• Recovery has begun, Covid-19 effects persist.
• Further government support measures.

The number of passengers at UK Bus increased due to Covid-19 recovering effects. After a decline in demand at the be­­ginning of 2021, demand has recovered since March. It should be noted that the first months of 2020 were not yet impacted by Covid-19 effects.

Volume produced increased again, as fewer transport services were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The economic development was better. Increasing revenues and higher levels of support led to an improvement in operating profit figures.

Income development was slightly positive:

• Revenue development improved, mainly driven by exchange rate effects and the recovery in demand. The discontinuation of the bus sales and hire business of Arriva Bus and Coach had a dampening effect.
• Other operating income also increased, mainly as a result of higher Covid-19 support measures such as state bus service support grants as well as positive exchange rate effects.

On the expense side, negative exchange rate effects, among other things, led to an increase:

• Personnel expenses increased. Negative exchange rate effects and one-off effects from the closure of pension plans were partially offset by lower driver costs due to the effects of Covid-19.
• Other operating expenses increased, mainly due to exchange rate effects. After adjusting for these effects, other operating expenses remained virtually unchanged.

In contrast, the decline in other expense items had a partially compensating effect:

• Cost of materials decreased mainly due to lower expenses in connection with the discontinuation of bus sales and hire business of Arriva Bus and Coach. This was partly offset by negative exchange rate effects.
• Depreciation increased slightly as a result of lower capital expenditures in the previous year.
• Capital expenditures increased due to vehicle projects that were postponed in the previous year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of employees fell noticeably, due in part to driver turnover as a result of Brexit and the reduced service offer­ing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Continued negative effects due to Covid-19, mitigated by government support measures.
• Services of Grand Central temporarily suspended until March 2021 during the shutdown.
• Cessation of the ARN franchise on March 1, 2020.

The performance development at UK Trains was influenced by the ARN effect. It should also be noted that the start of 2020 was not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The economic development continued to be shaped by Co­­vid-19 effects. Operating profit figures improved due to the significant decline in expenses.

The income situation was significantly weaker:

• Revenues fell sharply, due in part to the ARN effect and the decline in passenger numbers. Government Covid-19 support measures and positive exchange rate effects partially compensated for this.
• Other operating income also declined sharply, due in part to the ARN effect.

On the expenses side, the ARN effect and changes in the treat­­ment of leasing expenses at CrossCountry led to a significant decline:

• Other operating expenses fell significantly, mainly as a result of the ARNeffect, lower franchise payments due to government support, reduced rental expenses due to the changed treatment of leased assets at CrossCountry, and the loss of a negative one-time effect at Grand Central.
• The decrease in personnel expenses resulted mainly from the ARN effect, partially compensated by exchange rate effects.
• Cost of materials also fell significantly, mainly due to the ARN effect. Negative exchange rate effects had a partially offsetting effect.
• Depreciation fell significantly, primarily due to the ARNeffect as well as change in accounting treatment of lease assets at Chiltern Railways.

Capital expenditures fell significantly, primarily due to the ARN effect. In addition, capital expenditures of so-called emergency recovery measures agreements (ERMA) are gener­ally grant-funded.

The number of employees fell slightly.

• Recovery has begun, Covid-19 effects persist.
• Further government support measures.
• New transport services in the Czech Republic with positive effect.

The performance development in Mainland Europe was positive overall, driven by new transport services and a recovery in demand, as well as the sustained Covid-19 effects, particularly at the beginning of the year:

• In rail transport the effects from new traffic in the Czech Republic and recovery effects exceeded the Covid-19-related declines.
• In bus transport, the development was regionally differentiated. The Covid-19 impact varied by region, depending on the extent of the restrictions. Overall, the number of passengers and the volume produced increased, mainly driven by partial Covid-19 recovery and new transport services in the Czech Republic and in Italy.

The economic development was much more positive again, driven by a noticeable growth in income:

• The significant increase in revenues resulted mainly from the partial recovery in demand and new transport services in the Czech Republic. Exchange rate effects also had an impact.

The expense side was significantly influenced by the omission of Covid-19-related effects:

• Other operating expenses fell significantly, primarily due to lower effects of creation of provisions for impending losses, which were exceptionally high in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The increase in other expenses was partly compensating:

• The increase in costs of materials was driven in particular by higher fuel costs as a result of the expansion of services. In addition, new transport services in the Czech Republic also contributed to higher expenses.
• Depreciation increased significantly, mainly due to capital expenditures for new transport services in the Czech Republic and the impairments on diesel buses in connection with the EU Directive on the Promotion of Clean and Energy-Efficient Road Transport Vehicles.
• Personnel expenses increased as a result of the expansion of services and exchange rate effects.

The decline in capital expenditures also resulted from the conclusion of capital expenditure measures for new trans­port services.

The number of employees fell due to delays in the reemployment of temporary staff after the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of strategic decisions in non-core countries.

The revenue structure changed only slightly, due in part to the effects of new transport services in the Czech Republic. The share of revenue in Spain also increased, while the share in the Netherlands declined.