First West of England

Bus operator

First West of England

Alexander Dennis Enviro400MMC in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol in April 2016

Parent| FirstGroup
Founded| 1875
Headquarters| Bristol
Service area| Bristol
Bath
North Somerset
South Gloucestershire
Weston-super-Mare
Wiltshire
Worcestershire
Service type| Bus services
Routes| 146 (February 2024, incl. contracts)
Depots| 7
Fleet| 554 (February 2025)
Annual ridership| 70 million (2018-19)[1]
Managing Director| Doug Claringbold[2]
Website| https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west

First West of England[3] is a bus operator providing services in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.

## History

[edit]

Wright StreetDeck in Bristol in January 2016 Alexander Dennis Enviro400MMC in park & ride livery in September 2016 Optare Solo SR in Bath in October 2022 Wright StreetDeck in Weston-super-Mare's Badgerline livery in Bristol in March 2022

In 1875, George White formed the Bristol Tramways Company and began a horse-drawn service from Upper Maudlin Street to Blackboy Hill. In 1887, the Bristol Tramways Company merged with the Bristol Cab Company to form the Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company, later the Bristol Omnibus Company.[3]

In 1929, the White family sold out to the Great Western Railway who by 1932 had sold it to the Western National. In 1948, the company was nationalised, and in 1969 it became part of the National Bus Company.[4]

In September 1983, the National Bus Company split the operation in two, with the Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company taking the services in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and Swindon. The remainder stayed with the existing Bristol Omnibus Company, divided into two business units: Citybus for services within Bristol, and Bristol Country Bus for services in Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Badgerline was formed in 1985 as the business name of the Bristol Country Bus and in 1986 its assets were transferred to a separate legal entity and privatised in September 1986 in a management buyout.[5][6]

In September 1987, City Line (formerly Citybus) was sold to Midland Red West which in April 1988 was purchased by Badgerline. After Badgerline merged with GRT Group to form FirstBus in April 1995. In 1996, Badgerline was merged back into City Line, the City Line operation was rebranded as First Bristol.[7]

Southern National was formed in 1983 as the Somerset and Dorset operations of Western National (then part of the National Bus Company). It was privatised in 1988,[8] acquired by FirstGroup in 1999 and rebranded as First Southern National.

In 2001, FirstGroup changed the legal structure of some of its bus operating subsidiaries. The legal entity which had been Badgerline Limited was renamed First City Line Limited and became the operator of Bristol city services (now First Bristol Limited). The legal entity which had been First Bristol Buses Limited (which had previously been Bristol Omnibus Company, incorporated in 1887) was renamed First Somerset & Avon Limited in May 2003 after merging with Somerset operations of First Southern National.[3]

In 2013, buses started to be painted into the new First Bus livery and 'West of England' branding was applied on both sides beneath the windows (on some single-decks the branding is applied above the windows towards the front of the bus). First Somerset & Avon is still printed on some tickets, while other tickets are printed with First Bristol & Avon or just First Bristol.

In February 2014, First's Bridgwater and Taunton business was transferred to First South West and rebranded as The Buses of Somerset in an unprecedented break from the FirstGroup corporate style. The business instead now sports a two-tone green and cream livery with bespoke branding, website and social media profiles.[9][10]

In December 2016, all services operated by First Bristol transferred to First Somerset & Avon,[11] which was officially renamed First West of England in June 2017, meaning Bristol city services are once again operated by the same legal company as when they first started in 1875.[12][13]

In August 2018, the Weston-super-Mare based operations were rebranded as Badgerline with the yellow and green livery of the former operator adopted.[14]

In 2022, First Worcester depot was transferred from the First Midlands management structure into the newly formed First Cymru & West of England structure, forming part of the West of England division respectively.[15]

## Routes

[edit]

First West of England operate the majority of services in Bristol and an extensive network of services in and around Bath, Trowbridge, Wells and Weston-super-Mare as well as Worcestershire.

Services in Bristol include the four routes of the metrobus express network.[16]

From May 2025, a fleet of 21 brand new Yutong GT12 coaches will be operated on a network of coach services operating between Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Bath, Weston Super Mare, Penzance and London in partnership with FlixBus.

## Fleet

[edit]

First Wright StreetDeck passing an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City CBG in Bristol city centre, November 2023

As of February 2025, the First West of England fleet consisted of 554 buses.[citation needed] The fleet includes 99 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City CBG natural gas-powered buses, which entered service in February 2020 and 98 Yutong electric buses (type E12 and U11DD) will be introduced during 2025 to Hengrove and Weston Super Mare depots, with those sites electrified.[17]

## Depots

[edit]

First West of England has depots at Marlborough Street in central Bristol, and in the Lawrence Hill and Hengrove suburbs.[18] Other depots are at Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Wells and Worcester.

## See also

[edit]

* Buses in Bristol
* First South West
* The Buses of Somerset

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "First Bus profits increase by almost seven times as more people take the bus". Bristol Post. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
2. ^ "Doug Claringbold named First West of England MD". Route One. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
3. ^ a b c Companies House extract company no 25088 Archived 12 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine First West of England Limited formerly First Somerset & Avon Limited formerly First Bristol Buses Limited formerly Bristol Omnibus Company Limited formerly Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company Limited
4. ^ "History of Bristol's buses". Bristol Vintage Bus Group. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
5. ^ Companies House extract company no 1966277 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine First Bristol Limited formerly First City Line Limited formerly Badgerline Limited
6. ^ "Badgerline bus back on the road in Bristol". Western Daily Press. 9 August 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
7. ^ "The FirstGroup Timeline". First Group. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
8. ^ Buses Magazine, Issue 648, March 2009, Ian Allan Publishing
9. ^ First introduces The Buses of Somerset Archived 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Euro Transport 30 January 2014
10. ^ First drops corporate look in Somerset Archived 15 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 5 February 2014
11. ^ "Search". www.vehicle-operator-licensing.service.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
12. ^ "N&P West of England 17 November 2016" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
13. ^ First WoE at PI after customer complaints Archived 30 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine Route One 27 July 2016
14. ^ "Bringing the Badger back to Weston" Coach & Bus Week issue 1356 21 August 2018 page 14
15. ^ "A reverse move for First". BusAndTrainUser. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
16. ^ "metrobus Frequently Asked Questions". travelWEST. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
17. ^ Cork, Tristan (11 February 2020). "New gas buses have hit the roads of east Bristol". BristolLive. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
18. ^ "New bus depot idea unveiled for Bristol". BBC News. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2015.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to First Somerset and Avon at Wikimedia Commons

* First Somerset & Avon Flickr gallery
* Flickr gallery

* v
* t
* e

Bus operators in South West England

Bristol|

* First West of England
* Stagecoach West

Cornwall|

* Kernow
* Plymouth Citybus
* Stagecoach South West
* Truronian

Devon|

* Buses of Somerset
* Dartline
* Plymouth Citybus
* Stagecoach South West

Dorset|

* Buses of Somerset
* First Hampshire & Dorset
* Morebus
* South West Coaches

Gloucestershire|

* First West of England
* Stagecoach West
* Oxford Bus Company (via Pulham's Coaches)

Somerset|

* Bakers Dolphin
* Bath Bus Company
* Berrys Coaches
* Buses of Somerset
* Somerset Passenger Solutions
* Damory Coaches
* First Hampshire & Dorset
* First West of England
* Quantock Motor Services
* South West Coaches
* Stagecoach South West

Wiltshire|

* Connect2Wiltshire
* Faresaver
* First West of England
* Salisbury Reds
* South West Coaches
* Stagecoach West
* Swindon's Bus Company

National|

* Megabus
* National Express
* FlixBus

* v
* t
* e

FirstGroup subsidiaries and divisions

Bus companies|

| Ireland|

* Aircoach

|

UK|

* Ensignbus
* First Aberdeen
* First Bus East of England
* First Bus London
* London Sovereign
* London United
* First Beeline
* First Cymru
* First Essex
* First Glasgow
* First Greater Manchester
* First Hampshire & Dorset
* First South Yorkshire & Midlands
* First Leicester
* First Potteries
* First South Yorkshire
* First Worcester
* First South West
* Buses of Somerset
* Kernow
* Somerset Passenger Solutions
* Truronian
* First Travel Solutions
* First West of England
* First West Yorkshire
* First York
* York Pullman

Railway companies|

* Avanti West Coast (70%)
* Great Western Railway
* Hull Trains
* Lumo
* Tramlink

Other|

London cable car

Former divisions|

* Bristol Airport (51%)
* DSBFirst (25% Danish, 30% Swedish)
* First Capital Connect
* First Chester & The Wirral
* First Great Eastern
* First Great Western Link
* First London
* First Northampton
* First North Western
* First GBRf
* First Scotland East
* First ScotRail
* First Student Canada
* First Student UK
* First Student (United States)
* First Transit
* First TransPennine Express (55%)
* Greyhound Canada
* Voyageur Colonial Bus Lines
* Greyhound Lines
* BoltBus
* Greyhound Mexico
* Greyhound UK
* Heathrow Connect (with Heathrow Airport Holdings)
* New World First Bus (26%)
* South Western Railway (70%)
* TransPennine Express

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Bristol

Road|

| Motorways|

* M4
* M5
* M32
* M49

|

European routes|

* E30

A roads|

* A4 (Portway)
* A37
* A38
* A369
* A370
* A403
* A420
* A431
* A432
* A4018
* A4032
* A4174

Junctions|

* Almondsbury Interchange
* St James Barton roundabout

Bus|

| Bus transport|

* Bristol bus station
* MetroBus
* Buses in Bristol

|

Park & rides|

* Portway park and ride
* Bristol park and ride

Operators|

* Bristol Community Transport
* First West of England
* Stagecoach West

Cycling|

* National Cycle Route 3
* National Cycle Route 4 (Bristol and Bath Railway Path)

Rail|

| Railway lines|

* Bristol–Exeter line
* Cross Country Route
* Filton Bank
* Great Western Main Line
* Henbury Loop Line
* Portishead Railway
* Severn Beach line
* South Wales Main Line

|

Stations|

* Ashley Down
* Avonmouth
* Bedminster
* Bristol Parkway
* Bristol Temple Meads
* Clifton Down
* Filton Abbey Wood
* Lawrence Hill
* Montpelier
* Parson Street
* Portway Park & Ride
* Redland
* Sea Mills
* Severn Beach
* Shirehampton
* St Andrews Road
* Stapleton Road

Other|

* Bristol Airport Rail Link
* Bristol Rail Campaign
* Bristol Supertram
* Bristol Tramways
* Clifton Rocks Railway
* Light rail in Bristol
* MetroWest
* Rail services in the West of England
* Severnside Community Rail Partnership

Air|

* Bristol Airport

Water|

* Avonmouth Docks
* Bristol Packet Boat Trips
* Bristol Ferry Boats
* Bristol Harbour
* Bristol Marina
* Cumberland Basin
* Kennet and Avon Canal
* Netham Lock
* Port of Bristol
* Royal Portbury Dock
* River Avon
* Underfall Yard

Public transport|

* Proposed transport developments in Bristol
* Public transport in Bristol

Bridges|

* Avon Bridge
* Avonmouth Bridge
* Bristol Bridge
* Clifton Suspension Bridge
* Pero's Bridge
* Prince Street Bridge
* Redcliffe Bridge

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Gloucestershire

Road|

| Motorways|

* M4
* M5
* M32
* M48
* M49
* M50

|

A-roads|

* A38
* A40
* A46
* A48
* A403
* A417
* A419
* A429
* A431
* A432
* A433
* A466
* A4032
* A4103
* A4135
* A4136
* A4174

Service stations|

* Gloucester services
* Michaelwood services
* Severn View services

Other|

* B4008
* E30
* Icknield Street
* Westgate Street

Airports and heliports|

* Cotswold Airport
* Gloucestershire Airport
* Cheltenham Racecourse Heliport

Rail|

| Main lines|

* Cotswold Line
* Cross Country Route
* Gloucester-Newport line
* Golden Valley line
* Henbury Loop line

|

Closed lines|

* Avon and Gloucestershire Railway
* Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway
* Bicslade Tramroad (Tram)
* Bristol and Gloucester Railway
* Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway
* Bullo Pill Railway
* Cheltenham and District Light Railway
* Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
* Cirencester branch line
* Coleford Railway
* Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway
* Dursley and Midland Junction Railway
* Evesham loop line
* Forest of Dean Central Railway
* Forest of Dean Railway
* Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad (Tram)
* Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway
* Ledbury and Gloucester Railway
* Midland and South Western Junction Railway
* Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Junction Railway
* Monmouth Railway
* Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway
* Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
* Severn and Wye Railway
* Severn Bridge Railway
* Sharpness Branch Line
* South Wales Railway
* Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway
* Stratford and Moreton Tramway (Tram)
* Tetbury branch line
* Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway
* Wye Valley Railway

Stations|

* Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
* Cam and Dursley
* Cheltenham Spa
* Gloucester
* Kemble
* Lydney
* Moreton-in-Marsh
* Pilning
* Stonehouse
* Stroud

Closed stations|

* Adlestrop
* Andoversford and Dowdeswell
* Andoversford Junction
* Awre for Blakeney
* Badminton
* Barbers Bridge
* Berkeley
* Berkeley Road
* Bilson Halt
* Bishops Cleeve
* Blaisdon Halt
* Bourton-on-the-Water
* Bowbridge Crossing Halt
* Brimscombe Bridge Halt
* Brimscombe
* Bullo Cross Halt
* Cam
* Cashes Green Halt
* Chalford
* Charfield
* Charlton Kings
* Charlton Halt
* Chipping Sodbury
* Chedworth Halt
* Cheltenham High Street Halt
* Cheltenham High Street
* Cheltenham Leckhampton
* Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road
* Cheltenham Spa St. James
* Chepstow East
* Chesterton Lane Halt
* Chipping Campden
* Churchdown
* Cinderford New
* Cirencester Town
* Cirencester Watermoor
* Cleeve
* Downfield Crossing Halt
* Drybrook Road
* Dudbridge
* Dursley
* Dymock
* Ebley Crossing Halt
* Fairford
* Foss Cross
* Four Oaks Halt
* Frocester
* Gloucester Eastgate
* Grange Court
* Greenway Halt
* Gretton Halt
* Hallen Halt
* Ham Mill Halt
* Haresfield
* Hayles Abbey Halt
* Henbury
* Iron Acton
* Jackament's Bridge Halt
* Laverton Halt
* Lechlade
* Longhope
* Lydbrook Junction
* Malswick Halt
* Mangotsfield
* Mickleton Halt
* Nailsworth
* Netherhope Halt]
* New Passage Halt
* New Passage Pier
* Newent
* Newnham
* North Filton Platform
* Notgrove
* Park Leaze Halt
* Redbrook on Wye
* Rodmarton Platform
* Ruspidge Halt
* Ryeford
* St Mary's Crossing Halt
* Severn Bridge
* Sharpness
* South Cerney
* Speech House Road
* Staple Edge Halt
* Staple Hill
* Stonehouse (Bristol Road)
* Stow-on-the-Wold
* Stroud (Midland)
* Tetbury
* Tetbury Road
* Tewkesbury
* Thornbury
* Tidenham
* Trouble House Halt
* Tutshill for Beachley Halt
* Tytherington
* Upper Soudley Halt
* Warmley
* Weston-sub-Edge
* Wickwar
* Whitecroft
* Willersey Halt
* Winterbourne
* Withington
* Woodchester

Heritage stations|

* Bitton
* Cheltenham Racecourse
* Gotherington
* Hayles Abbey Halt
* Heywood
* Lydney Junction
* Lydney
* Norchard
* Oakiron
* Oldland Common
* Parkend
* Perrygrove
* Rookwood
* St Mary's Halt
* Toddington
* Whitecroft
* Winchcombe

Heritage railways|

* Avon Valley Railway
* Dean Forest Railway
* Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
* Lea Bailey Light Railway
* Perrygrove Railway
* Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway

Proposed|

* Gloucestershire Parkway

Buses|

| Stations|

* Gloucester Transport Hub

|

Companies|

* First West of England
* Newport Bus
* Stagecoach West

Waterways|

| Rivers|

* River Avon, Bristol
* River Avon, Warwickshire
* River Boyd
* Bybrook River
* River Cam
* River Chelt
* River Churn
* River Coln
* River Dikler
* River Evenlode
* River Eye
* River Frome, Bristol
* River Frome, Stroud
* Hazel Brook
* River Isbourne
* Lam Brook
* River Leach
* River Leadon
* Little Avon River
* Nailsworth Stream
* Painswick Stream
* Ruscombe Brook
* River Severn
* Siston Brook
* Slad Brook
* Stoke Brook
* River Swilgate
* Tetbury Avon
* River Thames
* River Trym
* River Windrush
* River Wye

|

Canals|

* Cinderford Canal
* Coombe Hill Canal
* Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
* Hereford and Gloucester Canal
* Lydney Canal
* Pidcock's Canal
* Stroudwater Navigation
* Thames and Severn Canal

Docks and ports|

* Gloucester Docks
* Sharpness

Footpaths|

| National Trails|

* Cotswold Way
* Thames Path

|

Long-distance footpaths|

* Celtic Way
* Geopark Way
* Gloucestershire Way
* Heart of England Way
* Limestone Link
* Macmillan Way
* Monarch's Way
* Oxfordshire Way
* Sabrina Way
* Severn Way

Other|

* Frome Valley Walkway
* Wysis Way

Cycle paths|

* Route 42
* Route 44

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template