Belle Vue Manchester has completed a deal that will create 20 jobs at the operator and increase revenue by £1m annually with the takeover of 17 home-to-school contracts previously operated by Selwyns Travel of Runcorn.
Undertaken on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester, the services run in the Stockport and Trafford areas. Belle Vue will also undertake educational day trips.
The deal adds almost 450,000 annual passenger journeys to Belle Vue’s current total of three million. 15 buses have transferred to Belle Vue from Selwyns as part of the deal. It has also purchased seven double-deckers from Essex dealer Ensignbus.
Belle Vue now employs 100 staff and Managing Director Phil Hitchen (pictured, right, with Director Ian Olsen) says it continues to seek similar strategic acquisitions to further strengthen its business.
He adds: “Although this is an immensely challenging period, we continue to operate home-to-school services for the children of key workers and contracts to take NHS staff to and from their workplace.
“The sector’s landscape is changing and we have an appetite for further strategic acquisitions from operators thinking of leaving the industry to strengthen our market share.
“With Clean Air Zones, new regulations affecting the industry and now a downturn in trade, operators may be looking for an exit. We can offer a solution.”
