First Bus

As the bus industry moves forward, so do we. At First Bus, we’ve been listening to what matters most to people when they travel. We care about making bus travel an experience everyone can enjoy, and we’re on a journey to make that a reality. Find out how we’re making it happen. #MovingTheEveryday

We were thrilled to welcome Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom Ministers Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill and Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood MP to Essex for a special hands-on challenge to experience what it takes to drive a bus. At First Bus, we know that driving a bus is a skilled profession requiring rigorous training, precision and a deep understanding of road safety. Our 'Battle of the Buses' challenge allowed the Ministers to put their driving skills to the test and gain first-hand insight into the training our drivers undergo before serving our communities. Buses play an important role in our society, and events like this help highlight the expertise behind delivering safe, reliable services for our customers across the UK. A huge thank you to the Ministers for getting involved and supporting the bus sector. #BattleOfTheBuses #PublicTransport #BusDrivers #DfT #Skills #FirstBus

I’m delighted to be an ambassador for Women in Bus and Coach's new northern network! ? This is a huge step forward to encourage more women into the bus and coach industry. ? In West Yorkshire, we’re committed to increasing female representation through initiatives like our bus driver training programmes. ? And working with this group, alongside our plans to bring buses back under public control, means we’ll unlock even more opportunities for women.

This week, our Rochdale team is proud to celebrate one year of operating as part of the Bee Network. ? To mark the occasion, we were delighted to welcome local MP PAUL WAUGH to Rochdale Interchange for an engagement morning with our depot management team and senior leaders from the Local Business Unit. ? Together, we spoke with passengers and heard their thoughts on the Bee Network services. It was fantastic to receive positive feedback on the improvements made over the past 12 months — including enhanced punctuality, service frequency, and vehicle cleanliness. We also had the opportunity to reflect on the positive social value delivered in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester. Over the past year, our colleagues have volunteered their time, donated and fundraised for local charities and good causes, and actively engaged with young people in schools and colleges across Rochdale and Greater Manchester. We’ve also supported those furthest from the job market and prioritised local spend to help strengthen the local economy. ? A huge thank you to our colleagues, partners, and Transport for Greater Manchester for their ongoing collaboration and support in making this a successful first year for Rochdale on the Bee Network.? ? #BeeNetwork #Rochdale #PublicTransport #SocialValue #FirstBus #OneYearOn #StrongerCommunities #TfGM Kevin Mullin Zoe Hands Paul Townley

A brilliant effort from Kevin and all the team in our Rochdale Operations to make a lasting impact on the community we serve. ???? #BusForGood #SocialValue #MovingTheEveryday ??

Happy 1st Birthday to the First Bus Rochdale team! Perhaps the top highlight for Rochdale customers is that buses are running 15% more punctually today under the First Bus / #BeeNetwork partnership than they were a year ago. But the real stand out for many of us is the social value work, spearheaded by Kevin Mullin.?Whether it be donating to local food banks, gifting resident disadvantaged children toys, or employing local people who would have traditionally found finding work difficult, we are making Rochdale a better place to live, work and travel. I think franchising is helping find a sweet spot of marrying privately run business with community service beyond simply providing transport. Case in point: I was fortunate enough to meet Kian today (his story is in the photos).?Kian is such an incredibly gifted young man who knows more about buses than I will in my lifetime.?To think he might not have found work were it not for our partnership with Future Finders Employability College is a travesty – I saw him warmly engaging customers, displaying route knowledge not even Google could compete with and pitching in at the depot and bus interchange in every which way he can; moreover he is enjoying every minute of it. Thank you to PAUL WAUGH, Rochdale’s member of parliament, for joining us today in the interchange to celebrate with customers.?Keep up the awesome work Team Rochdale, all of First Bus are proud of you!

Oh, unveil another bus, you say…Ok! When your Managing Director Doug Claringbold says “go large” and “I’m not holding a cardboard cut-out plug” I hope today’s massive team effort delivered. As far as trying to make a bus exciting goes - and I’m not a bus geek - today was pretty damn successful. Unveiling our first electrified depot and buses in the West of England. In the words of Oasis: “Sheeeee’s electric” Highlights for me were seeing the Mayor of Weston dancing to the 3seven6 DJs and yet another successful curtain reveal - oooo, that drop ?? Read more about our electrifying launch: https://lnkd.in/e7kgaY7U There are way too many people to thank for this epic team effort but among them are: sarah wallbridge, Sam Lucker, Isabel Burt, Enzo Xenakis-Serra, Haus Productions Ltd, 3seven6 DJs, all our colleagues at First Bus who played their part to make today happen and partners at North Somerset Council and Magnus Construction Group Ltd ??Jon Craig

The West of England’s first electrified bus depot was unveiled today, as passengers boarded the region’s first electric buses ???? 24 new electric buses will transport about 20,000 passengers every week on two key services in North Somerset - the X1 (Weston to Bristol) and X4 (Portishead to Bristol). The 78-seater, zero-emission double-deckers boast modern interiors with USB charging points for each seat, a camera monitoring system instead of wing mirrors for added safety and a smoother, quieter and more reliable ride for passengers. Each new electric bus will also save about 75 tonnes of CO2 each year. That's the equivalent to taking 54 cars off the road ?? The bus depot in Weston-super-Mare has been transformed thanks to investment from First West of England and our successful bid to the government's Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) project. #OpenFairGreen #SheeeeeeeesElectric #CarbonEmissions #BusServiceImprovementPlan #BSIP #Transport #ZeroEmissions #ZEBRA

This week, Duncan Cameron, Managing Director for First Bus Scotland, spoke at the Buses Conference: Public Transport Scotland 2025, hosted by Buses Magazine, sharing insights on the future of bus travel. One of the main discussions focused on tackling congestion and improving journey times. Making bus travel more reliable is one of the biggest opportunities to encourage more people to choose it. Putting people first and encouraging greater collaboration between public and private sectors will help secure the investment needed for growth. Chaired by Robert Montgomery, the conference reinforced the importance of working together to keep buses moving. #PublicTransportScotland2025 #BusTravel #PublicTransport #SustainableMobility

We’re thrilled to announce that more First Bus sites have joined the heatboss family recently. As?one of?the UK's largest national bus operators, they have taken another step towards sustainability by installing heatboss smart heating controls in a further five of their Essex & Eastern Counties sites - with more on the way throughout the country. This will deliver enhanced comfort, optimised efficiency, and easier control therein, whilst helping First Bus advance their determined commitment to towards a zero-emissions future!???????? #Sustainability?#SmartControls?#NetZero?#Save30%?#ZeroEmissionMission