Staff made redundant as bus company ceases trading

A bus operator serving the East Midlands has announced it has ceased trading and made the majority of its 76 members of staff redundant.

Community Transport for Nottingham (CT4N), which runs more than 20 local services across Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire said on Friday steps were being taken to place the firm formally into administration.

It said despite the approval of a Company Voluntary Arrangement in October 2025 and "significant efforts" by its management team, it had faced "increasingly challenging trading conditions".

Nottingham City Transport said it would replace the operator's 18 service and was reviewing options to replace other services.

CT4N said rising fuel, insurance, maintenance and employment costs, combined with "regulatory pressures affecting its operations", had placed "significant strain" on its financial and operational viability.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "The directors have worked with professional advisers to explore all available options.

"However, after careful consideration, they have concluded that given the circumstances, the company has no viable alternative but to take steps to cease trading immediately."

The company - which traces its origins back to the formation of Nottingham Community Transport in 1979 - said it had informed the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) of its decision.

It added it understood arrangements were being considered to "minimise disruption" to passengers and maintain services where possible.

East Midlands mayor Claire Ward said losing a local bus service was "life-changing" and the authority was taking the impact of collapse seriously.

"Some services have already been replaced by other operators, and we are working at pace with them and other local partners to explore every available option to further minimise disruption and keep communities connected wherever possible," she said.

"I appreciate that for people employed by CT4N in this region, this will be a difficult time, and we will be happy to support people who have lost their jobs by signposting them into EMCCA's relevant employment and skills programmes."

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