strategic plan of growth, achieving our ambitious decarbonisation and equality targets, and most importantly, delivering on our mission of connecting people and communities around the world.”

Miguel Parras

Group CEO, Go-Ahead

Go East Anglia appoint Rupert Cox as Managing Director

16 August 2024

Go East Anglia appoint Rupert Cox as Managing Director

  • New MD will head up leading bus operator in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk
  • Appointment made following interim period as MD
  • Experience of Rupert Cox will strengthen Go-Ahead’s leadership

The Go-Ahead Group today announces that Rupert Cox has been appointed as the Managing Director of Go East Anglia, effective from 1st September, following a successful period as interim MD, a position he started in June 2024.

Rupert first joined Go-Ahead in March 2024, working on business development projects and stepped into the interim role following Gavin Smith’s move to head up Go-Ahead’s Fastrack network operations in Kent.

Rupert’s industry experience spans two decades with all his career spent at Stagecoach where he began as graduate trainee manager before continuing to build his career through several commercial and operational roles. He then became Managing Director for the company covering the West of England and his last role was as Regional Director covering the South and Midlands in England.

Martin Dean, Managing Director of UK Regional Bus, Go-Ahead Group said “We’re delighted to appoint Rupert permanently as the Managing Director of Go East Anglia. He is an experienced and knowledgeable industry leader, with a track-record of delivering for customers, and his extensive career in bus will undoubtedly benefit our business.”

Rupert Cox, Interim Managing Director of Go East Anglia said “I am excited to have been appointed as the Managing Director of Go East Anglia. I’m looking forward to working in partnership with our transport authorities to grow our network across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk and deliver services that benefit our customers and the communities that we serve”.

Go East Anglia is part of the Go-Ahead Group, and manages two operators, Konectbus and Hedingham and Chambers.

Go East Anglia Managing Director to take on new role leading Go-Ahead’s Fastrack operations in Kent

14 June 2024

Go East Anglia Managing Director to take on new role leading Go-Ahead’s Fastrack operations in Kent

  • Experienced bus industry leader Gavin Smith to head up the team responsible for the Fastrack contract in Kent
  • Rupert Cox, currently working in business development at Go East Anglia appointed as MD on an interim basis
  • The Fastrack contract will run for 15-years with Go-Ahead operating routes from November 2024

The Go-Ahead Group today announces that Gavin Smith, Managing Director of Go East Anglia will transition to a new role within the Go-Ahead Group, effective from 17 June. Gavin will head up the team delivering the Fastrack network in Kent, a 15-year contract worth £110 million which Go-Ahead will operate from November 2024.

Gavin has worked in the public transport industry for over 20 years, starting his career as a bus driver in London before progressing into management roles and later leading the development and mobilisation of Go-Ahead’s River Road depot. He worked as Operations Director of Go-Ahead Singapore and then as Project Director in Australia before becoming Managing Director of Go East Anglia, a role he has held since July 2022.

Gavin will be replaced on an interim basis by Rupert Cox, a highly experienced bus industry professional, formerly a Regional Director for Stagecoach UK Bus, Rupert has worked with Go East Anglia since 1st March this year on business development projects.

Commenting on his move to the new role, Gavin Smith, said “I’m excited to be taking on the job leading the Fastrack network in Kent. Under the new contract, Go-Ahead will continue its decarbonisation journey, transitioning from a diesel to an all-electric fleet to serve our customers and we will welcome over 100 new colleagues to the business”.

He added “Go-Ahead’s investment in people and development has enabled me to build a varied career in the decade that I have been at the company, and I look forward to more success as we mobilise the Fastrack contract in the months to come”.

Martin Dean, Managing Director of UK Regional Bus, Go-Ahead Group said “We’re excited to appoint an experienced leader in Gavin to the role as we move towards the mobilisation of the contract. Gavin’s expertise and focus on delivering high quality services will be crucial as we take on the responsibility for more than 2.5 million people who travel across the Fastrack network annually. We’re also delighted that Rupert, a knowledgeable industry leader, has agreed to take on the role overseeing our East Anglian business, building on his extensive career in bus”.

The Go-Ahead Group to acquire Eastbourne Sightseeing

08 February 2024

The Go-Ahead Group to acquire Eastbourne Sightseeing

  • Open-top bus operator to become part of Go-Ahead’s Brighton & Hove Buses
  • Deal adds to Go-Ahead’s UK-wide portfolio of scenic bus tours
  • Tourist bus route connects with GTR’s Southern Railway services to London

The Go-Ahead Group has agreed a deal to acquire Eastbourne Sightseeing, an operator of scenic bus tours of Eastbourne, Beachy Head, Birling Gap and surrounding areas.

Following the transaction, the business will become part of Go-Ahead’s Brighton & Hove Buses division, expanding the group’s presence in the East Sussex area.

Eastbourne Sightseeing owns nine open-top vehicles, used seasonally to provide popular tours along the seafront, around Eastbourne’s streets and into the South Downs National Park. The business is based at a depot in Ringmer, near Lewes.

The open-top bus tours call at Eastbourne station, which is served by Southern Rail – part of Go-Ahead’s GTR rail network. This will allow customers to catch a train from London to Eastbourne and connect to open-top buses to the South Downs directly using Go-Ahead services.

Brighton & Hove Buses will retain the Eastbourne Sightseeing brand and use its website and marketing expertise to build demand for the tour in the future. Go-Ahead will explore partnership marketing opportunities between Eastbourne Sightseeing and Southern Rail.

Go-Ahead already operates 15 open top bus tours around the UK – including city routes such as Oxford’s City Sightseeing and Newcastle’s Toon Tour; seaside trips including the Clacton Breezer, Scarborough Beachcomber, Bridlington Beachcomber and Needles Breezer, and rural tours such as the New Forest Tours. The open top bus market in Britain is worth an estimated £150 million in revenue annually industry wide.

“”
Eastbourne Sightseeing is a thriving operator offering terrific tours in one of the most scenic parts of the south coast. We intend to build on its success, invest in the business and look at opportunities for expansion

Ed Wills, Managing Director, Brighton & Hove Buses

Go-Ahead has already bought three regional bus companies in 14 months – Dartline in Devon, Southdown in West Sussex and Pulham & Sons in the Cotswolds.

“”
Go-Ahead is an ambitious company with an eye for expansion in the regional bus industry. We aim to invest in communities across the UK and to grow the popularity of bus travel. I’m delighted to welcome Eastbourne Sightseeing into the Go-Ahead Group.

Matt Carney, CEO of The Go-Ahead Group’s bus division

“”
I’m delighted to see the Eastbourne Sightseeing service join Brighton & Hove Buses and the wider Go-Ahead family. We’re incredibly proud of the success of this open top route over the last few years and I have every confidence that the team at Brighton & Hove will continue building and developing the service for the future

David Mulpeter, Managing Director of Seven Sisters Bus & Coach, owner of Eastbourne Sightseeing

Go-Ahead completes sale of German rail operations to ÖBB

01 February 2024

Go-Ahead completes sale of German rail operations to ÖBB

  • Sale of the business follows approval from the European Commission
  • Following completion of the transaction, Go-Ahead no longer operates any rail services in Germany
  • The Go-Ahead Group wishes OBB, the Germany management team and employees well for future operations

The Go-Ahead Group has today completed the sale of its German rail business to ÖBB, the Austrian national rail operator.

After five years of operations, including three rail contracts in Baden-Wurttemberg and two in Bavaria, the sale represents a full exit for Go-Ahead from the German rail market.

We are proud of Go-Ahead’s contribution to Germany rail over this period, having delivered positive outcomes for passengers – including a fleet of new trains, high customer service and increased capacity.

We take this opportunity to thank the management team and all of the employees for their dedication and hard work over these 5 years, and wish them and OBB well for the future.

“”
We’re pleased that the sale of our German rail business has been successfully completed. This is a positive outcome both for The Go-Ahead Group and for our German colleagues.

Go-Ahead continues to pursue opportunities for strategic expansion in both bus and rail in selected markets around the world. I’d like to pay tribute to the dedication and professionalism of all our colleagues in Germany over the last five years. We wish them well under the ownership of ÖBB

Miguel Parras, Group Chief Executive, The Go-Ahead Group

Trains on the network will continue to use the Go-Ahead name in the short term.