In a surprise move, Lothian Buses has purchased award-winning Dunbar operator Eve Coaches for an undisclosed amount.
The deal will bring all of Eve Coaches’ work under the new owner’s umbrella, including local bus services, private hire, tours, and home-to-school transport. It has been pursued to grow Lothian’s coach offering in East Lothian, the municipally-owned buyer says.
Eve Coaches’ brand will be maintained, and the business’s premises in Dunbar and entire fleet are included in the sale, a Lothian spokesperson has confirmed. The Spott Road depot will continue to be used for Eve operations and staff have transferred under TUPE, they continue.
In a brief statement, Lothian Managing Director Sarah Boyd says: “Eve Coaches is a well-known operator in the local area, with over 40 years of service to the communities of East Lothian. We look forward to the opportunities that this will afford us in the future.” Lothian returned to coach operations in 2018, when it launched the Lothian Motorcoaches brand.
Eve Coaches was formed in 1978 and operates a modern fleet of coaches and buses, with an international O-Licence that authorises 30 vehicles. Under the leadership of Managing Director Gary Scougall, it was named Small Coach Operator of the Year in the 2015 routeone Awards.
Purchase of Eve Coaches by Lothian is the latest in a series of independent coach operator acquisitions by large operators. Cotswolds business Pulhams Coaches was sold to the Go-Ahead Group in 2023, while in early 2024, York Pullman became part of First Bus.
Those followed an earlier round of deals by National Express for small- and medium-sized coach operators that came to form its Transport Solutions arm.
