Turnaround ensures that diamonds are forever

Earlier this year Go Ahead pulled out of its West Midlands bus operations and passed the business on to AIM-listed group Rotala for just £2m in cash. Many in the industry wondered if the business could be turned around, but Andrew Garnett found a resurgent business that has high ambitions to become a quality player in the market

‘We had to make people realise that they did actually have an alternative to National Express’

‘We had to make people realise that they did actually have an alternative to National Express’

Diamond Bus has a striking new look with buses now starting to appear in the sleek Black Diamond livery, designed by Best Impressions, that firmly anchors the company’s operations in the Black Country

Diamond Bus has a striking new look with buses now starting to appear in the sleek Black Diamond livery, designed by Best Impressions, that firmly anchors the company’s operations in the Black Country

The news earlier this year that Go Ahead was pulling out of the West Midlands bus market by selling Go West Midlands was not unexpected. After a turbulent couple of years trying to find a niche in one of Britain’s biggest bus markets, there was little surprise in the industry when chief executive Keith Ludeman called time on the venture and passed it on to Rotala, the Alternative Investment Market-listed bus and coach group, for just £2m in cash.

The business was cobbled together...