Who's Going Ahead next?

[robertclark125]

Well, so far this year, Go Ahead group has bought Carousel, Northumberland Park, and Hedingham. Who's going to be boguht out by Go Ahead next?

Some possibilities are:

EYMS group
Rotala PLC
Western Greyhound
Ipswich Buses
Parts of First Scotland East
Mcgills (dependent on the stuation with Arriva and the OFT)
Fishwicks

I'm not saying any of these will put themselves up for sale, but it's ideas. So, who's going ahead next?

 

[Ivo]

Rotala would be nice

Realistically though, I'm not sure we'll see another purchase for a while now. EYMS is a possibility, but I can see them trying to defend their independence forever!

 

[martinsh]

Bluebird or JP Travel - no Go Ahead presence in Greater Manchester yet

 

[Nym]

*Coughs* EYMS Group would give them a presence in Manchester, but I dowbt that the boss over in Beverley would want someone taking over his company.

 

[starrymarkb]

Greyhound and Stagecoach have a good working relationship. If Greyhound chose to sell I could see it going to Stagecoach

 

[Deerfold]

Well, so far this year, Go Ahead group has bought Carousel, Northumberland Park, and Hedingham. Who's going to be boguht out by Go Ahead next?

Interestingly Carousel's website still describes them as:

We are an independent company operating services in and around High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.

http://www.carouselbuses.com/aboutus.html

 

[anthony263]

I wouldnt mind them buying out a welsh operator next

 

[jonesy3001]

What about blackpool transport?

 

[Schnellzug]

What about the Dorset part of Frist Hampshire & Dorset? It's completely isolated from the Hampshire part, and management at Southampton seem mostly to be unaware of its existence, and with the precedent of the isolated Barnstaple operation (which came into the Empire with the acqusition of the Cawlett Group, like Weymouth) , it might not be an absolutely outrageous suggestion. It might be sensible to add it onto Wilts & Dorset. Either that or absorbing it into Somerset & Avon, which it was for a while previously.

 

[trentside]

While Peter Shipp is still standing, I doubt EYMS will be going anywhere.

A thought that they may be seeking to expand their presence in East Anglia - where First seem to have been retreating of late, possibly some more of the Eastern Counties depots? Would tie in with Konectbus and Hedingham.

 

[robertclark125]

While Peter Shipp is still standing, I doubt EYMS will be going anywhere.

A thought that they may be seeking to expand their presence in East Anglia - where First seem to have been retreating of late, possibly some more of the Eastern Counties depots? Would tie in with Konectbus and Hedingham.

Well, on that basis, could Norfolk Green be a candidate?

 

[bb21]

What about the Dorset part of Frist Hampshire & Dorset? It's completely isolated from the Hampshire part, and management at Southampton seem mostly to be unaware of its existence, and with the precedent of the isolated Barnstaple operation (which came into the Empire with the acqusition of the Cawlett Group, like Weymouth) , it might not be an absolutely outrageous suggestion. It might be sensible to add it onto Wilts & Dorset. Either that or absorbing it into Somerset & Avon, which it was for a while previously.

No, no, no.

W&D these days seems to be a dump bed for older vehicles from elsewhere. Seems to be one Go-Ahead subsidiary that is not getting treated very well.

If they have to sell, I would rather the ex-Southern National part be sold to Stagecoach.

 

[Blindtraveler]

which part of Scwntland East are First thinking of getting rid of/Goahead interested in?

 

[Schnellzug]

No, no, no.

W&D these days seems to be a dump bed for older vehicles from elsewhere. Seems to be one Go-Ahead subsidiary that is not getting treated very well.

If they have to sell, I would rather the ex-Southern National part be sold to Stagecoach.

Oh, very much so. I wasn't necessarily recommending it. Personally, i'd be happy for it to be absorbed into S&A, they seem to look after things reasonably well.

 

[Ivo]

Oh, very much so. I wasn't necessarily recommending it. Personally, i'd be happy for it to be absorbed into S&A, they seem to look after things reasonably well.

Depends where you look! Taunton are probably the most blatant evidence of this, while allowing for the high number of vehicles and relatively young age of the fleet we are probably second-worst. On the other hand, Weston seem pretty good, and the "independent" Bristol are very good.

If Weymouth became a part of S&A what would it be named as? Yeovil have just joined H&D, so they would be heading straight back - but what would it be? SAD? (Something about that sounds right to me :roll

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

As long as Rotala get out of Preston, I'll go sane again. They have introduced new buses but the buses tend to be cancelled and experience delays on quiet roads. Hopefully Go Ahead could sort out that problem.

 

[Schnellzug]

Depends where you look! Taunton are probably the most blatant evidence of this, while allowing for the high number of vehicles and relatively young age of the fleet we are probably second-worst. On the other hand, Weston seem pretty good, and the "independent" Bristol are very good.

If Weymouth became a part of S&A what would it be named as? Yeovil have just joined H&D, so they would be heading straight back - but what would it be? SAD? (Something about that sounds right to me :roll

It was Somerset & Dorset (a name that I thought had a nice ring to it) befiore it was offloaded onto Hampshire.

 

[MK Tom]

I'd really like it if Go-Ahead started up an operation in the MK area, perhaps under the name 'Milton Keynes Bus Company' or something like that... We just need another big operator round here to challenge Arriva's market dominance. Stagecoach and Centrebus operate a few routes into the city from outside but I'd welcome any other national operator setting up a permanent base here.

 

[robertclark125]

As long as Rotala get out of Preston, I'll go sane again. They have introduced new buses but the buses tend to be cancelled and experience delays on quiet roads. Hopefully Go Ahead could sort out that problem.

I've only heard of delays on the orbit routes. The only other complaints are fares and exact fares. Then again, maybe if Go ahead bought Rotala those boxes would be removed.

 

[Ivo]

I've only heard of delays on the orbit routes. The only other complaints are fares and exact fares. Then again, maybe if Go ahead bought Rotala those boxes would be removed.

That's interesting. Down here the complaints are mainly aimed at the non-orbital routes (helped by the high-spec Solo SRs used on the circular). Having said that though, most of their passengers haven't got the faintest idea about buses and in many cases had never even used such a thing before moving to Bath. Not that my University are any better for that though :roll:

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Somehow I don't think GoAhead would want to go back into the WM area, especially as last time they did, they sold a loss making operation (Diamond Bus) to Rotala.

Most of the buses Diamond had sent to their depots in the GoAhead days were cascades from Oxford/London (Crusader/Pointer Darts respectively) and stuff inherited from Petes Travel (upon purchase and merger of them by GoAhead). Since then under Rotala ownership, vehicles like Plaxton Centros and Optare hybrids have arrived (not to mention the addiction for a short while with MCVs!)

Oh...don't forget the service cuts in the GoAhead days and now the undercutting on tenders that they did at the start of the Rotala era.