Go-Ahead, the bus and rail operator, has formed a joint venture to win yellow school bus contracts in North America, marking its first significant foray outside the UK. It had until now been the only one of the five UK-listed public transport operators to be solely based in Britain.

Go-Ahead will own 50 per cent of the joint venture, with the remainder held by Cook-Illinois, one of the largest school bus fleet operators in the US. It aims to take advantage of the growing trend towards outsourcing by school districts.