Arriva enters Czech Republic bus market

Leading European passenger transport group Arriva plc, todayannounced the acquisition of Czech Republic bus operatorTranscentrum Bus s.r.o. for approximately £5 millionenterprise value.

With revenue of some £5.4 million, Transcentrum Bus s.r.o.is a privately held company operating 120 buses to the north ofPrague, and employing 200 people.

The acquisition provides an established platform for Arriva tobegin operating bus services in the Czech Republic. It brings thenumber of countries in which Arriva operates to nine.

David Martin, chief executive of Arriva plc, said:

This strategic acquisition provides market entry intothe Czech Republic transport sector and positions Arriva well forfuture growth in this evolving market. We look forward todeveloping this business with the management team.

Note to editors

• Arriva was the first UK company to implement a strategy totarget the ongoing liberalisation of transport markets in mainlandEurope. It is the largest UK-based public transport group on theContinent, with revenues in mainland Europe of over 1 billion Euroand operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With nearly 33,000employees, Arriva provides more than one billion passenger journeysevery year through an extensive range of public transport servicesincluding buses, trains, commuter coaches and waterbuses.