Go-Ahead began life as the Gateshead-based Go-Ahead Northern bus company after the privatization of the National Bus Company in 1987. Early expansion saw the acquisition of a number of smaller bus operators in the North East. During the 1990s, it entered London, where it rapidly became the largest provider of bus services in the UK capital. It has subsequently acquired operations across England. Rail privatization has presented another opportunity for the group and it currently operates Govia Thameslink Railway, comprising Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern as well as South Eastern. More recently, it has established an overseas presence and runs buses in Singapore and Dublin along with rail services in Germany and Norway. All of these are franchised operations. The Group continues to believe that public transport is best managed locally and its operating companies all retain local management and identities. Illustrated with over 150 color illustrations, this book looks at its first 25 years in detail with a brief update of developments since then.
