First Scotland East

Last updated

First South East & Central Scotland
FirstGroup.svg
Falkirk for Stirling X38 bus in Edinburgh.jpg
Parent FirstGroup
Founded1997;27 years ago (1997)
Defunct6 September 2022;23 months ago (2022-09-06)
Headquarters Larbert, Scotland, UK
Service area
Service typeBus and coach
Fleet257 (September 2022) [1]
Website https://www.firstbus.co.uk/south-east-and-central-scotland

First South East & Central Scotland, formerly known as First Scotland East, was an operator of both local and regional bus services in Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Scottish Borders, Stirling and West Lothian, as well as the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland. It was a subsidiary of FirstGroup, which operates bus, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Contents

First South East and Central Scotland was acquired by McGill's Bus Services in September 2022, with the operation rebranded to McGill's Scotland East. [2]

History

In 1997, the merger of three subsidiaries took place, with Eastern Scottish, Lowland Scottish and Midland Scottish becoming First Edinburgh, which broadly aligns with the original Scottish Motor Traction area. Following the merger; operations were simplified. Some areas, including Midlothian and West Lothian were formerly served by at least two out of the three subsidiaries. Despite the name, the company served a much larger area, covering much of Central Scotland and the Scottish Borders, as well as Cumbria and Northumberland, England. In 2008, the company was renamed First Scotland East – better reflecting the operating area.

In 1999, some operations were transferred to the company's Larbert depot, with a new corporate livery introduced across the fleet. By 2002, all of the company's operations were controlled by Larbert.

In 2000, the company was split into two, operating as First Edinburgh and First Midland Bluebird.

FifeFirst

In June 1997, the company launched the FifeFirst brand, in order to compete with Stagecoach Fife, who had recently started competing with First's Glasgow operations. Competition took place, with service 56 from Edinburgh to Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Ballingry using a combination of 12 new Wright Axcess-Ultralow bodied Scania L113s alongside examples transferred from Lowland Scottish, Midland Scottish and Rider York, all painted in an allover red livery. [3] A sub-depot was established in Dunfermline, with Westfield providing most of the vehicles used. FifeFirst ceased in July 2000 when the service was axed, with the low-floor buses used being transferred to the Falkirk area.

ScotRail

In June 2004, the ScotRail franchise was awarded to First, with the services transferring to First ScotRail in October 2004. [4] The Competition Commission placed a number of controls and undertaking, which had an effect on the company's ability to raise fares, and alter a selected number of services. [5] [6] In 2009 and 2012, First were released from a number of routes which were controlled.

Restructure

In June 2012, the company closed their depot in Dalkeith, whilst scaling back Musselburgh-based operations. In November 2012, the company's Linlithgow depot was closed, with operations transferred to Larbert and Livingston depots. [7] [8] [9]

In June 2013, route X38 (from Edinburgh to Falkirk and Stirling) was re-branded as First Bluebird, with buses painted in a dedicated blue livery. [10] Within a year, most of the buses operating in the Forth Valley area were also re-branded as First Bluebird.

First tried to improve passenger growth, with a number of revised networks in Falkirk and West Lothian, during 2012. [11] [12] In January 2015, First withdrew over a dozen bus routes in and around Falkirk, citing that routes had been operating at a "considerable loss" for many years. [13] [14] [15]

The company made a request to the Competition and Markets Authority in October 2015, about reviewing of the undertakings given in 2002 by First. The undertakings were given following the Monopolies & Mergers Commission's conclusion that the completed acquisition by First of SB Holdings Limited, which took place in 1996, created a merger situation which may be expected to operate against the public interest.

As part of the undertaking, the company had mileage floor which required to them to operate a specific number of miles, regardless of the circumstances. In April 2015, the company was released from the undertaking with all requirements dropped. [16] [17]

In May 2016, the company announced that it would cease operations in East Lothian, with the closure of Musselburgh and North Berwick depots – affecting a total of 88 jobs. [18] [19] In August 2016, staff and operations were transferred to Lothian Buses. [20] [lower-alpha 1]

In 2016, Perryman's Buses [lower-alpha 2] took over several services from First Scotland East. [21] The company's remaining operations in Scottish Borders, including the depot at Galashiels, as well as outstations at Hawick, Kelso and Peebles, were sold to the company in March 2017. [22] The (at the time) recent reopening of the Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank was cited as one of the main reasons for the sale.

In May 2017, the company announced plans to bring "significant improvements" to their services. This resulted in the introduction of 7,000 miles of additional journeys and six vehicles to the network in West Lothian, as well as the reintroduction of a direct link between Bathgate and Gyle Centre via Livingston and Edinburgh Airport. [23]

Acquisition by McGill's Bus Services

On 6 September 2022, it was announced that First Scotland East had been acquired by McGill's Bus Services. First Scotland East was rebranded McGill's Scotland East, also trading as McGill's Midland Bluebird and McGill's Eastern Scottish, and its four depots, 550 employees and 257 buses, as well as the Bright Bus Tours open top bus operation in Edinburgh, were all transferred under McGill's ownership. [2] [24]

Controversies

Edinburgh Bus War

Between March 2000 and July 2002, First Scotland East sought to increase their market share of local bus services in and around the city of Edinburgh. As a result, a bus war sparked between FirstGroup and Lothian Buses, with fares cut, additional vehicles drafted in, routes diverted and timetables altered. [25]

Lothian Buses complained to the Office of Fair Trading, claiming that FirstGroup was engaging in anti-competitive behaviour, in an effort to become the dominant operator in Edinburgh. [26] However, it was later ruled by the Office of Fair Trading that FirstGroup's conduct represented "legitimate competition". [27]

Despite this, following the ruling, First Scotland East curtailed their network of services in Edinburgh, bringing an end to the bus war. Heavy losses were made, which resulted in cutbacks in many parts of their operations.

Public inquiries

First Scotland East had appeared before the Traffic Commissioner on five occasions. Public inquiries were held regarding vehicle maintenance (2004, 2005 & 2008) and timekeeping (2008 & 2010).

In November 2011, a formal warning was issued regarding vehicle maintenance. In August 2012, the company appeared for the fifth time in front of the Traffic Commissioner, due to further issues regarding services in and around Falkirk. [28] [29] [30] [31]

In November 2013, a further hearing took place in front of the Deputy Traffic Commissioner, following an incident in March that year in which a vehicle lost its wheel in Edinburgh. [32]

Fleet and operations

Depots

The company operated from four depots across the region: Balfron, Bannockburn, Larbert and Livingston.

Vehicles

As of the company's takeover in September 2022, the First Scotland East fleet consisted of 257 buses. [1] The fleet consisted mainly of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by Alexander Dennis, Scania, Volvo and Wrightbus.

Notes

  1. Services in East Lothian are operated under the East Coast Buses brand.
  2. Perryman's Buses now operates as Borders Buses, following acquisition by West Coast Motors.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Scottish</span> British bus operating company

Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Ltd. was a bus and coach operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland and a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group. Eastern Scottish was formed in June 1985 from the main part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd., which had itself traded as 'Eastern Scottish' since the 1960s. Following privatisation in 1990 the company traded as 'SMT' reviving the original name of the company. It operated until 1994, when it became part of GRT Bus Group plc.

Lowland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator in south eastern Scotland and parts of Northern England. The company was formed in 1985 and operated under the identities Lowland Scottish, Lowland and First Lowland / First SMT, until 1999 when the company's operations were combined with the operations of Midland Bluebird in a new company, First Edinburgh Ltd. As of 26 March 2017 these operations were transferred to West Coast Motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Scottish</span> Former Scottish Bus Group bus operator

Midland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator formed in June 1985 as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group, created from part of W. Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd. The company operated as Midland Scottish until 1991, when it was renamed Midland Bluebird in preparation for privatisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach Bluebird</span> Scottish bus operating company

Stagecoach Bluebird is a Scottish bus company which operates bus services in the areas of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach West Scotland</span> Bus operator in west Scotland

Stagecoach West Scotland is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, comprising Western Buses Ltd based in Ayr, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach East Scotland</span> Bus operator in East Scotland

Stagecoach East Scotland is a bus operator providing services in eastern Scotland, with its regional base in Dunfermline, Fife. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larbert</span> Town in Falkirk, Scotland

Larbert is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is three miles from the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and 2+12 miles northwest of Falkirk. Stenhousemuir lies directly east of Larbert, with both settlements being contiguous and sharing certain public amenities with one another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Scotland West</span> British bus operating company

Arriva Scotland West was a bus company based in Inchinnan, near Paisley, Scotland. It was formed in 1997 as a rebranding of the former Clydeside 2000 company when purchased by Arriva. On 26 March 2012, the business was sold to McGill's Bus Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Scotland</span> Overview of the transport system in Scotland

The transport system in Scotland is generally well-developed. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothian Buses</span> Municipal bus operator in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom: the City of Edinburgh Council owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothian Council 3% and West Lothian Council 1%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Edinburgh</span> Overview of the transport system in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a major transport hub in east central Scotland and is at the centre of a multi-modal transport network with road, rail and air communications connecting the city with the rest of Scotland and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh–Dunblane line</span> Railway line in Scotland

The Edinburgh–Dunblane line is a railway line in East Central Scotland. It links the city of Edinburgh via Falkirk to the city of Stirling and the town of Dunblane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Glasgow</span> Largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland

First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. The company operates within the area covered by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body responsible for helping to co-ordinate public transport services in the Greater Glasgow area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach Manchester</span> Bus operator in Greater Manchester

Stagecoach Manchester is a major bus operator in Greater Manchester, operating franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). It is the largest UK bus subsidiary of Stagecoach Group outside of Greater London, as well as the largest within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester by passenger numbers, carrying up to 96.2 million passengers in 2019/20.

Scottish Motor Traction (SMT) was a Scottish bus operator founded in 1905 that ran services for most of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munro's of Jedburgh</span> British bus company

Munro's of Jedburgh was a bus company, which operated local and regional bus services in the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders, Scotland, as well as Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, England. The company was closed in July 2013, following a retendering exercise by Scottish Borders Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill's Bus Services</span> Bus operator based in Scotland

McGill's Bus Services is a bus operator based in Greenock, Scotland. The company has grown to operate a network of routes covering much of the council areas of Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow City, North Ayrshire, West Lothian, Falkirk and Dundee City. McGill's have several depots based in Greenock, Inchinnan, Johnstone, Edinburgh, Bannockburn, Balfron, Larbert, Livingston and Dundee. McGill's also formerly had depots in Dumbarton, Barrhead and Coatbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borders Buses</span> Local and regional bus operator based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England

Borders Buses is a local and regional bus operator based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. It operates services in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders in Scotland, as well as Cumbria and Northumberland in England. It is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV</span> Battery electric double-decker bus

The Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV is a battery electric double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis in partnership with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto since 2018. Based on its Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City body, which was launched in 2015 to compete with the hybrid electric New Routemaster, the Enviro400EV is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom, with production of the type at the company's Larbert headquarters set to also commence in mid-2023. The Enviro400EV is available both as a complete integral battery electric bus and as a battery electric bus body on a BYD K series chassis, as well the integral Enviro400FCEV fuel cell bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAVForth</span> Scottish autonomous bus pilot scheme

CAVForth is a pilot scheme based in eastern Scotland to develop passenger-carrying autonomous bus services in the United Kingdom. The scheme's first bus route, the AB1 park and ride service, is operated by Stagecoach East Scotland at a 20-minute frequency between Edinburgh Park and the Ferrytoll Park and Ride site via the Forth Road Bridge. Described by the UK government as being the first full-size public autonomous bus service in the world, the service, which commenced public operations on 15 May 2023, uses a fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV diesel single-deck buses built to SAE Level 4 requirements, meaning a driver is present in the bus at all times but does not need to control the bus in regular service.

References

  1. 1 2 Paterson, Kirsty (10 November 2022). "McGill's Buses: Nearly half of bus fleet taken off the road following takeover". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 Dalton, Alastair (6 September 2022). "McGill's Buses takes over First Scotland East in latest expansion". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  3. "FirstBus gets going in Fife". Buses . No. 508. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. July 1997. p. 8. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. FirstGroup clinches Scottish rail franchise The Daily Telegraph 12 June 2004
  5. Watchdog agrees ScotRail merger BBC News 28 June 2004
  6. FirstGroup plc and the Scottish Passenger Rail franchise Competition Commission June 2004
  7. Bus depot moves out Linlithgow Gazette
  8. Changes to Services in the East Lothian and Mid Lothian Regions of Scotland [ permanent dead link ] FirstGroup 2 April 2012
  9. Changes to services after closure of First Dalkeith depot Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Midlothian Council
  10. First brings back the Bluebird name for East Scotland bus operation Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine The Bus People 28 June 2013
  11. Upset on Falkirk buses after timetable changes Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Falkirk Herald 9 November 2012
  12. Forthcoming Network Alterations - Falkirk area - Monday 29 October 2012 FirstGroup
  13. "Three bus services to be withdrawn in West Lothian". BBC News. 18 November 2014.
  14. Falkirk bus services to end in new year Central 103.1 FM 17 November 2014
  15. Barber, Stuart (23 November 2014). "Big changes on Falkirk's buses as routes are cut" . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  16. Notice of intention to release undertakings Competition & Markets Authority 15 March 2016
  17. FirstGroup undertakings review Competition & Markets Authority
  18. "Bus company First set to end ALL bus services in East Lothian this summer". East Lothian Courier. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  19. "First plans to cease operations in East Lothian". Routeone. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. "Lothian Buses saves First services". Routeone. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  21. Knox, David (15 July 2016). "Perryman's set to take over threatened Borders bus routes". Border Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  22. "Takeover deal secures future of Borders bus routes". The Southern Reporter. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  23. O'Neil, Sean (25 April 2017). "New bus routes to be rolled out next month". Daily Record . Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  24. "McGill's to purchase First Scotland East operation". routeone. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  25. "Bus firm hits back over 'fares war'". BBC News . 15 August 2001. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  26. "Bus wars to be investigated". BBC News . 27 September 2001. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  27. "First Edinburgh/Lothian". Office of Fair Trading . CA98/05/2004. 9 June 2004. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  28. Falikirk bus bosses say sorry for failing Archived 26 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Falkirk Herald 19 August 2012
  29. Decision of the Traffic Commissioner Against First Bus Archived 6 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Traffic Commissioner 1 April 2008
  30. Tell us what's going on! Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Falkirk Herald 21 June 2007
  31. Buses in chaos Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Falkirk Herald 4 October 2007
  32. Dalton, Alastair (7 November 2013). "First faces Princes Street bus 'wheel loss' probe". The Scotsman . Retrieved 31 May 2022.