FirstGroup

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

FirstGroup plc

Type	Public
Traded as	LSE: FGP FTSE 250 component
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)
Operating income	£46.5 million (2024)
Net income	£(9.4) million (2024)
Number of employees	29,339 (2024)
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:

First Bus

In September 2022 First Bus was reorganised as follows:

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• TransPennine Express from April 2016 until May 2023, superseded by government-owned TransPennine Express

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 bus East of England konectbus Simonds Central Connect bus Flagfinders
• First Essex (formerly First East of England 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
• Lakeside Group
• Anderson Travel

Ireland

Aircoach Jonckheere SHV bodied Volvo with destination of Greystones in Shankill

• Aircoach
• Matthews Coach Hire

Former operating companies

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

Canada

• Greyhound Canada (intercity bus services)
  • Grey Goose Bus Lines
  • Vancouver Island Coach Lines
  • 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

Hong Kong

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

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

FirstGroup Media

• 

  A line-up of First Great Western trains at Plymouth in 2018

• 

  First Great Eastern Class 312 at Kirby Cross in March 2004

• 

  Greyhound Prevost coach at Toronto Coach Terminal in April 2009

• 

  First bus in 'Olympia' livery in Bishops Lydeard in 2014

• 

  First Eastern Counties Wright StreetDeck Electroliner in Norwich in October 2023

• 

  Hull Trains Class 802 Paragon at Doncaster in March 2024

• 

  Marshall bodied Dennis Dart in Bromborough in March 2007 in the original "Barbie 2" livery

• 

  First Glasgow Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC at Buchanan bus station in "Ultraviolet" livery with old first bus logo

Other websites

• Media related to FirstGroup at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• FirstGroup companies grouped at OpenCorporates