Fjord1
Fjord1 ASA is a Norwegian transport conglomerate, formed in 2001 by the merger of Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. The company itself is a holding company for its numerous subsidiaries. Company headquarters are located in the town of Florø; however, the headquarters of the important ferry division are located in the town of Molde. The company has 75 ships, 394 buses and 147 trucks and transported 24 million passengers in 2005.
The company is one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector. Its main assets are the two ferry companies MRF and Fylkesbaatane, which service the rugged and numerous fjords of Møre og Romsdal and Vestland counties. In addition, the company owned four local bus companies, including Fjord1 Buss Møre, Fjord1 Sogn Billag, Hallingdal Billag and Fjord1 Nordfjord-Ottadalen. It is also involved in numerous transport ventures within its two home counties, including a 66% ownership of the bus company Aukra Auto, a 49% ownership of fast ferry company Kystekspressen and a 49% of Fjord1 Partner, that operates the Bergen Light Rail.
The fact that the company headquarters were located in Sogn og Fjordane made the merger somewhat unpopular in Møre og Romsdal county. The choice of name, Fjord1, was also not well-accepted among the local population. These strains on public relations, amongst other things, resulted in talks intended to further the merger process breaking down during the winter and spring of 2004.
