Buses, coaches, school buses… France’s Transdev now claims the place of “first operator of public transport in North America”. The 66% subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and the German Rethmann has received the green light from the authorities to absorb American First Transit, whose acquisition was announced last October for an amount kept secret.
First Transit, founded in 1955, operates no fewer than 12,000 vehicles (mainly intercity buses) in the United States and Canada, making 300 million trips each year at more than 300 sites in 41 US states, four Canadian provinces, and Puerto Rico in representation of communities, universities, airports and private companies.
It reaches an annual turnover of 1,300 million dollars with 20,000 employees, it is one of the largest private operators of mobility solutions in North America.
A fleet that increases to 20,000 vehicles
Thanks to this acquisition, Transdev doubled its size in this region. It will now carry nearly 400 million passengers annually in North America, generating combined revenue of $2.6 billion. The operator will employ more than 35,000 people there and will have a fleet of more than 20,000 vehicles.
The United States was already the operator’s third source of income (present in 200 communities with 180 million trips per year), after France and Germany.
“With very complementary business activities and geographic locations in the United States and Canada, this strategic merger will benefit our passengers and our customers, with an offer enriched by the know-how of the teams of the two companies,” we can read in a press release. .
“The acquisition of First Transit is a great strategic step for Transdev, which significantly strengthens the competitive position of our group in North America”, comments Thierry Mallet, CEO of the group. Transdev is already present in 19 countries.
Source: BFM TV
