First Chester & The Wirral
 | |
 | |
| Parent | FirstGroup |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 1995 |
Ceased operation | 13 January 2013 |
| Headquarters | Oldham, Greater Manchester, England |
| Service area | Cheshire Merseyside |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Hubs | Chester Birkenhead Wrexham |
| Depots | 2 |
| Fleet | 110 (January 2013) |
| Website | Official website |
First Chester & Wirral was a British bus operator operating in the Cheshire and Merseyside regions between February 1990 and January 2013. It was a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
History
[edit]In February 1990, the Chester, Ellesmere Port and Rock Ferry depots of Crosville Motor Services were sold by the Drawlane Group to Potteries Motor Traction with 150 buses.[1]
It was included in the sale of Potteries Motor Traction to Badgerline, which in June 1995 became part of FirstBus. The company was later split, with the original Potteries Motor Traction becoming First Staffordshire & South Cheshire and the north Cheshire and Wirral operations, First Chester & The Wirral.
From January 2006, First began downsizing its former PMT operations, withdrawing various routes across Cheshire and the Wirral and negotiating the closure of its Ellesmere Port depot upon the expiry of its lease. Arriva North West and Wales stepped in to replace most of the routes withdrawn by First, operated with a peak vehicle requirement of 17.[2]
On 19 June 2007, the ChesterBus municipal bus company was purchased from Chester City Council and integrated into the Chester depot.[3][4]
First Chester & The Wirral remained part of First Potteries until 2010, when the company was reorganised, with the Staffordshire operation reporting to First Midlands and the Chester & Wirral operations to First Manchester.[5]
On 12 November 2012, First Chester & Wirral was sold to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire with 110 vehicles and 290 staff.[6][7] The sale was concluded on 13 January 2013, with operations being renamed to Stagecoach in Chester & Wirral and operating as part of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "PMT snaps up last of Crosville". Commercial Motor. Vol. 174, no. 4355. Sutton: Reed Business Publishing. 8 February 1990. p. 29. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "Arriva takes over First services". Coach & Bus Week. No. 712. Peterborough: Rouncy Media. 12 January 2006. p. 7. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- ↑ "First trumps Arriva with Chester Bus purchase". Bus & Coach Professional. No. 158. Telford: Plum Publishing. 20 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ Murphy, Liam (19 June 2007). "Bus company is finally sold off". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. p. 17. Retrieved 23 August 2026 – via General OneFile.
- ↑ "First splits Potteries bus operation between two other subsidiaries". New Transit. No. 13. London. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011 – via TransportXtra.
- ↑ "£4.5million bus buyout for Stagecoach in region". Chester First. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "More First businesses sold to Stagecoach". Bus & Coach Professional. Telford: Plum Publishing. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "Keeping You In The Loop" (PDF). Perth: Stagecoach Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
External links
[edit]
Media related to First Chester & The Wirral at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
