Los Cosmen hacen caja con el bus local de Reino Unido

Mobico, a British mobility operator owned by the Cosmen family with a 25% stake, has sold its UK Bus business to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in a deal that generated £24 million in revenues. The UK Bus division provided bus services in the metropolitan area of West Midlands, England, which includes major cities such as Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton.

The assets transferred include bus depots in the UK and a fleet of diesel buses. An additional £6.5 million in cash is reserved for operational purposes. The transaction reduces Mobico's debt by £78 million through the transfer of UK Bus's liabilities, including pension funds and the transfer of electric vehicle contracts. A £5.5 million deferred payment is also part of the sale.

This move reduces the risk of Mobico losing market share in the upcoming franchise competition process and materializes the value of its assets at the current time, according to the company. In May 2025, the West Midlands region approved the transition from a deregulated bus service to a franchise model, with full implementation expected by the end of 2029, creating uncertainty about the long-term future of the UK bus sector.

Mobico acknowledged the poor performance of this service in recent years. Operating costs for the business have significantly increased, and in a low-finance environment, the business has operated close to break-even for years, relying heavily on financing from local authority networks. In the last year, UK Bus generated £338 million in revenues, an adjusted EBITDA of £23 million, and an adjusted operating profit of £2 million, largely due to gains from fuel deposits.