History and growth timeline (HTML version)
1980 | 1991 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Our origins
The roots of Arriva are in Sunderland where the company still has its head office. Back in 1938 the Cowie family opened a second-hand motorcycle shop in Sunderland. That was the first venture by what has grown to be an international business trading across Europe.
In 1960 the company - still called Cowie - moved into motor retailing in the UK, becoming a public company in 1965. Then in 1980 it started to purchase bus companies with the acquisition of Grey-Green Coaches in London. Over the next few years, there were more bus company acquisitions, with the biggest - British Bus Group plc - in 1996 making the business one of the largest bus operators in the UK.
Arriva was born in 1997, bringing together many different company backgrounds under the Arriva flag. Also in that year Arriva acquired its first business on the European mainland.
This timeline takes you through Arriva's growth, detailing acquisitions and contract wins, and major events.
1980
| Acquisition | The company's first bus acquisition in the UK: Grey-Green Coaches of London. |
| Events | Arriva enters the UK bus market. |
1991
| Events | The business expands into vehicle rental in the UK. (The vehicle rental division is sold 15 years later in 2006, as Arriva completes its fundamental repositioning to focus on the passenger transport markets in the UK and mainland Europe. |
1996
| Acquisition | Further bus company acquisitions include the British Bus Group. |
1997
| Acquisition | Arriva enters the mainland European transport market with its acquisition of Unibus Holdings in Denmark, which also has bus operations in Sweden. |
| Events | Arriva enters the mainland European transport market. It begins to operate buses in Denmark and Sweden. The Arriva name is introduced, bringing together over 140 transport brand names under the Arriva flag. |
1998
| Acquisition | Arriva acquires Vancom Nederland and Veonn & Hanze in the Netherlands – making Arriva a major operator of inter-urban commuter coach services. |
| Events | Arriva enters the Dutch bus market. |
1999
| Acquisition | Arriva expands in Denmark with its acquisition of Bus Danmark. It acquires two bus companies in Galicia, north-west Spain: Mercancias Ideal Gallego and Transportes Finisterre. |
| Contract wins | The company begins operating bus and rail services in Friesland in a joint venture, and operates train services in Groningen (taking full control in 2003). |
| Events | Arriva announces its repositioning to
focus on passenger transportation in the UK and mainland Europe.
The group's contract hire, motor retailing and vehicle rental
businesses are subsequently sold. It enters the Spanish bus and Dutch rail markets. |
2000
| Acquisition | Arriva enters UK rail market and
acquires MTL bus operations in Merseyside. It enters the Portuguese bus market with the acquisition of Ami-Transportes and Abilio da Costa Moreira bus companies in north-west Portugal. |
| Events | Arriva enters the UK rail and Portuguese bus markets. |
2001
| Acquisition | Arriva acquires Combus, Denmark 's largest bus operator. |
2002
| Acquisition | Arriva buys Autocares Mallorca SL and
Donate Amenguel Ramis SL of Mallorca. It acquires a 51 per cent stake in Transportes Sul do Tejo, the major operator of scheduled bus and coach services to the south of Lisbon in Portugal (increased to 100 per cent in 2003). Arriva becomes the largest private sector bus operator in Italy with its acquisition of SAB Autoservizi, operating services to the east of Milan principally in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. |
| Events | Arriva enters the Italian bus market. |
2003
| Acquisition | Arriva completes its purchase of
Transportes Sul do Tejo by acquiring Barraqueiro Group's remaining
49 per cent interest (51 per cent was acquired in 2002). Arriva takes 100 per cent control of a joint venture bus/rail operations in the Netherlands that started in 1999, renaming it Arriva Openbaar Vervoer NL. |
| Contract wins | As the first private company to win
franchises to operate rail passenger services in Denmark, Arriva
begins operating eight-year franchises in Mid and North
Jutland. In the Netherlands, Arriva wins a contract to operate public transport services in the city and province of Groningen and the province of Drenthe. Arriva begins to operate the new 15-year integrated passenger rail franchise serving Wales and the border countries – Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru. |
| Events | The motor retailing division is sold
as part of Arriva's strategy to focus on the passenger transport markets in the UK and mainland Europe. It enters the Danish rail market and begins operating trains in Wales. |
2004
| Acquisition | Arriva enters the German public
transport market with its acquisition of Prignitzer Eisenbahn
Gruppe. It purchases a 76.9 per cent stake (increased to 100 per
cent in 2006) in Regentalbahn AG from the state of Bavaria,
operating trains in Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony. Arriva grows its position in the Italian public transport market with the acquisition of 49 per cent Societa Autoservizi, F.V.G S.p.a (increased to 60 per cent in 2005). Arriva acquires Wulff Bus A/S, a Danish bus operator which has a strong geographical fit with Arriva's existing business in Jutland and Copenhagen. It becomes Copenhagen's biggest bus operator with a 40 per cent market share. |
| Events | Arriva enters the German rail market. |
2005
| Acquisition | Arriva enters the German bus market
with its acquisition of Sippel Group, one of the country's largest
privately-owned bus operators. Arriva acquires Blue Bus and Coaches
of Bolton in the UK, operating in Bolton and areas of
Manchester. Arriva acquires 80 per cent of Italian bus operator SADEM, which operates in Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta, with an option (subsequently taken up) to acquire the remaining 20 per cent in 2008. Arriva increases its stake in Societa Autoservizi, F.V.G S.p.a from 49 per cent (acquired in 2004) to 60 per cent. |
| Contract wins | Arriva announces that it has won the
contract to operate rail services in Bavaria, southern Germany,
between Munich, Hof and Furth im Wald for ten years from December
2007. Arriva is awarded, and commences, a 15-year rail contract to be sole regional rail operator for services in Friesland and Groningen, the Netherlands. Arriva wins a six-year contract starting the same year to operate buses in Waterland, north of Amsterdam. |
| Events | Arriva enters the German bus market. |
2006
| Acquisition | Arriva acquires Premier Buses,
trading as MK Metro Ltd, of Milton Keynes, UK. It acquires German bus operator Verkehrsbetriebe Bils KG which operates in Münsterland. Arriva acquires a 21.5 per cent stake in Barraqueiro Group SGPS SA of Portugal, the leading Portuguese passenger transport operator (increased to 31.5 per cent in 2008). Arriva enters the Czech bus market with the acquisition of Transcentrum Bus s.r.o, operating to the north of Prague. Arriva acquires a 35 per cent stake in Trieste Trasporti in Italy which increases to 40 per cent in 2007. Arriva increases its stake in Regentalbahn AG, in Germany, from 76.9 per cent (acquired in 2004) to 100 per cent. |
| Contract wins | Arriva wins entry into the Swedish
rail market with a nine-year contract to operate the Pagatag
regional train services in the Skåne region of southern
Sweden (contract begins in 2007). It is awarded a 12-year contract to run buses and trains in the Netherlands between Dordrecht and Geldermalsen, starting in December 2006. Arriva wins a 10-year German rail contract for services between Munich, Oberstdorf and Lindau (contract begins in 2007) and a 12-year contract for rail services between Frielassing and Berchtesgaden in Bavaria (contract begins in 2009). Arriva wins a contract to acquire 80 per cent of bus operator Neisseverkehr GmbH in north-east Germany (acquires in 2007). |
| Events | Arriva completes its fundamental repositioning with the sale of its UK Vehicle Rental business. Secures a long-term position in UK Rail. Arriva enters the Czech Republic bus market. |
2007
| Acquisition | Arriva acquires two Madrid-based bus companies, Esfera providing school contract and private hire bus services and coach operator Autocares Fray Escoba. Arriva strengthens its position in the Czech Republic with the acquisitions of Bosak Bus s.r.o and Osnado Spol s.r.o. Arriva expands its presence in the German bus market with the acquisition of a majority stake in bus and rail company Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen AG which provides services in Lower Saxony. Arriva enters a joint venture with Ferrovie Nord Milano Group (FNM SpA) and acquires 49 per cent of Italian bus operator SPT Linea. Arriva acquires Veolia Scandinavia, Denmark’s second largest bus operator. |
| Contract wins | Arriva and joint venture partners PCC Rail win a three-year contract to operate train services in Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voidvodship in north-west Poland. In 2010 Arriva acquires its partner's share and the company is fully owned by Arriva. Arriva is awarded the CrossCountry rail franchise. Arriva wins a Stockholm bus contract to start in 2009. |
| Events | Arriva enters the Swedish rail market. Arriva starts operating CrossCountry, the UK's most extensive rail franchise. Arriva begins operating two new 10-year rail contracts in Bavaria,Germany, through Regentalbahn. Arriva PCC starts operating train services in north-west Poland, the country's first private sector operated passenger rail contract. Arriva increases its stake in Trieste Trasporti in Italy to 40 per cent from 35 per cent (acquired in 2006). Arriva acquires a contract for 80 per cent of bus operator Neisseverkehr GmbH in north-east Germany (won in 2006). |
2008
| Acquisition | Arriva increases its shareholding in Brescia-based SAIA Transporti to 100 per cent. The initial shareholding was acquired as part of the purchase of the SAB Group of companies in 2002. Arriva acquires bus, coach and airport related transport operator Tellings Golden Miller Group which grew through a further acquisition in April 2008. Arriva acquires a further 10 per cent of Barraqueiro in January 2008 taking its holding to 31.5 per cent (21.5 per cent acquired in 2006). Arriva acquires Spanish bus operator Empresa de Blas y Cia S.L. and its subsidiary companies of Madrid. Arriva acquires 80 per cent of Interbus Invest, the holding company of Eurobus Invest, Hungary's largest private bus operator which operates bus services in Hungary and Slovakia. It acquires the remaining 20 per cent in 2009. Arriva expands its presence in Brandenburg through the acquisition of Sudbrandeburger Nahverkehrs (SBN). SBN operates bus services in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz region. In October 2008, Arriva purchases the remaining 20 per cent of SADEM S.p.A and subsidiary Sapav S.p.A, bus companies in Italy’s Piemonte region, taking ownership to 100 per cent. |
| Contract wins | Arriva is awarded the Göteborg-Örebo rail contract in Sweden, to start in 2009.
|
| Events | Arriva enters the Hungarian and Slovakian bus markets. |
2009
| Contract wins | Arriva wins an 8-year contract to operate 80 buses in the Halland region of Southern Sweden from June 2010. Arriva re-wins the Jutland rail contract for a further eight years from 2010. |
| Events | Arriva becomes the first private entrant into Stockholm in 10 years when it begins operating 164 buses in the Swedish capital. Arriva expands its rail operations in Sweden with a new contract operating between Göteborg and Örebo. Arriva begins a 12-year contract providing rail services between Frielassing and Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany. |
2010
| Acquisition | Arriva acquires the remaining 20 per cent of Interbus Invest, the holding company of Eurobus Invest of Hungary, which operates bus services in Hungary and Slovakia. Arriva acquires its joint venture partner's 50 per cent share in Arriva PCC. The company, renamed Arriva RP, is now fully owned by Arriva. |
| Contract wins | As part of a consortium including the Barraqueiro Group, Arriva wins a five-year contract to operate and maintain the Metro do Porto, the city of Porto’s tram network from April 2010 (Portugal). Arriva wins a new Euro1 billion bus and rail contract in central east Holland. The bus part of the 10-year Achterhoek-Rivierenland contract starts in December 2010 and covers the Achterhoek network. The rail contract commences in December 2012 and will provide services on the Tiel-Arnhem, Zutphen-Apeldoorn Line. |
| Events | Arriva becomes the sole owner of Polish rail operator Arriva RP (formerly Arriva PCC), and bus operator Interbus Invest of Hungary. |
