First Group

First Group is planning to shed up to 100 back-office jobs at its bus operations in Bristol. 30-Apr-2009

First Group has submitted plans to set up a new £25m bus depot and headquarters at Cathcart Road in Glasgow, providing space for 450 buses. 06-Apr-2009

First Group is to shed 3,500 of the 140,000 jobs in its bus and rail operating business, including 1,750 jobs in the UK. 23-Mar-2009

First Group is planning to set up a new bus depot for First Hampshire & Dorset at the 3.8-acre former Exel Logistics site on Empress Road in Southampton, in order to relocate from its current site in Portswood. 19-Sep-2007

First Group has agreed to acquire Chester City Transport, the operator of bus services in Chester with 84 vehicles, from Chester City Council. 20-Jun-2007

First Group is to acquire Laidlaw International, the US operator of Greyhound buses and school buses, for £1.8bn. 12-Feb-2007

First Group, the transport company, has confirmed plans to build a new global headquarters at its King Street depot in Aberdeen, and details will be unveiled in early 2007. 08-Dec-2006

First Group is in talks with local councils about the possibility of introducing its futuristic FTR bus system into Leeds and Glasgow. 18-May-2006

First Group is to close its bus depot in Newcastle-under-Lyme in September, in order to transfer 120 drivers and 40 other staff to sites elsewhere. 20-Mar-2006

First Group has won the Greater Western rail franchise, which will involve a £200m investment in the train fleet, stations and car parks, as well as the Thameslink-Great Northern franchise, in which £52m will be invested. 14-Dec-2005

First Group has won approval to set up a £10m global headquarters in Aberdeen, including a new depot for 400 bus drivers. 28-Oct-2005

First Group is to invest £29m in Glasgow's public transport over the next two years, including 220 new buses. 25-Jan-2005

First Group is to recruit 90 revenue protection staff in Strathclyde, in order to reduce fare dodging at its ScotRail franchise. 05-Nov-2004

First Group has submitted plans to set up a new £10m global headquarters and bus depot in Aberdeen, with the creation of more than 140 jobs. 11-Oct-2004

First Group has secured a £1.9bn contract to operate the ScotRail franchise in Scotland, and will spend £40m on trains and stations. 23-Aug-2004

First Group has been selected as preferred bidder for the ScotRail rail franchise, and will take over from National Express in October. 14-Jun-2004

First Group is developing a tram with rubber wheels to introduce into Yorkshire next year, as part of the Yorkshire Showcase scheme to increase bus travel by 30% over the next five years. 13-May-2004

First Group is said to be planning to set up a new corporate headquarters in Aberdeen with the creation of 100 jobs, if it can obtain permission to redevelop its King Street bus depot for retail use. 16-Apr-2004

First Group is to shed 130 jobs in Cornwall by closing a bus depot in St Austell and cutting back operations in Penzance, Newquay, Truro, Falmouth and Camborne. 09-Apr-2004

First Group and Keolis of France have formed a joint venture to run the new Trans-Pennine Express rail franchise between Liverpool and Newcastle, and £260m will be invested in new trains and depots. 11-Dec-2003

First Group has been selected as preferred bidder for a two-year extension to the Thames Trains franchise, and is also expected to announce plans to retain ownership of GB Railfreight following the completion of the acquisition of GB Railways. 05-Nov-2003

First Group and Keolis of France have secured an eight-year franchise to operate trains in the Trans-Pennine region, and about 200 jobs will be created in a £260m investment. 01-Aug-2003

First Group is looking to expand its transport business by winning UK rail franchises and acquiring small US school bus operators, and would also consider buying stakes in US railway company Amtrak and leading school bus operator Laidlaw. 05-Jun-2002

First Group has acquired Verona Bus Service of Wisconsin for about £4m, in order to expand its school bus business in the US. 02-Aug-2001

First Group is to invest £4m in the introduction of 100 US-style yellow school buses, and negotiations are taking place with four local authorities. 16-May-2001

First Group has bought Hertz Group, the Canadian school bus operator, for £11m. 21-Dec-2000

First Group is said to have shortlisted four bidders for its 51% stake in Bristol International Airport, and the complex is expected to be valued at up to £200m. 26-Oct-2000

First Group is in discussions with a number of local authorities about the possibility of introducing large US-style yellow buses to take children to school. 09-Jun-2000

First Group is planning to close its Possilpark bus depot in Glasgow and replace it with a new depot in Kirkintilloch. 26-May-2000

First Group has sold its New World First bus business in Hong Kong for £39m, as part of a strategy to focus on the UK and the US. 17-May-2000

First Group is investing £6m in 50 new buses to improve services in Bristol. 10-Feb-2000

First Group is to acquire parts of York Pullman, including premises at Elvington and Bootham and council-contracted bus services. 20-Jan-2000

First Group is to invest in Prepayment Cards Limited, in order to help with the creation of a nationwide smartcard ticketing network that will enable people to use public transport without using cash. 24-Dec-1999

First Group, the bus and train operator, is to spend £210m on safety improvements over the next three years. 10-Nov-1999

First Group is acquiring Ryder Public Transportation Services, the US operator of school buses, for £603m, and similar acquisitions are expected to follow. 22-Jul-1999

First Group is to spend £80m replacing 780 buses in its 10,000-strong UK fleet over the next year. 16-Jul-1999

First Group has acquired Bruce Transportation, the US school bus company, for £6.8m. 06-Jul-1999

First Group has been selected as preferred bidder for the £50m City of Edinburgh Rapid Transit, which will involve the construction of a 9km guided bus-way between the airport and the city centre. 03-Jun-1999

First Group is looking to set up a bus joint venture in China within a year, and is also seeking bus, train and airport acquisitions in North America and mainland Europe. 19-May-1999

First Group has acquired GAG, the operator of local bus services in Somerset, Dorset and Devon, in a £11m deal. 09-Apr-1999

First Group is to bid to run the tram service linking Gosport and Fareham with Portsmouth, assuming the £147m scheme wins government approval. 06-Apr-1999

First Group is to offer two weeks of free travel on its North West Trains service between Manchester and Oldham, in compensation for the poor service during the summer. 30-Oct-1998

First Group has won the right to retain its Midland Bluebird bus operation in central Scotland, as the government has overturned a ruling by the Monopolies & Mergers Commission that the company was too dominant in the area. 01-Aug-1998

First Group is aiming to complete a series of improvements to its North Western Trains service by September, in order to avert the threat of legal action by the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority. 31-Jul-1998

First Group has acquired CCB Holdings, the owner of Capital Citybus and Walthamstow Citybus, for £14m, which will increase its share of the London bus market from 11% to 16%. 09-Jul-1998

First Group is buying the remaining 80% of the Mainline bus company in a £30m deal, in order to strengthen its position in the West Yorkshire market. 02-Jun-1998

Stagecoach is trying to win clearance to bid for the Yellow Bus company in Auckland, New Zealand, and competition between itself and First Group is expected to intensify as they both try to build up their operations in the Pacific Rim. 08-May-1998

First Group is to focus its overseas expansion plans on Asia and Australasia, rather than mainland Europe where margins are tighter, and is particularly interested in building up its bus operations in China and New Zealand. 27-Apr-1998

First Group has won a £80m contract to run bus services in Hong Kong through a joint venture with New World First of Hong Kong, and will invest £160m on 600 new buses over the next two years. 01-Apr-1998

Stagecoach and First Group are launching rival bids for a five-year franchise to operate buses in Hong Kong, but they both face competition from a number of local companies. 14-Mar-1998

First Group is acquiring Great Western Trains for £148m, a controversial move that will generate big profits for the former British Rail managers that bought Great Western. 07-Mar-1998

FirstBus is changing its name to First Group, and has also announced a further £5m provision for the restructuring of Strathclyde Buses. 18-Nov-1997



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