Stagecoach snaps up Norfolk bus operator

Transport giant Stagecoach today said it was eyeing an expansion of its services in the east of England after buying a Norfolk-based bus firm.

The Perth-based group has paid an undisclosed sum for Norfolk Green, which operates 70 buses and carries about 4.6 million passengers a year.

Robert Montgomery, head of Stagecoach’s bus operations, said the acquisition would complement the firm’s existing presence in eastern England, where it already operates around 360 buses and employs 950 staff.

Norfolk Green came up for sale when its main shareholder, Ben Colson, retired due to ill health. He and his fellow shareholders bought the business in 1996, when it was operating just three coaches.

Colson said: “The company goes forward into new hands in good shape, and will benefit from being owned by a major transport company.”