Coach firm National Express is changing its name to Mobico
Transport provider National Express – which has existed for almost 50 years – has announced it will be rebranding.
Known for its long-distance travel coaches, from early June this year the company will be called Mobico.
The business said the new name will be more reflective of its international services in countries such as the US, Canada, Spain and Morocco.
Ignacio Garat, National Express Group’s chief executive, said: ‘Whilst National Express is a highly valued consumer brand, Mobico better represents our multi-modal operations, global reach and future ambitions.
‘We remain focused on providing best-in-class services and delivering our Evolve strategy, with the intent of establishing Mobico Group as the world’s premier shared mobility operator.’
The group was floated on the stock market as National Express in 1992, but has been used on long-distance UK coaches since 1974.
The firm has slowly shifted its business abroad over the years, with most of its revenue now coming from North America and mainland Europe.
National Express will still remain as a customer-facing brand for its UK national coach network, with the names of other brands Alsa, WeDriveU, Peterman and Durham School Services also being retained.
The new corporate name will not involve any operational or structural changes and will be implemented in a cost effective way, the group added.
A further announcement is expected after the name change becomes effective, when the company’s stock ticker will change from ‘NEX’ to ‘MCG’.
The name change has received a mixed reaction on social media, with it being labelled a ‘stupid corporate name change’ and the ‘end of an era’.
‘In future it it will be “Mobico” if you want to book a coachywoach,’ one person joked.
Others said they won’t be able to listen to the National Express song by The Divine Comedy from 1998 in the same way, with some people attempting to alter the lyrics to fit the name of Mobico.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.