Stagecoach selected
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• Stagecoach has been named the preferred bidder for Bluebird Northern, which is set to be the sixth Scottish Bus Group firm to be sold.
The Perth-based giant expects the deal to be finalised in the next few weeks. It will then review the Aberdeenbased firm which has 313 drivers out of a staff of 518, eight depots and 209 vehicles, comprising 81 single-deckers, 77 double-deckers, 16 nainibuses and 35 coaches.
But Stagecoach says it will not make "substantial changes" to Bluebird, which pulled itself into "modest" profit last year on a .210m-plus turnover following a 1989 loss of 2500,000.
Stagecoach plans to operate the fleet, which runs in the Grampian region, under the Bluebird colours.
This is Stagecoach's first successful SBG company bid. "It has been our stated policy since the SBG announced its privatisation in January 1988 that we wished to make acquisitions," says Neil Reason, managing director (Scotland) of Stagecoach Buses. The acquisition would bring Stagecoach's fleet up to over 2,800, including about 500 vehicles operating overseas.
Since Bluebird was put up for sale in October bidding has been very competitive, says SBG chairman Ian Irwin. Staff at Bluebird even agreed to a one-year pay freeze to support its management-led bid (CM 25-31 October 1990).
Stagecoach would be the second outsider company to take over an SBG subsidiary.