Go-Ahead reports rising revenue
BUS AND rail operator The Go-Ahead Group yesterday announced that its full-year expectations for both operations remain unchanged.
It said trading for the year-to-date had been robust, with revenue up across all business units.
In a trading update, the company said it expected revenue to be up about four per cent in its regional bus operations in the half year to 27 December, despite no growth in passenger journeys.
Revenue in its London bus operations is expected to grow about three per cent despite a 2.5 per cent drop in mileage covered.
David Brown, group chief executive of Go-Ahead, said: “Overall trading in the year to date has been robust, with a solid performance in our bus and rail operations. Our full year expectations for both divisions remain unchanged.
“We remain committed to improving the passenger experience and making it as easy as possible for people to use our services.”
He added that the Newcastle-headquartered company “has the largest smartcard scheme outside of London and, in January 2015, will be introducing a multi-operator smartcard in the north east.
“In October, we announced a joint initiative with the UK’s other major bus operators to deliver multi-operator smart ticketing to millions of bus customers across England.”
Brown noted that in the past “five years, we have grown our regional bus network, enabling 15 per cent more journeys to be taken on our services.
“Over the same period, we have invested more than £170m in our regional bus services and achieved some of the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry, including our best ever score of 92 per cent in the latest independent survey.”
He continued: “Working collaboratively with industry partners and local authorities we always seek to deliver the best value for passengers, taxpayers and shareholders.”