National Express has clarified its position on the purchase of operations in Bournemouth. The PLC has now completed a deal for the coach and engineering undertakings of Bournemouth Transport Ltd, which traded as Yellow Buses until it ceased operations on 4 August.
The purchase does not include the Yellow Coaches brand or private hire book. On 5 August, Eastleigh-based Xela Group purchased the Yellow Coaches Ltd business and brand although no vehicles changed hands. National Express has confirmed that its deal will safeguard 50 jobs, as suggested when its involvement in the fast-moving episode was first raised. It confirmed at that time that it would not be purchasing any bus operations in Bournemouth.
In a statement, the PLC says: “This purchase will ensure that we can maintain the services previously run by Bournemouth Transport Ltd on behalf of National Express and continue to offer the UK-wide network of great value, convenient and quality scheduled coach services that we are so well known for.
“Our management team has already been speaking to individuals and teams to manage the relevant processes and we are positive about the future of our operations in Bournemouth.”
It had earlier been suggested by a source close to the respective purchases that Yellow Buses’ National Express commitments were operated under the Yellow Coaches Ltd O-Licence.
The confirmation by National Express of its position ends much uncertainty over the fate of the coach operations of Yellow Buses and the associated Yellow Coaches business, although National Express has not confirmed how many – if any – vehicles the deal involves.
