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 16 vehicle bus and coach operator based in Cheltenham.
The 3rd generation family owned business which was founded in 1960 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.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of the Oxford Bus Company said: “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.”
Matt Carney, CEO – Go-Ahead Bus, said: “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.”
John Thomas, Operations Director of Swanbrook Transport Ltd said: “We are excited by the opportunities that joining such a prestigious group in Pulhams/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.”
Given our continued growth and recent expansion in to Cheltenham, we’re looking for great individuals to strengthen our local Pulhams’ Team, with a number of new and revised positions available.
If you believe you’re the right person for any of the roles listed below, we’d love to hear from you. Please send no more than a two-page CV and a covering letter outlining why you’re the right person into hr@pulhamscoaches.com.
Assistant Operations Manager – Supporting the Operations Manager, you will be tasked with leading our ever-growing operation and geographical network, as well as the team we’re building to support this growth. You’ll require a strong but personable management style, managing colleagues of all levels. Experience in a similar role is certainly desirable. – Closing date: 21st December 2024
Human Resource and Payroll Administrator – We’re looking for someone to build effective relationships across all colleagues in our Depot environment, assist and support Managers by facilitating on all local HR matters, with a view of continually developing our HR functionality with process improvement. This role will also require the administration of both weekly and monthly payrolls, accounting for all employees, as well as liaising with the wider Go-Ahead Payroll and Pensions Teams. – Closing date: 16th December 2024
Private Hire Lead – This new role will be responsible for our commercial coaching work, building upon new and existing client and stakeholder relationships, managing quotations, availability and confirmed bookings, complaint handling, tour administration, as well as being able to represent the Company at external meetings. This role is crucial to the business remaining competitive in a strong operating environment. – Closing date: 16th December 2024
Compliance Co-Ordinator – reporting directly to the Area Director this role will hold overall responsibility for ensuring the Pulhams business consistently meets and surpasses those standards outlined by the DVSA’s Earned Recognition programme. You will need a sound understanding of the ER programme, as well as both Domestic and EU drivers hours, a strong sense of working independently as well as part of a wider team and demonstrate in depth analytical skills. – Closing date: 16th December 2024
Service Delivery Supervisors – we’re looking to appoint two operationally minded individuals to manage our day-to-day coaching operation, regulate our local bus services, and respond to a variety of challenges that may occur. This role requires someone calm under pressure, a problem solver and a keen eye for detail. These roles are critical to us achieving and maintaining our high-quality service delivery across coach, bus and our home to school contracts. – Closing date: 16th December 2024
Tags: Pulhams, Swanbrook Transport
Categories: News
