Arriva Group set to double market share in Italy’s Veneto region with acquisition of bus operator

Arriva Group has today signed an agreement to acquire a majority share (80 per cent) of La Linea Spa, a leading private road passenger group operating in Italy’s Veneto region, in a deal that underscores the group’s growth agenda and commitment to providing high quality, sustainable passenger transport across Europe.

This acquisition will more than double Arriva’s market share in the Veneto region, where it already operates bus services between Chioggia and Venice. La Linea currently operates a fleet of 62 owned buses and 92 additional buses operated under subcontracting agreements.  It employs 280 people, serves around 60 million passengers every year, operates over 6.3 million km of local public transport services and 1.3 million km of commercial services per year. The deal includes three depots within the Mestre Area.

As part of the deal, Arriva will also acquire Martinibus, a leading commercial shuttle service which has been operating airport, seaport and inner-city transfers in the region for over 50 years, marking Arriva’s expansion in the commercial transport sector and further diversification of its services.  

Together, the new services will provide Arriva with a strong platform to expand further across the region, in particular in Venice, while the ability to integrate routes and optimise resources will make services more efficient for passengers in Italy.

Gianfranco Sgro, Chief Executive Officer of Arriva Group, said: “Our acquisition of La Linea Spa underpins our commitment to investing in and expanding our network of transport services across Europe. We have a clear ambition for Arriva to be a symbol of excellence in Europe, delivering consistently great service to our customers and putting innovative transport solutions into the communities we serve.

“This deal is a crucial step in our wider strategy, to evolve and diversify our position in Italy as well as across Europe more broadly. This deal increases our market share in the Veneto region and will expand our portfolio of commercial transport services with the acquisition of Martinibus.”

As well as cementing the Arriva Group’s operations in northern Italy, the deal will support the Group’s commitment to reducing environmental impact across Europe by investing in sustainable transport solutions.  Around 40 per cent of La Linea Spa’s buses are already emission free, with work underway to electrify the remaining fleet.

Arriva Group has an ongoing programme of investment in sustainable public transport across Europe, where it is actively investing in electrification, digital innovation and customer experience enhancements to make public transport the preferred choice over private cars, encouraging modal shift and supporting the journey to net-zero.  Passenger transport is already one of the most sustainable forms of transport and Arriva is actively accelerating its potential. The Arriva Group currently has around 1000 zero emission buses operating across the UK and Europe.

This acquisition builds on Arriva’s existing presence in Italy, where it has been operating bus services since 2002.  It provides local passenger transport services primarily in Northern Italy (Aosta Valley and provinces of Turin, Brescia, Bergamo, Lecco and Cremona) as well as airport connections, private hire services and mobility solutions for major events. Arriva Italia also delivers dedicated transport solutions for students with disabilities and reduced mobility in the Municipality of Roma Capitale. As a holding company, Arriva Italia holds majority stakes in Arriva Udine and Arriva Veneto, as well as minority shareholdings in ASF Autolinee and Trieste Trasporti. It operates more than 70 million kilometers per year, employes more than 2000 people and has a fleet of 1,920 buses (excluding Trieste Trasporti and ASF).

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Notes to Editors:

• Arriva Group has acquired 80 per cent of La Linea Spa with a future option to acquire the remainder. The existing shareholders will maintain a 20 per cent share of the business.
• La Linea owns 100 per cent of Martinibus which will be included within the acquisition by Arriva.
• Veneto is a region in northeastern Italy which includes the cities Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Padua and Treviso.
• La Linea manages a mix of directly awarded and subcontracted contracts. Martinibus specialises in commercial shuttle services.
• The company’s operational headquarters and depots are located in Marghera and Mestre (Venice).

About Arriva Group:

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 35,670 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into three business units: UK Bus, UK Trains and Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.