Deal for 87-vehicle West London operator comes hot on heels of Powells Bus and DCT purchases
Social enterprise HCT Group has continued its expansion with the purchase of 87-vehicle West London operator Impact Group from Tower Transit for an undisclosed sum.
The deal completed last Friday (10 August). It follows HCT’s growth earlier in the year that saw it purchase Rotherham-based Powells Bus and CT4TC Group in May. The latter was quickly renamed Derbyshire Community Transport.
‘A good fit’
Explaining the move, HCT Group Chief Executive Dai Powell says: “There is a good fit between HCT Group and Impact.
“We operate a similar portfolio of contract and commercial services across our operations elsewhere and it also opens up a new area of London to us, providing an opportunity to apply our experience, growing the organisation and increasing our social impact.”
Mr Powell adds that Impact will, like Powells, be turned into a social enterprise in due course. It was purchased by Tower Transit in 2014.
“We believe that buying a commercial operator and turning it into a social enterprise is a real step forward for our communities. Commissioners of public services are seeking to tackle pressing social concerns like loneliness and isolation, so having a part of their potential supply chain turn into an organisation that shares their value and priorities can only be good news.”
Focusing on core
Tower Transit Operations Chief Operating Officer Charlie Beaumont has welcomed the sale. “We are very pleased to have found the best possible home for Impact Group as Tower Transit focuses on its core business.
“HCT Group has a proven competence in delivering transport services of this type, so we believe that it is in a strong position to build on the work that we have done.”
