First Bus has today announced its intention to sell the Bolton bus depot and operations to Rotala PLC.
The intended sale would include the Bolton depot site, with 18 bus services transferring across to Rotala. The sale is expected to complete in the next few months and more than 500 employees who work for the Bolton bus operation will transfer to Rotala.
First Manchester will continue to operate existing local bus services from the Bolton site until the sale is completed and customers should see no changes to their daily journeys throughout this period of transition. Going forward, First Manchester will focus its attention on the remaining bus services that primarily operate from the Oldham bus depot. Vantage services will also continue to be operated by First Manchester.
Following a review of its Manchester operations completed last year, First Bus took the decision to reduce exposure in Greater Manchester due to the current uncertainties in that particular market. Today’s news also follows the recent sale of First Manchester’s Queens Road depot.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First Bus, said: “I’d like to thank our employees for their continued hard work to deliver the best experience possible for our customers in Greater Manchester. Today’s announcement does not reflect on the effort, commitment or individual performance of our Bolton employees and we will be supporting them fully as they transfer to their new employer.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
On 30 May FirstGroup announced that it would be pursuing strategic options to separate its First Bus division from the Group. The above sale of Bolton depot commenced before this strategic update announcement last month.
First Manchester
For more information please visit www.firstmanchester.com
First Bus
First Bus is one of the largest bus operators in the UK, serving towns and cities across the country, with a fleet of over 5,700 buses carrying 1.6 million passenger a day. The business is:
- Focused on improving the customer experience through investment in driver training, new technology and operations.
- Working in partnership with local authorities to combat road congestion.
- Committed to investing in vehicles with ultra-low emissions that assist with improving air quality.
For more information about First Bus please visit www.firstgroup.com
FirstGroup
FirstGroup is a leading provider of transport services in the UK and North America. With £6.4 billion in revenue and around 100,000 employees, we transported 2.1 billion passengers last year.
Whether for business, education, health, social or recreation – we get our customers where they want to be, when they want to be there. We create solutions that reduce complexity, making travel smoother and life easier.
We provide easy and convenient mobility, improving quality of life by connecting people and communities.
Each of our five divisions is a leader in its field: In North America, First Student is the largest provider of home-to-school student transportation with a fleet of 42,000 yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest providers of outsourced transit management and contracting services, while Greyhound is the only nationwide operator of scheduled intercity coaches. In the UK, First Bus is one of Britain's largest bus companies with 1.6 million passengers a day, and First Rail is one of the country's largest and most experienced rail operators, carrying more than 260 million passengers in 2017/18.