Finland's state-owned railway firm VR has acquired the Arriva Sverige rail and bus operator, taking a share of the Swedish public transport market.
Arriva operates public transport in southern Sweden and in east Götaland, in both regional and urban transport systems. It has around 3,800 staff in the country, and will become a subsidiary of the broader VR concern.
VR CEO Lauri Sipponen said in a press release on Thursday that the acquisition was aimed at preparing VR for the launch of competition in Finland's rail network.
The firm is looking to advance in the electric bus market in Sweden, benefiting from its experience in the same sector in Finland.
"We are a pioneer of bus electrification, and we are now able to speed up the electrification of Swedish buses and offer the Swedish subsidiary our expertise," said Topi Simola, VR's head of passenger transport.
The firm is also eyeing economies of scale when acquiring new buses, as well as Arriva's 300 million euro annual revenue in Sweden.
The price of the acquisition itself has not been disclosed.