FirstGroup

FirstGroup is a transport organisation that operates both buses and rail across the United Kingdom. They are based in Aberdeen, Scotland.^[2]

FirstGroup plc

Company type	Public
Traded as	LSE: FGP FTSE 250 component
ISIN	GB0003452173
Industry	Transport
Founded	1 April 1995
Headquarters	Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Area served	United Kingdom Republic of Ireland
Key people	Peter Lynas (Acting Chairman) Graham Sutherland (Chief Executive)
Products	Bus, coach, rail & tram
Revenue	£4,715.1 million (2024)[1]
Operating income	£46.5 million (2024)[1]
Net income	£(9.4) million (2024)[1]
Number of employees	29,339 (2024)[1]
Subsidiaries	See below
Website	www.firstgroupplc.com

Major rail operations from past and present include First Great Western, First Capital Connect among others

Current operating businesses

Current operating businesses include:^[3]

First Bus

In September 2022 First Bus was reorganised as follows:^[4][5]

United Kingdom

Buses of Somerset liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro200 44079 in Ruishton in July 2021

Scotland

• First Aberdeen (formerly First Grampian)
• King Coaches (formerly First Aberdeen Coach Hire and Grampian Executive)
• First Glasgow (formerly First Kelvin and First Greater Glasgow)

East of England

• First Eastern Counties
• First Essex (formerly First Eastern National, First Thamesway)

Manchester, Midlands and South Yorkshire

• First South Yorkshire & Midlands
• First Leicester (Leicester Electric) (Formerly Leicester city bus, Leicester corporation transport)
• Aircoach(Leicester to Birmingham Airport)
• East Midlands Airport Carpark shuttles (First Leicester)
• First Greater Manchester (Bee Network)
• First Potteries (operating in Staffordshire and South Cheshire, formerly First PMT/PMT Limited)

First Potteries Scania Omnicity in Stoke-on-Trent (January 2020)

• First South Yorkshire (formerly First Mainline)

North and West Yorkshire

• First West Yorkshire
• First Bradford
• First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield
• First Leeds (Leeds Electric)
• First York (including the York Park & Ride)

South and South West England

• First South West (formerly First Devon & Cornwall)
• Kernow
• Buses of Somerset
• First Beeline (formerly First Berkshire & The Thames Valley)
• First Hampshire & Dorset
• Truronian

Wales and West of England

• First West of England (formerly First Bristol & First Somerset & Avon)
• First Worcestershire (sometimes referred to as First Wyvern)
• First Cymru

Other operations

• First Travel Solutions re-branded 2016 (formerly First Rail Support) which provides emergency and planned rail replacement transport to train operating companies using First and non-First Transport through its 24-hour control room in Clayton-le-moors Lancashire.
• First Tram operations (Tramlink) Taken over by First Group in 2017 it deals with one of the two Lite rail networks in greater London.
• Specialist Passenger Solutions
• Ensignbus
• York Pullman^[6]
• Lakeside Group^[7]
• Anderson Travel^[8]

Ireland

Aircoach Jonckheere SHV bodied Volvo with destination of Greystones in Shankill

• Aircoach
• Matthews Coach Hire^[9]

First Rail

United Kingdom

TransPennine Express Class 802 'Nova 1' at Newcastle in September 2020

• Avanti West Coast (70% shareholding)
• First Rail Stirling (former part of Grand Union)^[10]
• Great Western Railway
• Hull Trains
• London Tramlink
• Lumo
• South Western Railway (70% shareholding)
• IFS Cloud Cable Car operated on behalf of TfL

Former operating companies

FirstGroup Rhein-Neckar Mercedes-Benz Citaro in Mannheim in August 2008

Bus and coach

Canada

• Greyhound Canada (intercity bus services)
  • Grey Goose Bus Lines
  • Vancouver Island Coach Lines^[11]
  • Voyageur Colonial Bus Lines
  • First Student (school, charter bus and public transit services)
  • HandyDART Contract to TransLink (British Columbia) for accessible transit service in Metro Vancouver

Germany

• FirstGroup Rhein-Neckar sold September 2011 to Marwyn European Transport^[12][13]

Hong Kong

• New World First Bus 26% stake sold May 2000 to New World Development

United Kingdom

• First Chester & The Wirral sold to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire in January 2013
• First Northampton ceased 14 September 2013
• First Scotland East (formerly First SMT, First Borders and First Midland Bluebird) sold to McGills in September 2022
• First London from March 1997 until September 2013, most operations sold to Go-Ahead London, Metroline and Tower Transit, remainder ceased upon expiry of contracts in September 2013
• Greyhound UK coach services between September 2009 and December 2015
• First Borders (formerly Lowland Scottish and part of the wider First Scotland East group) sold to West Coast Motors, trading as Borders Buses, on 26 March 2017.^[14][15]
• First Southampton (also known as First Cityred) ceased trading on 18 February 2023.^[16]

United States

• Greyhound Lines (intercity bus services)^[17]
  • BoltBus (a discount operator competing with Megabus)
• First Vehicle Services, which maintained vehicles for many corporations, organizations and local governments, including the other First divisions.
• First Student, sold in 2021
• First Transit, sold in 2021

Rail

United Kingdom

• First Great Eastern from January 1997 until April 2004, incorporated into Greater Anglia franchise subsequently operated by National Express as One
• First North Western from March 1997 until December 2004, operations split between Arriva Trains Wales, First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail
• First GBRf from August 2003 until sold in June 2010 to Eurotunnel Group, rebranded as GB Railfreight
• First Capital Connect from April 2006 until September 2014, succeeded by Govia Thameslink Railway
• First ScotRail from October 2004 until March 2015, succeeded by Abellio ScotRail & Caledonian Sleeper
• First TransPennine Express (55% shareholding) from February 2004 until March 2016, succeeded by TransPennine Express with FirstGroup having 100% ownership
• TransPennine Express from April 2016 until May 2023, superseded by government-owned TransPennine Express

United States

• A-train, Denton County Transportation Authority commenced October 2016

Denmark and Sweden

• DSBFirst was a joint rail venture with Danish State Railways (30% shareholding) until 2013