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What better way to see Britain’s dales, beaches, villages, and cityscapes than by bus? The Go-Ahead Group, which operates buses from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland, has picked out ten of the best from its nationwide route network.

The list is inspired, in part, by the Reverend Richard Coles, the broadcaster and former Church of England parish priest, who recently named Go-Ahead’s number 12 service from Brighton to Eastbourne as “the best in the world”.

Reverend Coles said: “I will always encourage people to travel by bus because it’s a great way to see the country and takes cars off the road.”

Stretching from the Isle of Wight to Hadrian’s Wall, Go-Ahead’s favourite journeys are as follows. Welcome aboard!

• Nigel Featham appointed Managing Director of Go North East in addition to Go North West
• Ben Gilligan becomes Managing Director of East Yorkshire Buses

• Partnership will explore opportunities to bid for bus contracts in Paris
• The French market was identified as a priority under Go-Ahead's new corporate strategy

• Mental health first aiders at each Go-Ahead bus company trained to provide reassurance and support
• Regional bus and rail companies undertake community initiatives to mark mental health week
• Brighter Journeys campaign aims to lift the spirits of travellers across national rail

• Encouraging underlying financial performance and passenger volume recovery as Go-Ahead emerges from a challenging period
• Group operating profit (before exceptional items*) of £42.6m (H1’21: £56.4m restated). H1'21 included non-recurring items totalling £20.2m**
• Excluding these items, like-for-like operating profit increased by £6.4m, up 17.7%
• Regional Bus reverts to more commercial model as passenger numbers rebuild – currently above 80% of pre-pandemic levels
• Resilient results from London & International Bus
• UK Rail performance primarily reflects end of Southeastern contract
• Management action reduces losses in International Rail
• Statutory profit before tax of £50.1m (H1’21: £50.3m restated) includes a net exceptional credit of £13.0m, primarily relating to the expected
  settlement of the financial penalty relating to London & South Eastern Railway and associated matters of concern
• Strong balance sheet and significant liquidity: adjusted net debt of £217.3m (3 July 2021: £305.9m) and available cash and headroom on facilities
  of £329.3m (3 July 2021: £240.3m). Adjusted net debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.21x (3 July 2021: 1.56x) providing significant capacity for investment
• Launched new strategy “The Next Billion Journeys” and medium-term financial targets, including growth in Group operating profit to at least £150m
• The Group will reinstate its pre-COVID-19 dividend policy of paying a dividend to shareholders equivalent to between 50% and 75% of underlying earnings per share from the 2022 full year and the board intends to recommend a dividend of not less than 50 pence per share in respect of the year ending 2 July 2022 in line with this policy
• Trading in the second half of the year to date is robust and the Board now anticipates a full year result ahead of its previous expectations
  *Before exceptional net credit of £13.0m (H1'21: £4.9m credit). Details are provided in note 5 to the financial statements
  **H1'21 included £7.2m of CBSSG funding revenue and a £3.8m performance fee in GTR both relating to the 2020 financial year, and a £9.2m one-off timing benefit relating to Quality incentive
  contract (QIC) recognition

• Ticket prices across Cornwall cut by between 20% and 40% from April 10
• Government-backed scheme will measure impact on travel habits across the county over four years
• Visitors to Cornwall will benefit from cheaper buses in tourist areas this summer

The Go-Ahead Group has appointed Martin Dean to become Managing Director, UK Regional Bus, with responsibility for all its bus companies in the UK outside London.

The Go-Ahead Group today sets out a new strategy aimed at delivering profitable growth and a sustainable future for the business in a dynamic market for public transport. The strategy follows a business review led by Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive.

The company will reinstate its pre-COVID dividend policy of paying a dividend to shareholders equivalent to between 50% and 75% of underlying earnings per share from FY22. The Board intends to recommend a dividend of not less than 50p in respect of the year ending 2 July 2022 (FY22) in line with this policy.

The Go-Ahead Group today announces that the Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded a National Rail Contract (NRC) to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to continue operating the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern rail services, the UK’s largest railway network.