New chief appointed for Brighton and Hove Buses

A bus boss who began his career in Brighton will take over when Roger French retires at the end of March.

Martin Harris will replace long-serving Mr French, the managing director of Brighton and Hove Buses, on Monday 1 April.

Mr Harris is the commercial director of Go North East, part of the Go Ahead Group which owns Brighton and Hove Buses.

Martin Harris

He started his 32-year career on the buses as a senior management trainee for Southdown in Brighton in 1980.

He spent two years working in Yorkshire before returning south and becoming part of the management team that formed Brighton and Hove Buses in 1985.

After 11 years as business manager he moved to Go North East in 1996.

Go Ahead said: “Since then Martin has excelled in his role as commercial director and has been pivotal to Go North East’s success as a leading operator in the region.

“Martin has led the delivery of Go North East’s innovative approach to marketing, introducing mobile-ticketing, ‘The Key’ smartcard and the development of 50 branded routes, all of which have helped boost patronage over recent years.

“He has also introduced benchmark standards for accessibility and has driven successful public and private sector partnerships.”

Mr Harris said: “I’m thrilled to be taking up this appointment and returning once more to Brighton and Hove.

“It’s a company with a well-deserved reputation for excellence with an outstanding leader.

“This is the one job in the industry that could tempt me away from Go North East and I am looking forward to working with the Brighton and Hove team to continue to build upon their successes for the future.”

Roger French

David Brown, Go-Ahead Group chief executive, said: “I am delighted that Martin will be heading up our bus operations in Brighton.

“He has played a key role in the success of Go North East and will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to his new position as managing director at Brighton and Hove.”