Historic bus company bought by national operator
One of the oldest passenger transport companies in the UK has been bought by a national operator.
Cotswolds based Pulham & Sons (Coaches) Limited has been bought by the Go Ahead Group.
Pulhams, which has a fleet of 90 buses and coaches and employs 126 people, is a well-known and respected local business serving communities in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.
It will become part of Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company division – which presently comprises Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and City Sightseeing Oxford as well as the Oxford Bus Company.
Based in Bourton-on-the-Water Pulhams is one of the oldest established passenger transport companies in Britain. It was founded in 1880 to carry passengers into Cheltenham from nearby villages by horse and cart.
The acquisition will expand Go-Ahead’s Oxford business to the west and see improved connectivity between Pulhams’ bus services in Oxfordshire and the wider Go-Ahead network of services.
In addition, it will enable Go-Ahead to expand its coaching operations – which in the Oxford division already include the airline services to Heathrow and Gatwick, and National Express branded operations – by developing the coach hire side of the Pulhams business across the wider business operating area.
The deal is Go-Ahead’s third acquisition in a year, following the purchase of Dartline in Devon and Southdown Buses in West Sussex.
Luke Marion, managing director of the Oxford Bus Company, said: “Pulhams’ buses and coaches are familiar and well-loved in communities throughout the Cotswolds. The business links nicely with our existing services in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and helps us to diversify our business further into new market segments. We’ll be investing in developing the Pulhams business further, for the benefit of both customers and colleagues.”
Andrew Pulham, managing director of Pulhams Coaches said: “I am excited to work with Luke and the wider Go-Ahead team in developing new business opportunities and enhancing those that we already have in place. Go-Ahead’s commitment to invest in the Pulhams’ business as we look towards decarbonisation of our fleets is welcome and I look forward to learning from the Group’s experience in this area. Kathryn and I remain committed to Pulhams and look forward to this next chapter in our well-established, successful business.”
Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, The Go-Ahead Group, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Pulhams into the group. At Go-Ahead, we see many opportunities to expand in Britain’s bus industry as the country moves towards a net zero future in which people leave their cars at home in favour of public transport.”
The Go-Ahead Group has nine UK bus divisions operating more than 6,000 buses, with routes stretching from the western tip of Cornwall as far north as Northumberland.
