National Express’ joint venture, Bahrain Public Transport Company, has won a 10-year contract to operate bus services by the Bahraini Ministry of Transportation.
The contract, which starts February 15, 2015, will initially see 141 new vehicles serve the capital Manama and inter-urban routes across the entire Kingdom of Bahrain. The contract is expected to deliver over £170m of revenue to the joint venture over the 10 years.
The contract win opens a new regional market for National Express, providing a springboard for further opportunities currently emerging across the Middle East.
This contract will serve around 77% of Bahrain’s population of about 1.4million. It is a significant expansion on the existing 32 vehicle bus service and the Ministry of Transportation expects further expansion in the coming years.
National Express, through its subsidiary, NX Bahrain Bus Company, has entered into a 50/50 joint venture with the Bahraini conglomerate Ahmed Mansoor Al A’Ali (‘AMA’) to form Bahrain Public Transport Company which will hold the concession.
Dean Finch, National Express Group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to win this new contract for bus services in Bahrain alongside our partners, AMA. Building on our recent German rail success, we are delighted that our reputation for operational excellence is opening up further exciting, new markets. We expect this win to provide a platform for further expansion in the region and our team are already working on other opportunities.”
