Arriva
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Arriva

Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.

The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortly after the Second World War by Tom Cowie. During December 1964, the company was floated, it acquired its first car dealership months later. In 1972, the company established Cowie Contract Hire, a successful contract hire business. T. Cowie entered into bus operations via the purchase of the London-based Grey-Green operator in 1980. During 1984, it acquired the Hanger Group along with the vehicle leasing business Interleasing. In April 1994, the company was renamed Cowie Group. Months later, Cowie Group acquired the Leaside Buses and South London Transport business units amid the wider privatisation of London bus services. During 1997, it also bought the Denmark-based operator Unibus, becoming its first venture based outside the United Kingdom.

During November 1997, the company was rebranded as Arriva. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it disposed of its vehicle-hire and motor-retailing businesses. In February 2000, Arriva purchased MTL Holdings, which included its first UK rail franchises, Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit. In April 2008, the LNWR train maintenance business was acquired. Arriva became a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn in August 2010. Arriva operates bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus services in 10 countries across Europe. As of November 2023, it employed 35,500 people and operated 1.5 billion passenger journeys annually. It operates as three divisions: UK Bus, UK Rail and Mainland Europe. Deutsche Bahn announced in 2019 that it wished to sell Arriva, but such a sale was placed on hold as of November in that year. During the early 2020s, several of Arriva's continental European operations have been sold on. In October 2023, Deutsche Bahn agreed terms to sell Arriva to I Squared Capital with the transaction completed in June 2024.

The company was founded by TSK Cowie in Sunderland in 1938. It was initially active as a second-hand motorcycle dealer and traded under the name T. Cowie Limited. During 1948, the business was re-launched by Tom Cowie, the founder's son, still selling motorcycles. T Cowie plc was floated in December 1964, and in 1965 it bought out the first of many car dealerships.

In 1972, it formed Cowie Contract Hire, which became the largest contract hire business in the UK. During 1980, T. Cowie made its first foray into bus operations, buying the Grey-Green operation in London from the George Ewer Group. In 1984, T. Cowie p.l.c. acquired the Hanger Group, which included Interleasing, a large vehicle leasing business. Further leasing companies acquired were Marley Leasing, RoyScot Drive and Ringway Leasing. Following the retirement of Tom Cowie, the company was renamed Cowie Group plc during April 1994.

As part of the privatisation of London bus services, Cowie Group acquired the Leaside Buses and South London Transport business units in September 1994 and January 1995 respectively. Cowie Group also bought United Automobile Services and British Bus in July and August 1996, both of which had acquired a number of privatised bus companies. As a result of these transactions, in October 1996, Cowie Group was reclassified on the stock exchange from a motor dealer to a transport group.

In November 1997, the company was rebranded as Arriva p.lc. That same year, it also bought Unibus in Denmark, its first venture outside the United Kingdom.

During June 1999, Arriva sold its vehicle-hire business to General Motors. In February 2000, Arriva purchased MTL Holdings, which included its first UK rail franchises, Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit. Between 2002 and 2003, Arriva sold its motor-retailing businesses, furthermore, in February 2006, it also disposed of its vehicle-rental business to Northgate. During April 2008, the LNWR train maintenance business in England was acquired.

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