OVADA. The Roman Trotta Bus Services will not be the new owner of Saamo, the public transport company of the Ovadese municipalities that the mayors had to sell under the pressure of the budget in red and the Court of Auditors.
Autostradale srl left the Lazio giant, which had won the auction in autumn, with the match in hand, as confirmed yesterday by the liquidator of Saamo, Maurizio Coco, and by the buyers themselves. The company, at the end of last week, exercised its right of first refusal, as its faculty as a partner of Scat, the provincial road transport consortium to which Saamo is also a member.
The move of the company, which has solid roots in Lombardy and, in 2019, has already taken over the business unit of the bankrupt Arfea, placing itself at the top of the Alessandria transport system, will absorb Saamo in its galaxy at a price of 206,500 euro, equal to the winning bid of the sale auction, namely that of Trotta. The rumor that Autostradale would have come forward was circulating but the company that belongs to the Zoncada family has let almost all the 45 days allowed by law pass to the members of a consortium to exercise the right of first refusal.
Then, he broke the delay. «We have moved, as allowed, as shareholders of Scat – explains the CEO of Autostradale, Egidio Zoncada -. As soon as possible, we will also discuss with the municipalities of the area. We await the conclusion of the practices ». According to what transpires, a passage from the Piedmontese agency for mobility will still be needed, then we will pass by the notary.
“I find it encouraging that a local company demonstrates that it still believes in the potential of the territory – says the mayor of Ovada, Paolo Lantero -. I believe that having a company that already operates on our hills as the new owner of Saamo, that knows them and understands our needs, is an advantage. In addition, the geographical proximity will not hurt in case of need ».
Certainly, in the coming months there will be a forced revision of the service. “The current model does not stand up, whether a company is called Saamo or in another way, and it is obvious that it will need to be revised. A larger reality will allow economies of scale, perhaps the use of smaller vehicles, cutting double races. We will see what they propose, it being understood that adequate connections between Ovada and the countries must be guaranteed, ”says Lantero. And who knows, then, if the historic Saamo brand will disappear from the liveries of the buses. “At the moment, on this, we are not yet able to answer,” comments Zoncada.