From Ross Newman's monthly bulletin.

VEHICLES OUT

RM909 to London Truck and Bus, Northfleet.

RM1018 and RMLs 2336 & 2651 to Ambassatours, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

ENSIGN FLEET

Bath Bus Company was sold to RATP on Monday 28th and all vehicles allocated to Windsor, Bath and Cardiff pass to RATP. The Eastbourne fleet has all been sold over the winter and is being replaced with ex Dublin Olympians, details to
follow next month.

RML2665 at Bath also passes to RATP

RM25 at Cardiff is retained by Ensign, but will be swapped with RM1978 recently acquired from Helms Coaches.

My bus number (if any): RMs 238, 471, 2213 and GS17

It is interesting to see that RML2665 (and soon RM1978) are in state ownership, now that the Bath Bus Company has been bought by RATP Dev UK, along with the City sightseeing operations in Bath, Cardiff, Eastbourne and Windsor.

RATP Dev UK has also bought London United and Bournemouth Yellow buses and now operates 1035 vehicles in the UK. RATP Group is establishing itself into the United Kingdom, one of the world’s most attractive markets, where it plans to continue to expand gradually.

My bus number (if any): RM238, RM471, RM2213 & GS17

I have never understood how it is a state or part state owned company from europe can purchase a UK business but we cannot to the same.

DB have british rail operators, Deustche Post has it's eye on Royal Mail.

RATP now have several bus companies.
Can you imagine TFL buying Rome transport or NY buses?
Water companies are owned by French and German firms some of which are state assisted

Or Royal Mail buying La Poste?

If we are in a free market Europe why can't our state businesses do the same instead of submitting to takeover pressure or giving up altogether.

Never quite understood this.

The clue is in part owned jack. The Governments have a minority stake in most of the companies you mention, so they are not at all like TfL or Royal Mail. The good thing for us in France is that the government limits the % price rises of gas and electricity but we are getting way away from Routemasters!!

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Rumours abound that DB (Deutsche Bahn), the German state-owned company, is about to take over Stagecoach. They already own Arriva, EWS, Chiltern Railways and the Tyneside metro. Paradoxical that the privatisation of public transport in the UK is slowly leading to nationalsiation of these important and profitable services by other countries.

My bus number (if any): RMs 238, 471, 2213 and GS17