THE driving force behind one of Europe's biggest public transport companies is to step down after seven years at the helm, it emerged last night.
Bob Davies will retire as chief executive of Sunderland-based Arriva in April.
In his time in charge, Arriva has grown from a company specialising in running UK car dealerships to a bus and train operator in the UK and eight European countries, employing more than 30,000 people.
Mr Davies will be replaced by David Martin, Arriva's deputy chief executive and group managing director for operations.
Arriva has a fleet of about 6,000 buses in the UK. It is the largest bus operator in London with 19 per cent of the market and has a strong presence in cities including Newcastle, Leicester and Glasgow.
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