The owner of the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company is taking over Isle of Wight bus operator Southern Vectis for £13.8 million.
Go-Ahead said it had agreed a 70p per share deal with the board of Southern Vectis, which runs services on the island and around Southampton and south Hampshire.
The group said the acquisition would strengthen its southern region operations, which include businesses in Crawley, Oxford, Bournemouth and Poole.
Go-Ahead also runs the Bedford-Brighton Thameslink train franchise. Stock market-listed Southern Vectis has more than 150 buses and is the Isle of Wight's largest bus operator.
Southern Vectis said it expected group results for the year to April to be below market expectations but Go-Ahead said it believed it could revive the company.
May 31, 2005
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