Arriva is in talks with Burton bus operator Midland Classic to sell the majority of its routes in the area, the company has confirmed.
The news has caused local concern of job losses for the main Wetmore Road depot, which currently operates around 30 vehicles and employs 80 members of staff. The Traffic Commissioner has granted permission for Midland Classic to add the depot to its portfolio.
Arriva Area Managing Director, Simon Mathieson, spoke of his confidence that no jobs are under threat. He said: “We are currently in talks with Midland Classic about the potential sale of the majority of our Burton business to them.
“One of our key concerns when discussing this course of action was the protection of jobs for those who work at the Burton depot, and we are pleased to confirm that any deal would include the TUPE of staff over to the new operator.
“While we appreciate that this unsettling time for those concerned we are confident that there is no threat to any job at either company as part of this process.
“Although no formal agreement has as yet been reached, we can confirm that Midland Classic has had an application to the Traffic Commissioner to add our Wetmore Road depot to their Operators Licence granted, and that should the sale go ahead, we anticipate it will complete by the end of July 2016. This new deal will not include routes X38 or 9/9A/9E/29A, as we will look to transfer these to the Derby and Coalville garages respectively.
Simon concluded: “We are committed to working with all those involved to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible, and that under this new structure, not only will the employee’s best interests be taken into full consideration, but that bus users throughout Burton will continue to benefit from affordable, quality transport services.”
