Oxford Bus Company's owners have bought Pulham & Sons (Coaches) Limited, a long-established family-run bus and coach operator in the Cotswolds.

Pulhams, which has a fleet of 90 buses and coaches and employs 126 people, is a well known local business serving communities in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.

It will become part of Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company division - which features Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and City Sightseeing Oxford as well as Oxford Bus Company.

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Luke Marion, managing director of the Oxford Bus Company, said: “Pulhams’ buses and coaches are familiar and well loved in communities throughout the Cotswolds.

Oxford Mail:

"The business links nicely with our existing services in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and helps us to diversify our business further into new market segments. We’ll be investing in developing the Pulhams business further, for the benefit of both customers and colleagues.”

Based in Bourton-on-the-Water, Pulhams has won many awards for delivering high standards, and currently holds both DVSA Earned Recognition and Guild of British Coach Operators accreditation.

The company is one of the oldest transport companies in Britain, having been founded in 1880 to carry passengers into Cheltenham from nearby villages by horse and cart.

The acquisition will expand Go-Ahead’s Oxford business to the west and see improved connectivity between Pulhams’ bus services in Oxfordshire and the wider Go-Ahead network.

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In addition, it will enable Go-Ahead to expand its coaching operations - which in the Oxford division already include the airline services to Heathrow and Gatwick, and National Express branded operations - by developing the coach hire side of the Pulhams business across the wider business operating area.

Oxford Mail: A passenger gets on board

As part of Go-Ahead’s business strategy, The Next Billion Journeys, the group is committed to investing, and expanding, in regional buses in Britain. The deal is Go-Ahead’s third acquisition in a year, following the purchase of Dartline in Devon and Southdown Buses in West Sussex.

Andrew Pulham, managing director of Pulhams Coaches said: “I am excited to work with Luke and the wider Go-Ahead team in developing new business opportunities and enhancing those that we already have in place. Go-Ahead’s commitment to invest in the Pulhams’ business as we look towards decarbonisation of our fleets is welcome and I look forward to learning from the Group’s experience in this area.

Oxford Mail: A Pulhams coach

"Kathryn and I remain committed to Pulhams and look forward to this next chapter in our well-established, successful business.”

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Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive of The Go-Ahead Group, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Pulhams into the group.

"At Go-Ahead, we see many opportunities to expand in Britain’s bus industry as the country moves towards a net zero future in which people leave their cars at home in favour of public transport.”

The Go-Ahead Group has nine UK bus divisions operating more than 6,000 buses, with routes stretching from the western tip of Cornwall as far north as Northumberland.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.