Roxborough Bus Lines has been acquired by Ontario’s Switzer-CARTY Transportation, the companies announced recently.
The merger includes the entirety of the 60-year-old passenger transportation company’s operations, including its motorcoach division, 417 Bus Line. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Started in 1959, Roxborough is a family-owned company that operates facilities in Avonmore, Alexandria, Clarence Creek, Greely, Madoc and Casselman, providing transportation to 170 schools in the City of Ottawa and in Eastern Ontario. It currently has a fleet of more than 850 buses and employs nearly 900 people.
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Nick McRae, president of Roxborough, has joined the senior team at Switzer-CARTY as vice-president of operations. He said the acquisition is a great opportunity for both companies.
“It is rare to find two companies that align so perfectly on culture and customer service excellence as Roxborough and Switzer-CARTY do,” said McRae, a 2021 Forty Under 40 recipient. “I am excited about what the future holds with the combining of two great organizations that each are recognized as leaders in the school bus industry.”
The Roxborough name will remain on the company’s buses for now, as Switzer-CARTY takes over operations.
“They’re not coming in day one and ripping names off of buses and ramming processes down our throats,” McRae said. “This is really going to run in parallel and we’re looking at how we build best practices for both companies going forward.”
McRae added that the priority is ensuring that staff and customers are taken care of.
“No downsizing whatsoever,” he said. “We’re looking to scale up because we’re looking at other growth opportunities.”
Switzer-CARTY, which was founded in 2011, provides student transportation and charter services across Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara region.
“We are pleased to welcome the entire Roxborough team to Switzer-CARTY,” said Jim Switzer, president and CEO, adding that both companies share a similar vision.
“The culture of Roxborough mirrors that of Switzer-CARTY where employees are treated with dignity and respect and student safety is a priority. We look forward to everyone from the professional drivers, technicians and operations staff to continue the great work in serving the local communities in their current roles moving forward.”
Switzer-CARTY was founded in 2011 by Switzer and Doug Carty, two transportation and school bus industry executives. The company provides student transportation and charter services to a diverse set of customers across Ontario.
In January, Roxborough Bus Lines announced it had finalized a deal to buy 417 Bus Line Ltd., a family-owned business based in Casselman.
In May, Roxborough Group acquired Foley Bus Lines motorcoach division, two years after purchasing Foley’s school bus division, allowing it to expand into Central Ontario.
