Newcastle-based transport giant Go-ahead Group has won a £110m contract to operate buses in one of the UK’s busiest commuter areas.
The 15-year contract for Kent’s Fastrack bus rapid transit system begins in November and will initially involve a new fleet of zero emission, electric buses used on the network, which runs in the Dartford, Bluewater, Ebbsfleet and Gravesham area.
Go-Ahead is in talks to deploy a fleet of 28 brand new Irizar ie Trams on the network, powered by inverted electric pantograph technology. Similar vehicles are already in operation on Go-Ahead London routes in south-east London. Kent Fastrack provides a frequent ‘turn up and go’ service, with a high proportion of its routes run on dedicated busways.
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The contract will add 100 colleagues to The Go-Ahead Group, which has made it a priority to expand in the UK bus and passenger transport market under its Next Billion Journeys strategy. The company said it intends to use its award-winning transport apprenticeship scheme to recruit for Fastrack.
Go-ahead Group chief executive Christian Schreye said: “Kent’s Fastrack network is a fantastic blueprint for the future of bus travel, on dedicated busways away from traffic congestion. Go-Ahead will make this a zero-emission service and will deploy comfortable, modern, state-of-the-art ieTrams to enhance passengers’ journeys.”
Shane Hymers, Fastrack development manager at Kent County Council said: “Fastrack is the jewel in the crown of Kent’s bus network and our intention with this new contract was always to achieve the best possible outcome for our users, securing the highest quality service proposed to us. Another key agenda was to transform Fastrack into a zero-emission operation, improving out footprint in Kent Thameside.
“Following KCC’s successful bid for DfT ZEBRA funding, we’ve been able to make this a reality. We’re delighted to embark on this 15-year partnership with Go-Ahead and I can’t wait to see the next generation of Fastrack come to fruition in 2024.”
Last week, Go-Ahead Group expanded its bus operations with the acquisition of Gloucester business Pulham & Sons (Coaches) Limited. That deal was Go-Ahead’s third acquisition in a year, following the purchase of Dartline in Devon and Southdown Buses in West Sussex, while Go-Ahead was itself acquired by an overseas transport consortium in a £669m deal.
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