First Group
Board member:
John Birtwistle (President of EPTO)
About First Group
FirstGroup plc comprises bus, coach and rail operators across the UK and Ireland. First Bus is the second largest bus operator in the UK and operates services throughout the UK outside London, with a fleet of 5000 buses which pre-pandemic carried almost 600 million passengers each year in more than forty major towns and cities from Aberdeen to Penzance. These are provided by local operating companies established in Glasgow, Aberdeen, East Scotland, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, York, the Midlands, East Anglia, Essex, Hampshire Dorset and Berkshire, Somerset and Cornwall, South Wales, and the West of England region. Separate business units provide business to business transport services, event transport and rail replacement, together with major dedicated contract work. Aircoach provides a network of express coach services throughout Ireland. First Bus operates from 53 depots and has 14500 employees. First Bus has committed to a 100% zero emission fleet by 2035 and was the first UK operator to provide universal acceptance of contactless bank cards for payment on board – with a policy of continuous development of best value ticketing offers using mobile and bank card payment options.
First Rail is a major UK train operator, with four passenger service contracts: Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express, South Western Railway and Avanti West Coast. First also owns Hull Trains and Lumo, providing “open access” express services on the UK rail network. Our fleet comprises more than 3750 rail vehicles which are operated by over 17500 employees. Between them these companies have 27% of the UK’s passenger rail market, with a balanced portfolio of intercity, commuter and regional operations, carrying over 220 million passengers in 2020-21 despite the pandemic. Additionally the Croydon Tramlink is operated by First Rail on behalf of Transport for London and carries over 31 million passengers per year. First Rail is increasing the availability of flexible commuter tickets, mobile ticketing technology and intermodal travel and has committed to a decarbonisation program which will see diesel-only trains eliminated by 2040.