Our journey
A great milestone for Nobina was when the Group was listed on the stock exchange in June 2015. But what did our journey look like before today? A bit crooked for sure, just like the roads in our oblong country.
It all started in 1911, when SJ Buss started a bus line between Tanum-Grebbestad in Bohuslän, in a 32-horse Büssing with room for 13 passengers. However, neither roads nor vehicles were ready for the task, and after some time, traffic was stopped.
But shame on those who give up. More bus lines were added in Bohuslän during the 1920s, in 40-horse Daimler wagons on which an open trailer could be coupled for freight transport.
In 1932, the company Trafikförvaltningen Göteborg-Dalarne-Gävle (GDG) started large-scale traffic operations by bus and truck. GDG was Sweden's largest individual railway company (and one of the most profitable of all time!). But at the same time as the railway was incorporated into SJ AB, after the nationalization in 1948, bus traffic remained as a subsidiary of SJ, and was named GDG Biltrafik AB.
In 1990, deregulation took place in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, which made it possible to procure regional public transport.
In 1991, SJ gathers all its local bus traffic under the new name Swebus. This is done through a merger of GDG and SJ Buss. The cross-county weekend traffic that had been going on for a long time then continued under its own auspices under the name Swebus Express.
The first expansion outside Sweden took place in 1994, when the Swebus brand was introduced in Finland following an acquisition.
In 1996, Stagecoach Group bought the company Swebus from Statens järnvägar.
In 2000, Concordia Bus Goup bought Swebus from Stagecoach Group.
In 2007, the Nordic market was further opened up thanks to the EU Public Transport Ordinance.
In 2008, establishment takes place in Denmark through a contract in Copenhagen.
In 2009, Concordia Bus Group changed its name to Nobina. The name Swebus Express was used only for express bus traffic.
In 2015, the Nobina Group was listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, on June 18.
In 2018, Swebus was sold to Flixbus.
In October 2018, Nobina concluded the acquisition of the leading player in special public transport services in the Stockholm market, Samtrans.
In November 2018, Nobina concluded an agreement to acquire the public transport company DBO Busser Holding A/S “De Blaa Omnibusser” in Denmark.
In 2019, Nobina entered an agreement to acquire parts of the bus company Örslev Holding ApS in Denmark.
In 2020, Nobina entered an agreement to acquire the bus company Karl Erik Elofsson Buss AB, domiciled in Kungsbacka, western Sweden.
In December 2020, Nobina entered an agreement for the strategic acquisition of Göteborgs Buss AB, domiciled in Gothenburg, Sweden. The acquisition strengthens Nobina’s position in service traffic, and thus also enables the company’s entry to the market in western Sweden.
In 2021, Nobina entered an agreement to acquire 100% of Telepass AB, which is the market leader in service traffic in Skåne. As a result, Nobina, through the subsidiaries Samtrans and Göteborgs Buss, is a leading player in Sweden in service traffic with the opportunity for continued growth and broadening of the offer in both Sweden and Denmark.
In 2022 Basalt acquires Nobina. Nobina's shares are delisted from Nasdaq Stockholm.
With such a extensive history in our luggage, we can safely say that today, Nobina is not only the Nordic region's most experienced public transport company, but by far also the largest.
The acceleration is related to the fact that we have introduced systems for continuous improvement of processes and quality. This in turn provides a competitive advantage when it comes to calculating risks, in being able to streamline costs, succeed in utilizing resources in the best way and in maintaining smart traffic planning.
Nobina's journey towards new goals is in full speed, aiming towards market-leading innovation. Thanks to our extensive experience in all areas, we look forward to the continued journey!