Go-Ahead Group Limited is a multi-national

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

group based in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, England. While the majority of its operations are within Great Britain, it also operates services in Ireland, Australia, Singapore, and Norway. Go-Ahead was formerly listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

prior to being purchased by

Kinetic Group Kinetic Group (stylised as K''I''NET''I''C; formerly known as AATS Group) is an Australian-based multinational bus company that wholly owns a number of bus operations in Australia and New Zealand, including the SkyBus business, which operates ...

and Globalvia by 2022. The Go-Ahead Group was originally founded in February 1987 as ''Go-Ahead Northern Limited'' as part of the wider

privatisation Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

of the National Bus Company. Early expansion centred around the acquisition of several smaller competing bus operators in

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

and operating as a

subcontractor A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor. A general contractor, prime ...

National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...

; during the early 1990s, the

Brighton & Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

Oxford Bus Company The City of Oxford Motor Services Limited, trading as Oxford Bus Company, is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History Horse trams and horse buses The City of Oxf ...

, and

London Central The London Central Bus Company is a bus operator brand under London General Transport Services Limited, trading as Go-Ahead London. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group and primarily operates services in South London under contract to Tran ...

were all acquired. During May 1994, Go-Ahead was floated on the London Stock Exchange. In October 1996, Go-Ahead entered the UK railway sector via the operation of the Thames Trains franchise. Via the Govia joint venture, it bid for additional rail franchises in Britain, securing the

Thameslink Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...

and later the Southeastern and

London Midland London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia. London Midland was created as a result of Gov ...

operations. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Go-Ahead diversified into ground handling services at various British airports via the acquisition of Gatwick Handling International, British Midland, and Reed Aviation. During 2010, Go-Ahead disposed of its airport-based operations, the majority being sold to Dnata UK and Servisair. During the early 2010s, Go-Ahead acquired numerous other British transport companies. During late 2015, it was contracted to operate bus and rail services in Germany and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

; in subsequent years, Go-Ahead also expanded into Ireland and Norway. On 28 September 2021, Britain's

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

terminated Go-Ahead's Southeastern franchise after the discovery of financial misconduct. During August 2022, a consortium of Australia's

(51%) and Spain's Globalvia (49%) took over Go-Ahead, having valued the company at £669 million. During January 2023, it was announced that Go-Ahead was expanding into the Australian market via the U-Go Mobility joint venture with the engineering company UGL.

History

Incorporation

The Go-Ahead Group was originally founded as ''Go-Ahead Northern Limited'' on 17 February 1987 as a consequence of the

of the National Bus Company, during which a partial

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

led by Martin Ballinger and Chris Moyes purchased its

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

-based northern division, known as the Northern General Transport Company.Chris Moyes obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' 18 September 2006 Early expansion of the company involved the acquisition of several smaller competing bus operators in

, such as ''Gypsy Queen'' in 1989 and ''Low Fell Coaches'' in June 1992. Go-Ahead Northern also became a

, operating services to the Midlands, North East, North West and South West England.Go-Ahead Annual Report 30 June 1994
Go-Ahead GroupGo-Ahead Annual Report 29 June 1996
Go-Ahead Group Around the same time, Go-Ahead Leisure purchased a number of

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s, which were sold on during February 1996. Despite bidding for a number of other larger bus operators in the intervening period, Go-Ahead's first major acquisition was

in November 1993,Times 100 Case Study
Go-Ahead History
''Go-Ahead Group Handbook'' British Bus Publishing followed by the

and Wycombe Bus Company in March 1994. In May 1997, the

operation expanded with the acquisition of the former municipal operator Brighton Transport.Go-Ahead Annual Report 28 June 1997
Go-Ahead Group During September 1999, Metrobus, a large operator operating in London, Surrey and Sussex was acquired.Go-Ahead Annual Report 1 July 2000
Go-Ahead Group

Flotation and into London

Initially, Go-Ahead was structured as an unlisted public company and was owned 90 percent by its management. In May 1994, it was floated on the

. In October 1994, Go-Ahead purchased

during the privatisation of London Buses.Go-Ahead Annual Report 30 June 1995
Go-Ahead Group In March 1995, OK Motor Services was purchased and integrated into the Go North East operation. In June 1996, a second London bus operation,

London General London General Transport Services Limited, trading as Go-Ahead London, is a bus company operating in Greater London. The London General brand is a subsidiary of Go-Ahead London and operates services under contract to Transport for London. The ...

, was acquired from the management team that had purchased it when privatised.

Airport services

In October 1998, Go-Ahead diversified with the acquisition of Gatwick Handling International, a provider of ground handling services at UK airports.Go-Ahead Annual Report 3 July 1999
Go-Ahead Group Go-Ahead acquired the ground handling operations of British Midland and Midland Airport Services in March 2001, followed by Reed Aviation in August 2001. All these operations, including at Gatwick, all were rebranded as Aviance.Go-Ahead annual results 30 June 2001
Go-Ahead Group In May 2002, Go-Ahead diversified again, acquiring airport-focused ''Meteor Parking''. Included in the purchase of Gatwick Handling International in 1998 was a 50% shareholding in Plane Handling, and in August 2004 Go-Ahead purchased the remaining 50% from Virgin Aviation.Go-Ahead Annual Report 2 July 2005
Go-Ahead Group In December 2006

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...

parking operator PAS was purchased and integrated into Meteor Parking, followed by security provider Nikaro in February 2007. In January 2010, Go-Ahead disposed of most of its airport-based operations via a sale to Dnata UK and Servisair. In September 2010, Meteor Parking was sold to

Vinci SA Vinci (; corporately styled VINCI) is a French concessions and construction company founded in 1899 as Société Générale d'Entreprises. Its head office is in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. Vinci is listed on Euronext's Paris st ...

, bringing Go-Ahead's involvement in the aviation support industry to a close.Go-Ahead Annual Report 2 July 2011
Go-Ahead Group

1996 – 2010

Entering the railway sector

In October 1996, Go-Ahead entered the UK rail market when it commenced operating the Thames Trains franchise, which it ran until March 2004. The franchise was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to Victory Rail Holdings; Go-Ahead owned 65% of the shares in Victory Rail Holdings with the remaining 35% held by some ex

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

managers and employees. Go-Ahead bought the remaining shares it did not own in June 1998.Go-Ahead Annual Report 27 June 1998
Go-Ahead Group Also in 1996, Go-Ahead entered into the Govia joint venture with French company VIA-GTI (which later became

Keolis Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. B ...

), in order to bid for more UK rail franchises. Govia was 65% owned by Go-Ahead. Govia was awarded the

franchise, which it ran from March 1997 until March 2006. During August 2001, Govia started running the South Central rail franchise. In October 2000, the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority awarded Govia the South Central rail franchise with operations due to commence in May 2003 when the Connex South Central franchise expired. Govia negotiated a deal with Connex to buy out the remainder of its franchise.

Failed takeover and operations in Sweden

During July 2000, French government owned Caisse des Dépts-Développement (C3D) submitted a bid to purchase Go-Ahead; this offer, which was valued at £326 million, was promptly rejected by the company. A

hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (law), company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are publicly listed, in contrast t ...

bid was issued by C3D one month later; it was declared to be "unwelcome" by Go-Ahead chairman Sir Frederick Holliday. Go-Ahead pledged to fight for its independence and promoted its expansion plans to shareholders to persuade them to back the existing management team. C3D sought to integrate Go-Ahead with its Transdev S.A. bus and light rail operator. In October 2000, C3D's takeover effort came to nought. Go-Ahead entered into two joint ventures with VIA-GTI and BK Tåg to operate rail services in Sweden. Go-Ahead had a 39% stake in City Pendeln AB which was to operate the Citypendeln commuter rail business in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Go-Ahead also had a 29% stake in Sydvasten AB which operated rail services between

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

and

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. Go-Ahead decided to exit from both ventures in May 2000. Wycombe Bus Company was sold to

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

in December 2000.

Expansion into the Midlands and the South

In August 2003, the Wilts & Dorset bus business was purchased.Go-Ahead Annual Report 28 June 2003
Go-Ahead Group In June 2005 Solent Blue Line and

Southern Vectis Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight, founded in 1921 as Dodson and Campbell. It became the Vectis Bus Company in 1923. The company was purchased by Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. In 1987, the company wa ...

were purchased. In September 2005, the

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

and Seaford operations of

Stagecoach South Stagecoach (South) Limited, trading as Stagecoach South, is a bus operator providing services in South East England as a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extendin ...

were acquired and integrated into the

business.Go-Ahead Annual Report 1 July 2006
Go-Ahead Group During December 2005, Go-Ahead purchased The Birmingham Coach Company, which operated express coaches under contract for

and local bus services in the West Midlands under the Diamond Bus name. Go-Ahead had been known for some time to be keen to begin operating in the area. In February 2006, another operator in the West Midlands, Probus Management, trading as People's Express, was purchased. In August 2006, the Birmingham Coach Company (trading as Diamond Bus) and Probus operations were regrouped under the Go West Midlands Limited legal entity, with the bus operations branded as Diamond in the West Midlands. In February 2006, the Hants & Dorset Trim bus refurbishment business was purchased. In April 2006, the Govia joint venture commenced operating the South Eastern franchise as Southeastern. During September 2006, Docklands Buses was acquired and integrated into

Go-Ahead London Go-Ahead London is a major bus operator in Greater London. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of April 2025) the largest bus operator in Greater Londo ...

, followed in October 2006 by Marchwood Motorways which was integrated into Go South Coast.Go-Ahead Annual Report 30 June 2007
Go-Ahead Group In June 2007,

Blue Triangle Blue Triangle is a bus operator brand under London General Transport Services Limited, trading as Go-Ahead London. It operates services in East London under contract to Transport for London. It is the operator of the East London Transit servic ...

was acquired and integrated into Go-Ahead London. In September 2007, Northumbria Coaches was purchased and integrated into Go North East, followed by Stanley Buses (the bus service subsidiary of Stanley Taxis) in October 2007, and Redby Buses in January 2008.Go-Ahead Annual Report 28 June 2008
Go-Ahead Group In November 2007, Govia began operating the

rail franchise. In December 2007, the

Orpington Orpington is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Mary Cray, sou ...

services of First London were acquired. In February 2008, Go-Ahead sold Go West Midlands to Rotala's Central Connect, two years after purchasing the company. In June 2008, the

Gatwick Express Gatwick Express is an express rail passenger service between , , and in South East England. It is the brand name used by the Govia Thameslink Railway train operating company on the Gatwick Express route of the Thameslink, Southern and Great N ...

rail service was incorporated into Southern. In October 2009, East Thames Buses was acquired and integrated into

as well as the Horsham operations of

Arriva Southern Counties Arriva Southern Counties Limited, trading as Arriva Southern Counties, is a bus operator in Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Surrey in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which is part of the Arriva group owned by Deutsche Bahn. The ...

that were integrated into Metrobus.Go-Ahead half year Report 2 January 2010
Go-Ahead Group In December 2009, Plymouth Citybus was purchased from Plymouth City Council. In March 2010, Konectbus in Norfolk was purchased as well as the

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

operations of

Arriva North East Arriva North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which operates bus and coach services across the United Kingdom. ...

and integrated into Go North East.

American operations

In August 2010, Go-Ahead America, a joint venture with Cook Illinois in which Go-Ahead held a 50% stake, commenced operating a yellow school bus contract in

St Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. In July 2014, Go-Ahead exited the United States following the loss of its yellow bus contract.

Since 2011

Acquisitions

In May 2011, Go-Ahead acquired Thames Travel in

South Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a p ...

. Acquisitions in 2012 were

Carousel Buses Carousel Buses Limited, trading as Carousel Buses, is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group's Oxford Bus Company operation alongside Pearces Co ...

(March) integrated into

, Essex-based Hedingham (March), the Northumberland Park-based operations of First London (March), Anglian Bus (April) in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, and HC Chambers & Son, Suffolk (June) (immediately operationally merged with Hedingham). In March 2012, the

announced that Go-Ahead, along with

Abellio Abellio (also Abelio and Abelionni) was a god worshiped in the Garonne Valley in Gallia Aquitania (now southwest France), known primarily by a number of inscriptions which were discovered in Comminges, in the Pyrenees. He may have been a god ...

FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.MTR The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...

, and

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

, had been shortlisted for the newly created Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise. During May 2014, Govia was awarded the new franchise. This franchise is unusual as a management contract where fare income does not go to GTR, which is simply paid a fee for operating the service, so GTR carries less revenue risk. This form of franchise was chosen because of long-term engineering works anticipated around London, which would be a significant challenge to organise within the normal form of franchise.

Expansion into Europe and Singapore

During November 2015, Go-Ahead Singapore was awarded a contract to operate 25 bus services in Singapore previously operated by SBS Transit out of Loyang Bus Depot, which commenced on 4 September 2016. In the same month, Go-Ahead Germany were awarded two rail contracts in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, Germany. The contracts commenced in 20192020. In August 2017, Go-Ahead won a tender to run 24 routes in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

previously operated by

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...

Go-Ahead Ireland Go-Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Limited, trading as Go-Ahead Ireland, is a bus operator in Dublin that commenced trading in September 2018. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History With the aim of improving efficiency, in 2015 t ...

commenced the contract with the National Transport Authority to operate these routes on 9 September 2018. In June 2018, East Yorkshire Motor Services was purchased with over 300 buses. In January 2019, Go-Ahead Ireland commenced operating a further six routes between

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and its outlying commuter towns, previously operated by Bus Éireann. By 2022, the National Transport Authority indicated that it was not satisfied with Go-Ahead's performance, but extended the contract to October 2024 on the basis that it would be too disruptive to bus services to re-tender the contract. Go-Ahead has been penalised by the National Transport Authority for failing to meet minimum performance standards in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. During October 2018, Go-Ahead won a tender to run the Oslo south package, consisting of three routes previously operated by NSB. Go-Ahead Nordic commenced the contract with the Norwegian Railway Directorate to operate these routes in December 2019.

Manchester and Cornwall

In February 2019, Go-Ahead announced it would buy First Greater Manchester's Cheetham Hill depot with 163 buses and brand it Go North West. During March 2020, Go Cornwall Bus partnered with

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...

and local operators to form a new Transport for Cornwall brand, with plans calling for an additional 130 vehicles.

Termination of Southeastern rail franchise

On 28 September 2021, the Department for Transport announced it would terminate the Southeastern franchise the following month after the discovery of financial misconduct. Southeastern had not declared over £25million that should have been repaid to the government in the period since 2014. Go-Ahead's Chief Financial Officer resigned over this matter. On 9 December 2021, the company announced that its auditors needed more time to consider the implications of the misconduct and potential fines from the Department for Transport (DfT). Consequently, the annual results would not be ready at the end of the company's financial year on 2 January 2022, which would oblige the company to request suspension of trading in its shares. The share price fell by about 15% on the day of the announcement. On 24 February 2022, Go-Ahead published their delayed 202021 results, and announced the outcome of investigations into the termination of the franchise. The review found that "serious errors had been made” since 2006, with the expected cost to the company to be over £80million. The amount owed to the DfT was increased to £51.3million, with errors dating back to 2006. Go-Ahead also stated that they expect to have to pay a fine to the DfT, setting aside up to £30million for this. Go-Ahead also stated that they may also owe DfT an additional £21.3million, related to a dispute over profit sharing.

Takeover

On 13 June 2022, a consortium of Australia's

(51%) and Spain's Globalvia (49%) launched a takeover bid of Go-Ahead, initially valuing the company at £647 million. Two months later, the offer was increased to £669 million. Shortly thereafter, 78.6% of Go-Ahead's shareholders voted to accept the offer.

Expansion and changes

During January 2023, it was announced that Go-Ahead was expanding into the Australian market via the U-Go Mobility joint venture with the engineering company UFL; this venture had been recently awarded a contract by Transport New South Wales to operate buses in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. In June 2023, Go-Ahead bought Pulhams Coaches, expanding its presence into the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

. In mid 2023, Go-Ahead Group announced that it was procuring a new fleet of

hydrogen fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

buses to serve routes around

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

, and Horley; comprising 54 vehicles, it will be one of the largest hydrogen bus fleets present in the UK. The company has also invested £30 million on establishing a liquid hydrogen refuelling station, the first such facility serving buses in Europe.

Sale of German rail division

On 12 October 2023, the company entered into an agreement to sell Go-Ahead Germany to ÖBB; the sales process was completed on 1 February 2024, after approvals have been obtained from various international authorities under competition law.

Stockholm Metro

In January 2024, Connecting Stockholm, which is majority-owned by Go-Ahead (55%) was awarded the operation contract for the Stockholm Metro system. The contract will be worth approximately SEK 40 billion over its 11 year period and will commence in November 2025, taking over from the present operator,

MTR The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...

Operations

The company's operations include:

Bus operations

;United Kingdom *

– bus operations in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

, acquired in November 1993 ** Metrobus – bus operation in

, acquired in September 1999, London operations transferred to

in April 2014 **Eastbourne Sightseeing – city sightseeing bus operations in Eastbourne, acquired in February 2024 *

– bus operations in east London, acquired on 29 June 2007 ** Docklands Buses – bus operations in east London, acquired in September 2006 **

– bus operations in south London, acquired in October 1994 **

– bus operations in London, acquired in June 1996, acquired Metrobus' London routes in April 2014 * Go North East – bus operations in

and the founding company of the Go-Ahead Group in 1987 * East Yorkshire – bus operations in

Yorkshire and the Humber Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It is one of the three regions covering Northern England, alongside the North West England and North East England regio ...

, acquired in June 2018 **Procters Coaches – coach operations in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, acquired in May 2024 **Compass Royston – coach operations in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

and

Teesside Teesside () is an urban area around the River Tees in North East England. Straddling the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire, it spans the boroughs of Borough of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, Stockton ...

, acquired in May 2024 **Esk Valley – coach operations in North Yorkshire and

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, acquired in May 2024 **Fourway Coaches – coach operations in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, acquired in May 2024 * Go North West – bus operations in

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, acquired in February 2019 * Go South Coast ** Bluestar – bus operations in Eastleigh, Hythe and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, acquired in July 2005 ** Damory – bus and coach operations in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, acquired in August 2003 **Excelsior – coach operations in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, acquired in October 2016 ** Morebus – bus operations in Bournemouth and

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

(previously Wilts & Dorset), acquired in August 2003 ** Salisbury Reds – bus operation in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

(previously Wilts & Dorset), acquired in August 2003 **

– bus operations on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, acquired in July 2005 ** Swindon's Bus Company – bus operations in

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

(previously Thamesdown Transport), acquired in February 2017 ** Tourist Coaches – coach operations in Wiltshire, acquired in August 2003 **Unibus – Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth bus services for students and public ** Unilink – Southampton University bus services for students and public, acquired on 29 September 2008 * Go South West **Dartline Coaches – bus company in Exeter, acquired in October 2022 ** Plymouth Citybus – bus operations in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, acquired in November 2009 ** Go Cornwall Bus – bus operations in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, acquired in December 2014 **Go Devon Bus – bus operations in North and Mid Devon, started in October 2022 * Go East Anglia ** Konectbus – bus operations in

, acquired in March 2010 ** Hedingham & Chambers – bus operations in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, merged from two former operators in 2012. ***Chambers – bus operations in Suffolk, acquired in June 2012 ***Hedingham – bus operations in Essex, acquired in March 2012 * Oxford Bus Group **

– bus operations in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, acquired in March 1994 ** Thames Travel – bus operations in

and

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, acquired in May 2011 **

– bus operations in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, acquired in March 2012 **Tom Tappin – city sightseeing bus operations in Oxford, acquired in December 2017 **Pulhams Coaches – bus & coach operations in

West Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based. Area The area is mainly rural downla ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and the Cotswolds, acquired in June 2023 ***Swanbrook Transport - coach operations in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, acquired in November 2024 **Pearces Coaches - coach operations in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, acquired in March 2025 ;Singapore * Go-Ahead Singapore – bus operations in

, commenced operations September 2016 ;Ireland *

– tendered out bus services in Dublin ;Australia * U-Go Mobility – a 50:50 joint venture between Go-Ahead and UGL in

that commenced in July 2023.

Current rail franchises

The company operates the following franchise through Govia, its joint venture with

: *

Govia Thameslink Railway Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a British train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, TSGN rail franchise. Within the franchise, GTR runs trains under the sub-brands: Thameslink, Great North ...

– operating under the Southern,

, Thameslink and Great Northern brands The company also operates railway lines internationally: * Go-Ahead Nordic – operating the Oslo South package on the

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

Jæren Jæren is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Rogaland county, Norway. The other districts in Rogaland are Dalane, Ryfylke, and Haugalandet. Jæren is one of the 15 districts that comprise Western Norway. At about , Jæren is the large ...

and Sørlandet Lines.

Previous rail franchises

* Thames Trains – October 1996 to March 2004 *

– March 1997 to March 2006 (through the Govia joint venture with Keolis) *

– November 2007 to December 2017 (Govia) * Southeastern – April 2006 to October 2021 (Govia). Govia was stripped of the franchise after a serious financial breach of the agreement.

Previous subsidiaries

* Go-Ahead Germany – operated rail services in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria * Southdown Buses – previously operated bus services in East Surrey and Kent, acquired on 1 February 2023, ceased operations on 2 September 2023

References

External links

* {{Authority control Bus groups in the United Kingdom Companies based in Newcastle upon Tyne Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Go-Ahead Group companies Kinetic Group companies Transport companies established in 1987 Transport operators of the United Kingdom 1987 establishments in England 1994 initial public offerings