Arriva - A

Arriva - A

Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. It is presently a subsidiary of the German state railway company Deutsche Bahn.

The company was originally established in 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortly after the Second World War by Tom Cowie. During December 1964, the company was floated, it acquired its first car dealership months later. In 1972, the company established Cowie Contract Hire, a successful contract hire business.

T. Cowie entered into bus operations via the purchase of the London-based Grey-Green operator in 1980. During 1984, it acquired the Hanger Group along with the vehicle leasing business Interleasing. In April 1994, the company was renamed Cowie Group. Months later, Cowie Group acquired the Leaside Buses and South London Transport business units amid the wider privatisation of London bus services. During 1997, it also bought the Denmark-based operator Unibus, becoming its first venture based outside the United Kingdom.

During November 1997, the company was rebranded as Arriva. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it disposed of its vehicle-hire and motor-retailing businesses. In February 2000, Arriva purchased MTL Holdings, which included its first UK rail franchises, Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit. In April 2008, the LNWR train maintenance business was acquired. Arriva became a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn in August 2010. Arriva operates bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus services in 14 countries across Europe.

As of September 2018, it employed 61,845 people and operated 2.4 billion passenger journeys annually. It operates as three divisions: UK Bus, UK Rail and Mainland Europe. Deutsche Bahn announced in 2019 that it wished to sell Arriva, but such a sale was placed on hold as of November in that year. During the early 2020s, several of Arriva's continental European operations have been sold on, but the wider company remains a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn as of August 2023.

Arriva History

The company was founded by T. S. K. Cowie in Sunderland in 1938. It was initially active as a second-hand motorcycle dealer and traded under the name T. Cowie Limited. During 1948, the business was re-launched by Tom Cowie, the founder's son, still selling motorcycles. T Cowie plc was floated in December 1964, and in 1965 it bought out the first of many car dealerships.

In 1972, it formed Cowie Contract Hire, which became the largest contract hire business in the UK. During 1980, T. Cowie made its first foray into bus operations, buying the Grey-Green operation in London from the George Ewer Group.

In 1984, T. Cowie p.l.c. acquired the Hanger Group, which included Interleasing, a large vehicle leasing business. Further leasing companies acquired were Marley Leasing, RoyScot Drive and Ringway Leasing. Following the retirement of Tom Cowie, the company was renamed Cowie Group plc during April 1994.

As part of the privatisation of London bus services, Cowie Group acquired the Leaside Buses and South London Transport business units in September 1994 and January 1995 respectively. Cowie Group also bought United Automobile Services and British Bus in July and August 1996, both of which had acquired a number of privatised bus companies. As a result of these transactions, in October 1996, Cowie Group was reclassified on the stock exchange from a motor dealer to a transport group.

In November 1997, the company was rebranded as Arriva p.lc. That same year, it also bought Unibus in Denmark, its first venture outside the United Kingdom.

During June 1999, Arriva sold its vehicle-hire business to General Motors. In February 2000, Arriva purchased MTL Holdings, which included its first UK rail franchises, Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit. Between 2002 and 2003, Arriva sold its motor-retailing businesses, furthermore, in February 2006, it also disposed of its vehicle-rental business to Northgate. During April 2008, the LNWR train maintenance business in England was acquired.

In 2010, it was reported that the government-owned railway companies of France (SNCF) and Germany (Deutsche Bahn) were considering making takeover bids for the business. SNCF subsidiary Keolis and Arriva entered discussions regarding a merger, however, in April 2010, Deutsche Bahn made a takeover offer for Arriva valued at £7.75 per share (£1.585 billion). During August 2010, Deutsche Bahn's takeover bid was approved by the European Commission, albeit conditional on the disposa, of some Arriva services in Germany. The takeover took effect on 27 August 2010, and Arriva was delisted from the London Stock Exchange on 31 August 2010.

In late 2011, Arriva acquired Grand Central and sold its Arriva Scotland West bus operation. In May 2013, Arriva purchased Veolia Transport's Central European business with 3,400 vehicles. Arriva changed its logo in January 2018.

In March 2019, DB announced that it would be selling Arriva through either a sale or possible public flotation and invited companies interested in acquiring it to register expressions of interest by 3 May, however, by mid-November, the sale had been reportedly placed on hold.

In early 2023, reports again alleged that parent company Deutsche Bahn was considering options for spinning out Arriva to concentrate on its core German rail operations. During the following months, various portions of Arriva's operations on continental Europe have been sold to other companies, these disposals have largely focused on busin operations.

Arriva Overview

Arriva Type: Subsidiary

Arriva Traded As: Arriva

Arriva Industry: Transport

Arriva Founded: 1938, 85 years ago

Arriva Founder: Thomas Cowie

Arriva Headquarters: Sunderland, England, UK

Arriva Area Served: Europe

Arriva Key People: Mike Cooper (CEO)

Arriva Services: Bus, ferry and rail services

Arriva Revenue: €5.35 billion (December 2017)

Arriva Operating Income: €569 million (December 2017)

Arriva Owner: Deutsche Bahn

Arriva Number of Employees: 61,845 (September 2018)

Arriva Divisions:

Arriva UK Bus

Arriva UK Trains

Mainland Europe

Arriva Subsidiaries: List of subsidiaries

Rail Holidays
Rail Vacations

Luxury Trains
Luxury Tours

International Trains
International Tours