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Eurobus deal takes
Arriva into Hungary and Slovakia
14 April 2008
Leading European transport operator
Arriva is set to enter the Hungarian and Slovakian bus
markets following an agreement to buy 80 per cent of
Interbus Invest*, the holding company of Eurobus
Invest**, for 8 billion Hungarian Forint (HUF) (c£25.4
million), plus net debt.
Eurobus Invest, the largest privately
owned Hungarian bus group, provides regional, urban
and contract bus operations in Hungary and Slovakia.
It operates 840 buses and has 1,500 employees.
In Hungary, Eurobus Invest operates
through a joint venture company VT-Transman†. In
Slovakia it operates through two 60 per cent owned
subsidiaries, SAD Nové Zámky†† in the south west and
SAD Michalovce‡ in the east.
Eurobus Invest is not required under
Hungarian law to produce consolidated accounts.
Unaudited consolidated figures for Eurobus indicate
that revenue for 2006 was approximately HUF 9.5
billion (c£30 million), and Arriva estimates that
earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) based on
Arriva’s accounting policies and IFRS, was
approximately HUF 900 million (c£2.8 million),
generating earnings before interest taxation
depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of
approximately HUF 1.8 billion (c£5.7 million). Net
debt at 31 December 2007 was approximately HUF 200
million (c£0.6 million).
The acquisition, taking the number of
countries in which Arriva operates to 12, will provide
a platform from which to develop potential
opportunities arising from the imminent privatisation
in the Hungarian regional bus sector and to
consolidate in Slovakia as the state divests its
remaining holdings in former state-owned regional bus
companies.
Arriva chief executive David Martin
said: “This is a significant milestone for Arriva to
enter two new markets with a business that is ready to
develop the opportunities arising in those countries
and contribute to Arriva’s European growth story. It
builds on last year’s entry into Poland with a tender
win and acquisitions in the Czech Republic, further
consolidating Arriva’s position in new markets.”
The acquisition is conditional on
competition/regulatory clearance in Slovakia, which is
expected in the summer. HUF 300 million (c£0.95
million) of the consideration will be retained until
2011, payment being conditional upon achievement of
defined EBITDA targets and the level of net debt.
Arriva's 6,000 strong UK bus fleet: On
route for fuel efficiency drive.
31-Mar-2005
Using buses is a great way of 'doing your bit'
for the environment and easing road congestion. After
all, one bus full of people can take up to 70 cars off
our roads. Now Arriva has gone one step further, by
using the latest technology to make its 6,000-strong UK
bus fleet super fuel-efficient.
The bus operator has
joined forces with fuel provider BP in a pioneering
agreement to reduce fuel used on its buses, resulting in
huge environmental benefits. A new state of the art fuel
management system which monitors, in minute detail, fuel
consumption on each bus it operates has been installed
at depots across the UK.
The computerised system
measures each depot's fuel tank stocks and movements
remotely via a GSM phone line; fuel issued to each
vehicle, and miles per gallon used, with all information
collated centrally.
The new equipment will
also help shape Arriva's future vehicle purchase
decisions. And electronic tags on the vehicles - which
identify the vehicle to the fuel pump - reduce the risk
of theft.
In the UK, the Arriva bus
fleet consumes almost 160 million litres of ultra low
sulphur diesel every year. Arriva expects that, through
these tighter management controls and streamlined
processes, it will reduce fuel consumption by 7 per
cent. As a direct result, there will be a reduction in
pollutants entering the atmosphere, with CO2 emissions
reducing by more than 29 kilotons a year.
And Arriva is now using
BP's advanced synthetic lubricants which produce less
internal friction in the engine - resulting in less fuel
needed to power the vehicle. Environmental benefits are
twofold: less fuel is being used, and the new lubricants
don't release toxins into the atmosphere.
Mark Bowd, director of
technical services for Arriva, said: "We are committed
to reducing the levels of harmful emissions into the
environment through the effective selection, maintenance
and fuelling of our vehicles. This latest technology
will play a major part in helping us be more fuel
efficient."
Going your way' marketing campaign for 2005.
24-Mar-2005
Increased activity along more key bus routes
than ever before will be a key feature of Arriva's
acclaimed 'Going your way' marketing campaign for 2005,
which is launched in April with the mail-out of travel
vouchers worth nearly £5.3 million.
Now in its fifth year, bus company Arriva's
marketing plan this year will include four main bursts
of door-drop activity, supported by radio, bus rears, a
substantial public relations programme and a trial of
car park media. This will be augmented by the widespread
external and internal briefing exercises that have
become a hallmark of 'Going your way' over the years.
Over a
three-week period from 4 April, 2.3 million households
on 85 of Arriva's busiest routes and networks will
receive 'The little book of bus travel', containing all
the information they need to make the most of their
local bus services. This new format has been developed
in conjunction with both bus and non-bus users, who took
part in research groups to pinpoint the level and format
of information they needed.
Catherine
Mason, Arriva's UK director of marketing and customer
services, explained: "The 'Going your way' campaign has
enjoyed five years of evolution, influenced
significantly by dialogue with customers and potential
bus users. Our most recent research has helped to
further refine the way in which bus service details are
presented to groups with differing information needs."
Further
'Little books' will be distributed in the autumn. In
addition, bright, bus-shaped mailers will go to homes in
19 of Arriva's key urban areas - places like Teesside,
Merseyside, Leicester and Derby - in time for the summer
holidays and these will give basic information on how to
get to some of the many attractions each area has to
offer. This format will be repeated in November, when
Arriva will remind people just how much easier it is to
use the bus for Christmas shopping.
'Going your
way' continues to be a powerful tool in delivering
government objectives of tackling congestion, improving
accessibility and social inclusion, respecting the
environment and supporting the economy by creating
sustainable growth in the number of passenger journeys.
"The
corridors in the autumn 2004 campaign delivered
incremental patronage of 3 points above unmarketed
corridors", confirmed Catherine Mason, "and the campaign
paid back even before the expiry date on the vouchers.
Where radio was supporting the door-drop mailers,
patronage growth was even stronger."
Arriva is
one of the UK's largest bus operators, with over 6,000
buses. Over the past five years, a focus on improved
services has led Arriva to invest more than £250
million, bringing easier access and a better journey
experience to hundreds of thousands of people in the UK
- and better working environments for employees.
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