Pulhams strengthens senior team with appointment of experienced Commercial Manager

Pulhams has appointed an experienced, award-winning Commercial Manager to oversee the planning and development of the operator’s local bus network.

Matthew Wooll joined Pulhams earlier this year following a career that has seen him drive buses and fulfil various roles including planning and strategy.

Having overseen significant development at previous operators, Mr Wooll sees similar growth potential at Pulhams.

He said: “It’s important that we get the basics right every day. I’m working on some proposals to improve existing services, based on the knowledge I’ve built up so far with the help of operational colleagues.

“Together we can create a very successful business at Pulhams, and I believe it’s the attention to detail that will help us do this.

“Pulhams has a great team with lots of experience and the extensive support of a parent company with a highly respected track record.”

From an early age, Mr Wooll had a keen interest in buses and transport, and worked part-time cleaning and fuelling buses at a depot in Harlesden while studying graphic design at Harrow College.

In 1990, he followed his heart into the world of buses and paid out of his own pocket to take the PCV driving test.

A driving job followed in the Walthamstow area for Ensign Citybus, where he began assisting with preparations for rail replacement jobs at the end of 1995.

Mr Wooll soon joined the planning team on a full-time basis, playing a key role in winning new contracts and growing the company, while also being involved in fleet procurement and presentation, vehicle allocation, and internal communications.

He later moved to head office following the formation of First London, where he helped design and test the first use of a GPS-based next stop passenger information system on board a London bus.

Mr Wooll then joined the management team at First Berkshire in April 2003, where he was responsible for network design, timetables, fares, marketing, and customer relations. He won the Marketing Award at the 2009 Passenger Transport Management Awards.

After more than a decade at First Berkshire, Mr Wooll joined Tower Transit as Commercial Manager in 2015. His work included a particular focus on Whippet Coaches in Cambridgeshire, which won a substantial contract with the University of Cambridge in 2016. Over the following two years, patronage grew 40 per cent year-on-year compared with the service it replaced.

In 2019, Mr Wooll joined Heathrow Airport as Bus Strategy Manager, where he oversaw patronage growth to new levels. Heathrow went on to win the Going for Growth Award at the 2024 UK Bus Awards.

It was at Heathrow that Mr Wooll worked closely with his new employer, Go Thames Valley, which oversees a number of operators including the airline coach service that connects Oxford to Heathrow and Gatwick, and Carousel Buses’ Flightline 102 between High Wycombe and Heathrow.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Go Thames Valley, said: “We’re really pleased to have welcomed someone with Matthew’s level of experience and vast knowledge.

“His track record speaks for itself, and we know from working with him at Heathrow that he can make a huge difference. We’re looking forward to Pulhams’ continued growth with the support of Matthew and the senior leadership team.”

Go Thames Valley is the region’s largest bus operator, with its portfolio including Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, Carousel Buses, Pearces, Pulhams, City Sightseeing Oxford, and the airline coach service.