National Express picks up Spanish firm in £11.1m deal

National Express has snapped up Spanish travel firm Transportes Rober in a deal worth £11.1m.

Transportes Rober has operated the urban bus contract in Granada for more than 20 years. National Express’s Spanish arm ALSA has opeates a similar model in Galicia, the Basque Region and Leon amongst others. Granada is a major hub for long haul connections and builds on ALSA’s existing urban business in Almeria and regional services, meaning it will have a combined fleet of 650 vehicles and 1,900 employees.

Ignacio Garat, CEO of National Express, said: “I am delighted that in addition to maintaining tight control on costs, we are able to focus on growth and continue our successful ‘consolidate and compound’ strategy. The acquisition of Rober adds another revenue-protected contract to ALSA, consolidating its leadership position in another region, further diversifying its revenue streams and delivering operational synergies”.

Francisco Iglesias, CEO of ALSA said “The consolidation of regional and urban services in Andalusia will reinvigorate public transport across the region making it more attractive and easier to use.”