Four companies are in the running to take over bus group Connexxion which is currently 100% state-owned, the Financieele Dagblad reports today. The UK’s FirstGroup, German company Deutsche Bahn, French firm Transdev and a combination of Rabo Capital and Gilde Investment are on the shortlist, the FD says, quoting sources.

The government is in the process of selling a 66.7% stake in the regional bus group through a controlled auction. The state values the company at between €450m and €600m. The remaining shares will be sold within five years, the paper says. The finance ministry refused to comment on the shortlist.
Both Deutsche Bahn and Transdev are state-owned companies, the paper points out, while FirstGroup and Rabobank said they were interested in Connexxion last year.