Kelsian Sells London Bus Business

[Admet75]

https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/05/30/ ... 20MORE#bus

Kelsian sells off London bus service
Adelaide-headquartered transport company Kelsian has sold its East London bus operations for $35 million.
The company, known as SeaLink until last year, entered into binding agreements on May 27 with Stagecoach Bus Holdings to sell its East London public bus transport service operations at Lea Interchange, for a total consideration of £20 million ($35 million).
The divestment includes 11 route contracts, about 500 bus and depot staff, the lease of the Lea Interchange depot site and 150 buses.
Half of the $35 million will be paid at the finalisation of the agreement next month with a further £1 million per annum for 10 years.
Kelsian said it would continue to participate in the London bus market via its 12.5 per cent stake in the RATP Dev Transit London joint venture in the western region of London and its ongoing 100 per cent freehold interest in the Westbourne Park bus depot.
Based in Adelaide, Kelsian is Australia’s largest land and marine transport service provider and tourism operator.
The company, which changed its name from SeaLink Travel Group last October to better reflect the changing nature of its business, increased its revenue in the six months to December 31 to $649 million, up from $570 million the previous year.
Kelsian is an anagram of SeaLink, which it says was a factor in the name choice to reflect the company’s history that began in 1989 with the operation of one ferry to Kangaroo Island.
In January 2020, the company acquired Transit Systems Group for $635 million, Australia’s largest private operator of public bus networks, with established operations in London and Singapore.

[Merc1107]

Us mere mortals will probably never know why; perhaps they prefer to focus more on local contracts than those abroad?

[Lt. Commander Data]

Us mere mortals will probably never know why; perhaps they prefer to focus more on local contracts than those abroad?

The local contracts like Darwin which they recently lost?

[Fleet Lists]

That was chickenfeed compared with the two Sydney regions they now operate - especially region 6. 47 buses compared with 822 buses. So they probably want to make sure they do not lose the latter.

[boronia]

Relevance to Adelaide?

[Merc1107]

Relevance to Adelaide?

This:

Based in Adelaide, Kelsian is Australia’s largest land and marine transport service provider and tourism operator.

[Fleet Lists]

Probably because Keslan is headquartered in Adelaide.

[Eagle Eye]

Kelsian, not Keslan.

[Skexis]

So what do they operate here in Adelaide?

[Merc1107]

So what do they operate here in Adelaide?

Kelsian (previously SeaLink) owns Transit Systems; whose subsidiaries include Torrens Transit, Swan Transit (Perth/Regional WA), Territory Transit (Northern Territory), I think SITA (Victoria), and Tower Transit (Singapore?).

[Fleet Lists]

They have lost the Territory Transit contract in the Northern Territory to CDC.

And in South Australia they also operate services such as Adelaide Sightseeing, Kangaroo Island Adventure Tours and other such services which would not be regarded directly as public Transport.

[Lt. Commander Data]

Not to mention Sealink, who run tour coaches around the state as well as the Kangaroo Island ferry

[Eurostar]

And Torrens Connect

[Merc1107]

They have lost the Territory Transit contract in the Northern Territory to CDC.

Not exactly as TT should still have the Katherine school bus operation.

[Linto63]

Ten years after Transit Systems entered the London bus market purchasing a 400 bus business from FirstGroup, Kelsian has exited the UK market with the sale of its minority shareholding in RATP Dev Transit London to RATP Group for a token £1.

RATP / Kelsian Joint Venture Ceases (Buses Magazine) - paywalled

[Enviro 500]

And Torrens Connect

Pretty sure that has been nationalised.

[Enviro 500]

Ten years after Transit Systems entered the London bus market purchasing a 400 bus business from FirstGroup, Kelsian has exited the UK market with the sale of its minority shareholding in RATP Dev Transit London to RATP Group for a token £1.

RATP / Kelsian Joint Venture Ceases (Buses Magazine) - paywalled

This leaves Go-Ahead and Comfort Delgro as the only 2 corporations with operations in London, Singapore and Australia.

[1whoknows]

The Torrens Connect buses will remain with TSA. Its only the trams that will be returned to inefficient government operation.