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Mellor Unveils Next-Gen Strata Minibus

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Say hello to the all-new Strata – Mellor’s latest showstopper in the small bus world. It’s smarter, more accessible and packed with fresh features to make every journey smoother, greener and comfier. And yes, it’s still built right here in the UK. Mellor Bus Since its debut in 2016, the original Strata has earned its stripes as a reliable workhorse – now it’s back with a vengeance, ready to shake up the sector all over again. If you thought small buses were all the same, think again. Accessibility, meet ambition First up: big wins for accessibility. The reworked rear saloon now has just one step up from the low-floor section (down from two), reducing trip hazards and making things safer for everyone onboard. Passengers also get an extra 100mm of headroom – that’s a whole lot less crouching and a lot more comfort. Mellor Bus The low-floor area’s been stretched by 266mm, making space for four extra seats. In fact, there’s now room for up to twelve seats in the low-floor area alone – p...

FirstGroup to acquire Ensign Bus Company

FirstGroup plc has just announced their acquisition of Ensign Bus Company Limited, the well-performing Essex-based public transport, vehicle refurbishment and re-sale business. The deal is expected to be finalised over the coming months after regulatory review.

Ensignbus

Ensignbus’ commercial bus operations comprise a local bus route network complementary to First Bus’ operations in Essex and two B2B segments that include rail replacement and private hire contract operations.

This transaction offers up an impressive young vehicle fleet of 55 buses, as well as providing potential for growth in B2B and bus dealership markets. The Ensignbus specialist heritage fleet is excluded from the transaction.

The acquisition of the Ensignbus business will both enhance FirstGroup’s existing local commercial bus operations in Essex as well as providing a number of growth opportunities in the B2B and bus vehicle dealership markets.

Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer, said:
“The acquisition of Ensignbus, a long-established, high-performing business, will allow us to not only grow our B2B offering, but to also enhance our operational footprint in Essex, and we look forward to welcoming Ensignbus employees to the Group. This is a strategically and financially accretive growth opportunity for us, and one that is fully aligned to our balanced capital allocation policy.”
Peter Newman, Ensignbus Chairman, said:
“I want to thank all of our employees at Ensignbus for their ongoing hard work to deliver great service for our passengers across all of our communities in Essex, and we will be supporting them fully as they move to their new employer.

“We’re pleased that First Bus, with their reputation for customer service, innovation and sustainability, will take the Ensignbus business forward as a going concern and we wish them a successful future. We will continue to serve our communities and operate our network as usual until the completion date.”

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