Arriva Southend

Arriva is now one of the major transport operators in Europe. But our roots are in Sunderland, in the North East of England, in a 2nd-hand motorcycle shop opened in 1938 by the Cowie family. To find out more about the history and growth of Arriva plc please visit the Arriva plc website. In the UK, our buses are organised into regional units, each of which has a fascinating story of its own. The core UK bus business outside London came into what is now Arriva ownership when the then Cowie Group acquired British Bus plc.