First UK - Bus Division - a 10th up for sale

[silverknight]

A big surprise from First Group UK - Bus Division

 

Following a review of its bus operation - its not making enough profit so over the next 12 months it is to put a 10th of its UK bus operations up for Sale.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens here in SY - will it be on the disposal list? Options could be Keep - Sell as a whole or break up and sell of each/some division ( Sheffield/Rotherham/Doncaster)

 

If SY is on the disposal list its unlikely to be sold Stagecoach - so which of the other major bus groups may move into SY.

 

One to watch ....

[Jeffrey Shaw]

Or maybe the Local Authorities might buy it. They could call it- what?- "Mainline" or "South Yorkshire Transport".

[ECCOnoob]

Or maybe the Local Authorities might buy it. They could call it- what?- "Mainline" or "South Yorkshire Transport".

 

Now that would be nice. It might not have been perfect but anything would be better than Worst Group.

[silverknight]

This story has moved faster than expected as First Group have today given 90 days notice that a major scale back of one of its Scottish operations includes depot closure and the lost of 200 jobs.

[Resident]

I remember a little ditty from when I was a young lad and the opening line is quite apt for describing this company:

 

"First the worst"

[millsands]

FIRST GROUP, the Scottish transport company, aims to raise about £100 million offloading more than a tenth of its UK bus business over the next 12 months. Its plans emerged after it revealed that margins in the division are being squeezed by sluggish passenger numbers in Scotland and the north of England.Rachael Borthwick, head of corporate communications at FirstGroup, said the disposals were expected to raise more than £100m. Deals will be done on a case-by-case basis, with the aim of completing the overhaul in the next 12 months. The group, which has sold smaller parcels of its bus business during the past year, has already drawn up a list of operations to be put up for sale. Borthwick would not comment on the location or types of activities set for disposal, but did say they would not all fall within under-performing regions.

http://www.plymothiantransit.com/2012/04/first-to-sell-more.html

[1960boy]

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[Guest busdriver1]

A big surprise from First Group UK - Bus Division

 

Following a review of its bus operation - its not making enough profit so over the next 12 months it is to put a 10th of its UK bus operations up for Sale.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens here in SY - will it be on the disposal list? Options could be Keep - Sell as a whole or break up and sell of each/some division ( Sheffield/Rotherham/Doncaster)

 

If SY is on the disposal list its unlikely to be sold Stagecoach - so which of the other major bus groups may move into SY.

 

One to watch ....

 

Highly unlikely any part of First South Yorkshire will be up for disposal. Other areas need to watch out though.

[Guest busdriver1]

Or maybe the Local Authorities might buy it. They could call it- what?- "Mainline" or "South Yorkshire Transport".

 

Not permitted under current legislation brought in to prevent the local politicians playing games with public transport. Local authorities have proven time after time they are not capable of running public transport.

[AYBABTU]

Doesnt surprise me First is not making any money , the number of 40's (and now 120's) they ran virtually empty is astounding...at one point they were every 5-7 minutes - all day...even now its every 8 minutes.

 

Mostly empty outside the rush hours but clogging up the roads nonetheless.

 

No-one likes standing at bus stops but surely there is no need (outside of rush hours) to be running more than one bus every 15-20 minutes..?

 

And would it reduce fares if the buses were not so frequent?

 

Idiots