Dot2Dot airport shuttle service up for sale
[October 27th 2008]
The Dot2Dot airport shuttle service operated by National Express is up for sale and could be closed if a buyer isn’t found.
The Dot2Dot service enables passengers using Heathrow airport to travel directly to or from hotels in London. National Express only launched the brand in November last year but has decided not to continue with it because its performance has not lived up to expectations.
In an Interim Management Statement National Express Group commented: “We have taken the decision to exit our Dot2Dot start up operation. As we have highlighted previously, revenue growth has not been as strong as anticipated and we believe that our resources are better focused on our core business at this time”.
The airport shuttle service has been hit by the economic downturn which has resulted in fewer tourists in London and passengers looking to find cheaper ways to travel to and from the airport.
Dot2Dot was created by rebranding Hotelink, which National Express bought in April last year, and the Go Airport Shuttle international consortium of airport shuttle service operators, of which National Express is a network partner.
Dot2Dot operates a fleet of over 60 airport shuttle minibuses and employs more than 170 staff. Employees face the prospect of losing their jobs if no buyer comes forward and the business closes.
In its Interim Management Statement National Express also reports on the performance of its bus, coach and train services. “With coach, whilst services to Stansted airport continue to show the slower growth previously noted, our other coach routes have shown strong growth. Year to date, like for like coach revenue is up 5%,” the statement reads.
The Group also turned in a strong performance on its train services. Year to date like for like revenue growth was up 11% on National Express East Coast and 6% on National Express East Anglia resulting in 9% across the whole rail portfolio.
National Express Group chief executive, Richard Bowker, comments: “The travel industry is not immune to an economic slowdown and we are seeing evidence of consumers becoming increasingly focused on securing the best value for money they can. We remain confident that public transport and the products and services delivered by National Express Group are well placed to deliver the value which consumers are looking for."
Written by: Nick Purdom
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