FirstGroup

FirstGroup plc is a British public transport group headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland. Its modern corporate identity was created in 1995 when Badgerline and GRT Bus Group merged to form FirstBus, bringing together formerly nationalised and municipal bus operations across England, Scotland and Wales. The company renamed itself FirstGroup in 1997 as it expanded from deregulated bus operations into the newly privatised British railway market. The group's growth has historically been acquisition-led. During the 1990s it bought or incorporated regional operators including GM Buses North, Strathclyde Buses, Mainline, CentreWest and Capital Citybus. It subsequently acquired railway interests, including Great Western, Great Eastern and later other franchised and open-access services. Its transport portfolio has also included rail freight, tram operations, contracted urban transit and coach services. FirstGroup expanded internationally in the late 1990s and 2000s. It took a minority interest in New World First Bus in Hong Kong, acquired Ryder Public Transportation Services in the United States and purchased Laidlaw in 2007. The Laidlaw transaction gave FirstGroup control of Greyhound Lines and made it a major North American operator of school buses, contracted transit and intercity coaches. Several operations retained established local brands, while others were aligned with First or Greyhound branding. In the United Kingdom, the company has operated a broad range of rail franchises and concessions, including First Great Western, First ScotRail, First TransPennine Express, First Capital Connect and South Western Railway. It also operates London Tramlink under contract to Transport for London and has developed open-access rail services such as Hull Trains and Lumo. Its bus activities include regional First Bus operations, airport and intercity coach services through Aircoach, and contracted or commercial services acquired from independent operators. The group changed strategic direction during the late 2010s and early 2020s. After announcing an intention in 2019 to sell its United Kingdom bus operations and concentrate more heavily on North America, it reversed that plan in 2020. It instead retained its UK bus business and sold First Student and First Transit to EQT, followed by Greyhound Lines to FlixBus. This left FirstGroup primarily focused on UK public transport, with additional operations in Ireland. FirstGroup remains a London-listed transport company. Its activities combine regulated and franchised railway operations, open-access passenger rail, urban bus services, tram concessions, airport links and coach transport. The business has been shaped by deregulation, privatisation, competitive tendering, public-service contracts and the later policy shift toward railway renationalisation. Its principal consumer-facing brands include First Bus, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast, Hull Trains, Lumo, London Tramlink and Aircoach.

FirstGroup's origins lie in the deregulation and privatisation of British bus services. In 1986, the Somerset operations that had been branded Badgerline were acquired through a management buyout and developed as Badgerline Group. In Aberdeen, Grampian Regional Transport was privatised in 1989 through a management buyout led by its general manager, Moir Lockhead. The resulting GRT Bus Group expanded by buying former nationalised operators in England and Scotland. Badgerline and GRT merged in April 1995 to create FirstBus. The combined company began with approximately 5,600 buses serving a wide geographic area across England, Wales and Scotland. Its acquisition programme continued through the 1990s, including purchases of GM Buses North, Strathclyde Buses, Mainline, CentreWest and Capital Citybus. These transactions gave FirstBus a substantial presence in major urban markets as former municipal and nationalised operations entered private ownership. The company entered the privatised railway market in the mid-1990s. It held a stake in Great Western Holdings, which secured Great Western and North Western franchises, and separately owned First Great Eastern. In November 1997, FirstBus became FirstGroup, signalling that buses would no longer define the entire group. FirstGroup later acquired the remaining interests in Great Western Holdings and branded the resulting operations First Great Western and First North Western. International expansion followed. In 1998, FirstGroup took a minority position in New World First Bus in Hong Kong. It sold that interest in 2000. In 1999, the purchase of Ryder Public Transportation Services established a US school-bus and contracted-transit platform. FirstGroup also entered the London tram market in 2000 by beginning operation of London Tramlink under contract to Transport for London. In 2001, the corporate brand was simplified to First, with buses and trains receiving a more unified visual identity. The acquisition of GB Railways in 2003 added Anglia Railways, GB Railfreight and an interest in Hull Trains. During the following years FirstGroup operated or participated in several British rail franchises, including First TransPennine Express, First Great Western Link, First ScotRail, First Capital Connect and the expanded Great Western franchise. It also acquired Irish coach operator Aircoach. A joint venture with Danish State Railways operated the Øresund regional rail service from 2009, although the Swedish part of that arrangement later ended. The 2007 acquisition of Laidlaw was a major transformation. It brought school-bus and contracted-transit operations in the United States and Canada, as well as control of Greyhound Lines. The Greyhound name was retained, while many other Laidlaw operations were aligned with First branding. FirstGroup subsequently attempted, without success, to acquire National Express in 2009. In 2010 it sold First GBRf to Eurotunnel, ending its participation in rail freight. During the 2010s, FirstGroup continued to operate UK buses, rail franchises, tram services and North American transit. It supplied extensive transport services for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Most of its London bus operations were sold in 2013. FirstGroup won the replacement TransPennine Express franchise in 2015, beginning operation in 2016, and its US transit subsidiary began operating the A-train in Texas in the same year. A joint venture with MTR began running South Western Railway in 2017. Strategic priorities shifted around 2019. FirstGroup initially announced plans to sell its UK bus operations and focus more heavily on North America. In 2020, after pressure from investor Coast Capital Savings, it reversed that approach, retaining UK buses and preparing to dispose of its North American businesses. First Student and First Transit were sold to EQT in 2021, and Greyhound was sold to FlixBus later that year. Lumo also launched in 2021 as an open-access East Coast rail service. In 2022, FirstGroup rejected a takeover proposal from I Squared Capital, which subsequently abandoned its pursuit. The group then returned to UK transport expansion through acquisitions and new rail rights. It agreed to acquire Ensignbus operations, purchased York Pullman, Lakeside Group, Anderson Travel and Matthews Coach Hire, and acquired additional coach businesses. It also acquired approved open-access rights associated with Grand Union. South Western Railway transferred to public ownership in 2025 as part of the United Kingdom's railway renationalisation programme. FirstGroup therefore remains a UK-centred transport group whose portfolio combines bus operations, rail franchises and open-access services, tram concessions and coach businesses.

1. 2025South Western Railway transfers to public ownership

   The operating company transferred to the Department for Transport as part of railway renationalisation.

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2. 2021North American divestments and Lumo launch

   FirstGroup sold First Student and First Transit to EQT, sold Greyhound to FlixBus and launched Lumo.

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3. 2017South Western Railway begins operation

   A FirstGroup and MTR joint venture began operating the South Western franchise.

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4. 2016First Transit begins operating the A-train

   The Texas operation was First Transit's first US rail contract.

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5. 2012Olympic Games transport programme

   First Travel Solutions operated shuttle, park-and-ride and express-coach services for the London 2012 Games.

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6. 2010FirstGroup exits rail freight

   First GBRf was sold to Eurotunnel's group.

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7. 2007Laidlaw is acquired

   The transaction added major North American school-bus and intercity-coach operations and control of Greyhound.

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8. 2003GB Railways is acquired

   The purchase added Anglia Railways, GB Railfreight and an interest in Hull Trains.

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9. 2000FirstGroup begins operating London Tramlink

   The company entered contracted tram operations in South London.

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10. 1999Ryder Public Transportation Services is acquired

    The acquisition expanded FirstGroup into US school transportation and contracted public transit.

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11. 1997FirstBus becomes FirstGroup

    The renamed group formalised its expansion into British railway operations.

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12. 1995Badgerline and GRT merge to form FirstBus

    The merger created a large UK bus operator with approximately 5,600 vehicles.

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13. 1989Grampian Regional Transport is privatised

    A management buyout led by Moir Lockhead created the platform that became GRT Bus Group.

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14. 1986Badgerline is created through a management buyout

    The Somerset operations of Bristol Omnibus, operating under the Badgerline identity, were acquired and developed into Badgerline Group.

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A diversified public transport operator focused on contracted, franchised and commercial passenger services.

• First BusRegional bus services1995

  First Bus is the group's UK regional bus business. It operates scheduled urban, suburban and interurban services under regional identities across England, Scotland and Wales. The business grew from the Badgerline and GRT networks and later incorporated numerous former municipal and nationalised operators. Its services are delivered through a mixture of commercial routes and arrangements with local transport authorities.

• Great Western RailwayFranchised passenger rail1996

  Great Western Railway operates passenger rail services from London and southern England toward the West of England, South Wales and other destinations. It developed from FirstGroup's Great Western franchise interests and later incorporated services associated with Thames Trains and Wessex Trains. The operation combines long-distance, regional and suburban services.

• Avanti West CoastFranchised passenger rail

  Avanti West Coast is operated by a FirstGroup and Trenitalia joint venture. It provides intercity services on the West Coast Main Line, linking London with destinations in the Midlands, North West England and Scotland. FirstGroup holds the majority interest in the operating venture.

• Hull TrainsOpen-access passenger rail

  Hull Trains is an open-access passenger operator linking Hull and other Yorkshire locations with London King's Cross. It is not operated under a conventional Department for Transport rail franchise and forms part of FirstGroup's UK open-access rail portfolio.

• LumoOpen-access passenger rail2021

  Lumo is a lower-fare-focused open-access rail service on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. It began operation in 2021 and was developed as a direct commercial passenger service rather than a conventional franchised railway.

• London TramlinkTram concession2000

  London Tramlink is the South London tram network serving Croydon, Wimbledon, Beckenham and New Addington. FirstGroup operates the concession for Transport for London. The network is a contracted urban transit operation rather than a wholly owned standalone railway.

• AircoachAirport and intercity coach services2003

  Aircoach is an Irish coach operator owned by FirstGroup. It links Dublin Airport with central Dublin, locations south of the city and destinations including Bray, Greystones, Cork and Belfast. FirstGroup acquired a controlling interest in the business in 2003.

• First StudentStudent transportation1999

  First Student was FirstGroup's North American school-bus transportation business. It provided contracted student transportation for school districts and communities in the United States and Canada until its sale to EQT in 2021.

• First TransitContracted public transit1999

  First Transit provided contracted bus and transit-management services in North America, including municipal and institutional transportation. It also operated the A-train rail service in Texas. The business was sold to EQT in 2021.

• 2012First Games Transport

  United Kingdom

  First Travel Solutions provided a large Olympic and Paralympic transport programme, including venue shuttles, park-and-ride services and express coaches connecting major access points with London venues and the sailing venue at Weymouth and Portland.

  Outcome. Completed as a contracted event-transport programme.

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• 2022Rejection of I Squared Capital takeover proposalM&A

  US private-equity firm I Squared Capital proposed acquiring FirstGroup.

  What changed. FirstGroup's board rejected the proposal, stating that it undervalued the company.

  Aftermath. Discussions continued for a period, but I Squared Capital abandoned its pursuit later in 2022.

  Rejected takeover proposal. (2022)

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• 2021Launch of LumoProduct launch

  FirstGroup developed an open-access passenger service for the East Coast Main Line.

  What changed. Lumo began operating between London King's Cross and Edinburgh.

  Aftermath. The launch expanded FirstGroup's non-franchised passenger rail portfolio.

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• 2020Retention of UK buses and North American exitStrategy

  Investor pressure and changing strategic priorities led FirstGroup to reassess its proposed portfolio reshaping.

  What changed. The board retained the UK bus business and began selling First Student, First Transit and Greyhound.

  Aftermath. The disposals completed in 2021 and left the group primarily focused on UK public transport, with Aircoach providing an Irish presence.

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• 2019Plan to sell UK bus operationsStrategy

  FirstGroup sought to reshape its portfolio by selling its UK bus activities and placing greater emphasis on its North American businesses.

  What changed. The group announced the intended disposal, but completed only selected regional disposals before reversing the strategy.

  Aftermath. In 2020, the company decided to retain its UK bus operations and instead sell its North American assets.

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• 2022FirstGroup rejects takeover proposal from I Squared Capital

  The board rejected a proposed takeover, stating that the offer undervalued the company; the bidder later ended its efforts.

  M&A
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• 2021FirstGroup agrees to sell First Student and First Transit to EQT

  The sale removed FirstGroup's principal North American school-bus and contracted-transit businesses from the group.

  M&A
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• 2021FirstGroup sells Greyhound Lines to FlixBus

  The transaction completed the group's planned divestment of its major North American transport assets.

  M&A
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• 2021Lumo begins open-access East Coast rail service

  FirstGroup launched Lumo as a passenger rail service between London King's Cross and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line.

  Product launch
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• 2020FirstGroup reverses its planned disposal strategy

  Following investor pressure, FirstGroup decided to retain its UK bus operations and instead pursue the sale of its North American businesses.

  Other
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• 2019FirstGroup announces a strategy to sell UK bus operations

  The group announced plans to dispose of its UK bus activities and give greater strategic emphasis to North American operations, although the plan was later reversed.

  Other
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• 2012FirstGroup provides transport for the London 2012 Olympic Games

  First Travel Solutions supplied venue shuttles, park-and-ride services and express coaches for Olympic and Paralympic-related transport requirements.

  CampaignOther
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• 2010FirstGroup sells First GBRf

  The company sold its rail-freight business to Eurotunnel's group and exited rail freight.

  M&A
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• 2009FirstGroup makes an unsuccessful approach for National Express

  FirstGroup proposed a combination with rival transport operator National Express, but the approach was not accepted.

  M&A
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• 2007FirstGroup agrees to acquire Laidlaw and gain control of Greyhound

  The approximately £1.9 billion transaction expanded FirstGroup's North American school-bus, transit and intercity-coach operations.

  M&A
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• 1999FirstGroup acquires Ryder Public Transportation Services

  The acquisition established a larger North American presence in school transportation and contracted public transit.

  M&A
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• 1997FirstGroup changes its name from FirstBus as it enters railway operations

  The company adopted the FirstGroup name to reflect its expansion from bus operations into Britain's privatised rail sector.

  Other
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1. FirstGroup
2. FirstGroup plc corporate website