Gloucestershire bus and coach operator Pulhams has been bought by national transport group Go-Ahead.
With the agreement, Pulhams, which has a fleet of 90 buses operating routers in the Cotswolds, will become part of Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company division.
Based in Bourton-on-the-Water, the family-run business - which employs 126 people - has said it is one of the oldest passenger transport companies in the UK. It was founded in 1880 to carry passengers into Cheltenham from nearby villages by horse and cart.
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Managing director Andrew Pulham, who runs the company with his wife and the firm's finance director Kathryn Pulham, said the firm was “excited” to develop new business opportunities.
Mr Pulham said: “Go-Ahead’s commitment to invest in the Pulhams’ business as we look towards decarbonisation of our fleets is welcome and I look forward to learning from the group’s experience in this area. Kathryn and I remain committed to Pulhams and look forward to this next chapter in our well-established, successful business.”
North East firm Go-Ahead said the deal, financial details of which were not disclosed, would help it grow its coaching operations, and expand its Oxford business to the west, with “improved connectivity” between Pulhams’ bus services in Oxfordshire and the wider Go-Ahead network of services.
It marks the second regional South West bus company Go-Ahead has acquired in recent months, after it purchased Exeter-based Dartline near the end of last year.
Luke Marion, managing director of Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company, said: “Pulhams’ buses and coaches are familiar and well loved in communities throughout the Cotswolds. The business links nicely with our existing services in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and helps us to diversify our business further into new market segments. We’ll be investing in developing the Pulhams business further, for the benefit of both customers and colleagues.”
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