Piper Alderman advises on sale of Rover Coaches

Piper Alderman has acted for the Lewis family on the sale of Rover Coaches to the Buslines Group.

Established in 1925, Rover Coaches is a bus company operating in and around the Hunter Valley, New South Wales (NSW) and holds a number of prominent NSW bus contracts, including an Outer Metropolitan Bus Service Contract and operates significant charter services.

The Piper Alderman deal team, led by transport partner Maria Capati and supported by senior associate, Kara Pennisi and lawyer, Grace Hooper, was engaged by Aaron Lewis on behalf of his family.  The sale was extremely complex as a result of the requirements for consent from Transport for New South Wales and the ever-changing structure of the transaction. With the expert advice from the team, the sale resulted in successful completion of the transaction.

Aaron Lewis, a former owner of Rover Coaches, said:

“When it came to the sensitive task of selling a multi-generational family bus business, we chose to use the experienced services of Piper Alderman because their people have been directly involved with the industry for nearly 20 years. Selling a business that entails government contracts becomes much more complex. Maria and her team were always there to assist navigating each of the many hurdles that we faced and without their support, the sale might not have been completed satisfactorily to both parties.”

 The sale of Rover Coaches to Buslines Group sees an iconic bus business being handed over to the D’Apuzzo family who now extends their rural and regional holdings into the Outer Metropolitan region of New South Wales.

Maria Capati, Partner of Piper Alderman, said:

“This was truly one of the most challenging and complex transactions I have ever acted on.  This transaction took over a year to complete, and there were many hurdles faced by both parties.  This was a deal that used every ounce of my bus industry knowledge and experience to get this one over the line.

I thank Aaron Lewis for choosing Piper Alderman in advising his family on the sale of their business.  It was a privilege to act for him and his family.  Congratulations to the D’Apuzzo family who now take over a fantastic operation in Rover Coaches.  It will be exciting to see the continued success of Rover Coaches as part of the Buslines Group.”

Maria is a commercial lawyer with significant advisory and M&A experience in the passenger transport sector.  She has been involved in a number of transport transactions Australia-wide both on the sell-side and buy-side.  She is also considered one of the foremost experts in Australia on Government passenger contracts.

Recent media coverage

• Rover Coaches sold to Buslines Group – Lawyers Weekly, 18 December 2022
• Buslines Group’s Acquisition of Rover Coaches – Global Legal Chronicle, 7 December 2022 (paywall)