Press releases

Leading European passenger transport group Arriva plc, today announced the acquisition of Czech Republic bus operator Transcentrum Bus s.r.o. for approximately £5 million enterprise value.

Leading European passenger transport group Arriva plc, today announced the acquisition of Czech Republic bus operator Transcentrum Bus s.r.o. for approximately £5 million enterprise value.

With revenue of some £5.4 million, Transcentrum Bus s.r.o. is a privately held company operating 120 buses to the north of Prague, and employing 200 people.

The acquisition provides an established platform for Arriva to begin operating bus services in the Czech Republic. It brings the number of countries in which Arriva operates to nine.

David Martin, chief executive of Arriva plc, said:

This strategic acquisition provides market entry into the Czech Republic transport sector and positions Arriva well for future growth in this evolving market. We look forward to developing this business with the management team.

Note to editors

• Arriva was the first UK company to implement a strategy to target the ongoing liberalisation of transport markets in mainland Europe. It is the largest UK-based public transport group on the Continent, with revenues in mainland Europe of over 1 billion Euro and operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With nearly 33,000 employees, Arriva provides more than one billion passenger journeys every year through an extensive range of public transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses.