Arbroath business to create 40 new jobs after multi-million-pound contract win

Arbroath contact centre ESP Group will create up to 40 new jobs after winning a new multi-million-pound contract. ESP Group, which owns Journeycall, has secured a new four-year agreement with Transport for London (TfL).

The Angus business has worked with TfL for almost 20 years, handling phone calls, emails and product fulfilment for the Oyster card used on London’s public transport. The new deal will see it deliver customer contact handling for TfL’s Oyster concessionary travel schemes, supporting some of London’s most vulnerable passenger groups.

The contract comes just months after ESP Group chief executive Ashley Meston revealed her ambitions to grow staffing levels to 500 and achieve sales of £20 million this year.

She said:

“This contract represents an important next step in our relationship with TfL.

“As well as continuing our role in helping keep London moving, we are now supporting some of the capital’s most vulnerable people through these concessionary travel schemes.

“It is work with genuine social impact, and something our teams are incredibly proud to be part of.”

Some existing roles will transfer across to ESP, ensuring continuity of service.

There is the option of two further one-year extensions, potentially extending the partnership through to 2032. The latest contract win follows a period of significant growth for ESP Group, which secured a series of major transport, technology and public-sector contract awards last year.

ESP Group’s highly trained staff handle millions of phone calls each year for Transport for London, including all enquiries relating to its Oyster cards. The company posted pre-tax profits of £2.7 million to July 31 2025 while turnover for the firm topped £17.4m, an increase of 30% on 2024. The firm counts NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) as a client and also supplies more than 140,000 key cards for the Caledonian Sleeper.

Ashley took over as chief executive in February last year, succeeding Theresa Lawson, who owns the business. It was named Employer of the Year at last year’s Courier Business Awards. If the staffing target of 500 is reached it would be the highest staffing levels in its history.

This article appeared in the Courier on 22 June 2026