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53-487: The Alexander Dennis Enviro300 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro300 ) is a light-weight full-size single-decker bus that was built by Alexander Dennis and its predecessor TransBus International between 2001 and 2015. The design was the first of the new Enviro range of buses from TransBus and also the first bus to be built as an integral bus by TransBus. The Enviro300 was introduced in order to fill

106-624: A management buyout . As Badgerline Group, it expanded through acquisition purchasing other formerly nationalised bus companies in England and Wales. In January 1989, Grampian Regional Transport , the bus operator in Aberdeen owned by Grampian Regional Council , was privatised in a management buyout led by its then general manager, Moir Lockhead . As GRT Bus Group , it expanded through acquisition purchasing six former nationalised bus companies in England and Scotland. During April 1995, FirstBus

159-850: A 24.5% shareholding in Great Western Holdings that was awarded the Great Western and North Western franchises, as well as a 100% shareholding in First Great Eastern . FirstGroup made its first overseas foray in September 1998 via a 26% shareholding in the joint venture New World First Bus that provided bus services in Hong Kong . In September 1999, FirstGroup purchased the American company Ryder Public Transport Services. During May 2000, it began operating

212-629: A 55% shareholding in the venture. During April 2004, FirstGroup commenced operating the First Great Western Link franchise, it also commenced the First ScotRail franchise in October 2004. In December 2004, the remainder of First North Western passed to Northern Rail , some services having already been transferred to Arriva Trains Wales and FirstTranspennine Express. During April 2006, FirstGroup commenced operating

265-532: A bolt migration catcher bracket was fitted for the rear suspension to prevent the suspension's anchor bolt from migrating from the joint in the event of failure of the rear suspension. [REDACTED] Media related to Alexander Dennis Enviro300 at Wikimedia Commons Rigid bus The term "rigid bus" is used mainly in British English and Australian English and usually only when distinguishing such buses from articulated buses, such as describing

318-761: A controlling stake in Greyhound Lines , the largest bus operator in North America. The Greyhound name and the names of Canadian subsidiaries of Greyhound Canada were retained, and all other Laidlaw-owned services in the United States and Canada were rebranded under the First or Greyhound names, except for Voyageur Colonial and Grey Goose in Canada. In January 2009, DSBFirst , FirstGroup's joint venture with Danish State Railways commenced operating

371-490: A fleet of 5,600 buses to provide services to numerous regions across England, Wales and Scotland. Throughout the late 1990s, FirstBus continued its policy of growth by acquisition. To this end, it acquired several former council owned operations and companies formerly owned by English, Welsh and Scottish nationalised operators. During December 1997, the company was renamed FirstGroup to reflect its entry into Britain's recently privatised railways . Around this time, it had

424-470: A fleet that includes both types. In the case of two-axle buses, which must be single-chassis, rigid vehicles, British English often refers to such vehicles as "two-axle" buses, only using the term "rigid" when referring to vehicles with three or more axles, which can be either rigid or articulated. The term "rigid bus" is not used in American English , where the distinction is commonly made using

477-614: A gap in the manufacturer's product range. At the beginning the Cummins ISBe220 5.9-litre (1.6 US gal) Euro III engine was provided as standard, but for Euro IV and V, the engine was the 6.7-litre (1.8 US gal) ISBe with 225 hp (168 kW) for Euro IV and 225 or 250 hp (168 or 186 kW) for Euro V. There was a choice of 3 gearboxes: ZF Ecomat (originally 5HP502C, then 6HP504C), Allison T280R and Voith DIWA 854.5 (originally DIWA854.3E). The second generation Enviro300, with front end redesigned to match

530-645: A nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue . These services required around 900 vehicles in total, although some were sub-contracted. During June 2013, most of the First London bus operations were sold to Go-Ahead London , Metroline and Tower Transit . In April 2015, FirstGroup was unsuccessful in bidding for the ScotRail franchise , which

583-677: A provider of school bus and contracted public bus transportation in the United States. In May 2000, FirstGroup began operating the London Tramlink concession under contract to Transport for London . During August 2003, FirstGroup purchased GB Railways , which owned Anglia Railways and GB Railfreight and held 80% of the shares in Hull Trains . Having not been shortlisted for the Greater Anglia franchise , this outcome gave FirstGroup another chance to bid. However, it too

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636-448: A rigid chassis. Single-decker rigid buses are used mainly on bus lines with an average ridership (for example, as transit buses or regional buses on routes with normal levels of patronage), or as coaches . [REDACTED] Media related to Rigid buses at Wikimedia Commons FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen , Scotland. The company operates transport services in

689-673: A single-piece windscreen covering the destination display (no longer a peaked roof dome similar to the Marshall Capital and the MCV Stirling ). In addition to being available as an integral bus, it was also available on MAN 18.240 / 18.250 , Volvo B7RLE and Scania K230UB chassis. The second generation Enviro300 was far more successful sales wise than its predecessor, with Arriva , the FirstGroup and Stagecoach purchasing examples. The Stagecoach Group standardised on

742-593: A £1.2bn takeover offer from US private equity company I Squared Capital . FirstGroup originated within the deregulation of bus services in the United Kingdom in 1986, whereby private companies purchased nationalised and municipal bus operators. During September 1986, the Somerset based services of the Bristol Omnibus Company that were rebranded in 1985 as Badgerline were purchased in

795-545: Is Britain's largest bus operator, running more than 20% of all local bus services. A fleet of nearly 9,000 buses carries some 2.9 million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities. FirstGroup also runs passenger rail services in the UK. Passenger rail franchises consist of Avanti West Coast , Great Western Railway and South Western Railway . It also runs two non-franchised open access passenger operations – Hull Trains and Lumo . FirstGroup operates tram services on

848-727: The Enviro200 and Enviro400 , was launched in 2007. Production of the Enviro300 ceased in 2015 with the introduction of a long-wheelbase Enviro200 MMC . Developed from the Alexander ALX300 body, the TransBus Enviro300 was launched in 2001 by TransBus International, becoming the first member of the Enviro range; with the collapse of TransBus in 2004, successors Alexander Dennis took over production and rebranded

901-641: The Eurotunnel Group in exchange for £31 million, ending the group's involvement in rail freight transport. In September 2010, former London Underground managing director Tim O'Toole , already a board member since May 2009 and chief operating officer and Deputy Chief Executive since June 2010, was announced as the successor to retiring group chief executive officer Moir Lockhead with effect from 31 March 2011. During September 2011, FirstGroup's German bus operations were sold to Marwyn European Transport. In December 2011, DSBFirst ceased operating

954-574: The Eurotunnel Group , exiting the rail freight sector as a result. During October 2016, First Transit commenced operating the A-train , its first rail operation in the United States. In August 2017, FirstGroup's joint venture with MTR Corporation commenced operating the South Western franchise . In May 2020, FirstGroup announced it would retain its UK bus operations and sell off its activities in North America. During June 2022, FirstGroup rejected

1007-593: The First Capital Connect franchise and a renewed First Great Western franchise that had been expanded to include the Thames Trains and Wessex Trains franchises. In February 2007, FirstGroup agreed to buy the US-based firm Laidlaw , an operator of inter-city coaches and yellow school buses across North America, in exchange for £1.9 billion (US$ 3.7 billion). This also gave it

1060-526: The Go-Ahead Group and Rotala . In May 2020, FirstGroup announced it has effectively reversed its previous strategy, opting to retain its UK bus operations and instead sell its assets in North America. In April 2021, FirstGroup agreed terms to sell the First Student and First Transit businesses to EQT AB ; the sale completed later in 2021. During October 2021, FirstGroup announced

1113-547: The London Tramlink concession. During August 2003, FirstGroup purchased GB Railways , which owned Anglia Railways and GB Railfreight and held 80% of the shares in Hull Trains . In February 2007, FirstGroup agreed to buy the US-based bus operator Laidlaw , along with a controlling stake in Greyhound Lines , the largest bus operator in North America. During June 2009, FirstGroup made an unsuccessful takeover bid for rival transport operator National Express . In June 2010, FirstGroup sold its rail freight business First GBRf to

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1166-574: The London Tramlink network carrying approximately 24 million passengers per year on behalf of Transport for London . FirstGroup owns and operates the Aircoach service in Dublin , linking Dublin Airport with the city centre, the south side of Dublin, Greystones and Bray as well as long-distance express services runs to Cork and Belfast . FirstGroup has always had a consistent brand and uses

1219-680: The Mercedes-Benz O305 and the Mercedes-Benz O405 types, each of which, in both rigid and articulated forms, was widely acquired and used by bus operators in English-speaking countries outside North America. Rigid buses may be of either single-deck or double-deck design, and may have either two axles or multi-axles . However, the expression "rigid bus" is seldom used to describe a double-decker bus, because very few double-decker buses have anything other than

1272-789: The Oresundtrain rail franchise from Helsingør and Nivå in Denmark along the Kystbanen line and over the Øresund Bridge to Malmö , Växjö , Kalmar , Karlskrona and Gothenburg in Sweden. FirstGroup had a 25% shareholding in the Danish business and 20% in the Swedish business. By March 2011, this shareholding had increased to 30%. During June 2009, FirstGroup made a takeover offer for fellow transport operator National Express , which

1325-579: The Scania K270UB chassis. These buses were jointly developed by Alexander Dennis and Scania, who had a demonstrator on loan to other operators from March 2013. Stagecoach North East purchased 40 Enviro300SG bodied Scania K270UBs in 2014 for use on services in Sunderland . One Enviro300SG was converted by Alexander Dennis to run on biofuel produced from human waste in 2014. Capable of a range of 300 kilometres (190 mi) at maximum capacity,

1378-671: The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland . It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index . The creation of what became FirstGroup is closely tied to the deregulation of bus services in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. During April 1995, two acquisitive private bus operators, Badgerline and GRT Bus Group , merged to create FirstBus. The new company initially operated

1431-760: The 'Bio-Bus' was initially loaned to the Bath Bus Company , requiring the installation of a temporary fuelling station at the Bristol Sewage Treatment Works in Avonmouth , before commencing on demonstration duties across the United Kingdom. A hybrid electric derivative of the integral Enviro300 named the Enviro350H , equipped with BAE Systems hybrid technology used in the Alexander Dennis Enviro400H ,

1484-687: The 75.5% shares in Great Western Holdings that it did not already own and rebranded the franchises First Great Western and First North Western . In September 1998, FirstGroup made its first overseas foray when New World First Bus commenced operating bus services in Hong Kong formerly operated by China Motor Bus ; the company held a 26% shareholding in the joint venture. During May 2000, FirstGroup sold its shares to joint venture partner New World Development . In September 1999, FirstGroup purchased Ryder Public Transport Services,

1537-459: The DVSA. A recall of Enviro200s and Enviro300s was announced by Alexander Dennis shortly after the announcement. Alexander Dennis issued a service kit to operators of affected Enviro300s. Suspension modifications that came with the kit included the fitment of a polyurethane ring to the front suspension's catcher bracket, restricting movement of the front axle if front springs failed in service, while

1590-535: The Enviro300 as its standard full-size single-decker from 2007 until the end of production in 2015, when it was replaced within the group by the full-size Enviro200 MMC . The group first ordered 100 Enviro300 bodied MAN 18.240s in 2007, with the first eight production Enviro300s entering service with Stagecoach in Perth to launch the Stagecoach Goldline bus service in October 2007. Further orders boosted

1643-645: The Enviro300 as the Alexander Dennis Enviro300. In 2005, a school bus version was launched. A common design was used primarily that the bus has a single-curvature windscreen with a peaked roof dome and a separately mounted destination sign . The bus was developed to compete with the European-built heavy-weight single-decker buses sold in the United Kingdom, the most notable being Volvo . Many full-size (12 m (39 ft) or more) single-decker buses are primarily designed for use on

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1696-423: The First brand for most of its operations. FirstBus began to apply a standard corporate typeface to its fleet names in the late 1990s, introducing the stylized f logo depicting a road. A corporate white, pink and blue livery nicknamed " Barbie " was introduced to new buses, while further bus company acquisitions continued. Inherited bus fleets were initially left in their original colours with First fleet names, with

1749-597: The Swedish part of the operation after difficulties encountered by Danish State Railways over cross subsidies . In July 2012, First Travel Solutions provided bus and coach services for the London 2012 Olympic Games as First Games Transport. This involved the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting the peripheral park and ride sites on the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet , and

1802-513: The United States. In August 2017, FirstGroup's joint venture with MTR Corporation commenced operating the South Western franchise , the company holding a 70% shareholding in South Western Railway . In May 2019, FirstGroup announced its intention to sell its UK bus operations and that its US activities were to receive greater attention in the future. However, the only sales completed were parts of First Greater Manchester to

1855-481: The company rebranded its First Somerset & Avon operations in Bridgwater and Taunton as The Buses of Somerset , using a two-tone green livery. Hull Trains carries a predominantly blue livery, including white, pink and purple. This was also used by First Great Western until 20 September 2015, when the franchise was rebranded as Great Western Railway, with a new logo and dark green livery paying homage to

1908-522: The company was renamed FirstGroup ; this change was due to the company's entry in February 1996 into Britain's recently privatised railways , having a 24.5% shareholding in Great Western Holdings that won the Great Western and North Western franchises, and a 100% shareholding in First Great Eastern that ran the Great Eastern franchise from January 1997. In March 1998, FirstGroup purchased

1961-493: The continent and to carry a large number of standing passengers which is commonplace on the continent, but the Enviro300 was designed solely for the UK market where large numbers of standing passengers are not often carried. TransBus therefore believed that operators could make significant fuel savings by operating light-weight buses and produced a vehicle which is claimed to be lighter than its continental rivals but offer more seating capacity. The Enviro300 had not sold as well as

2014-580: The integral second generation Enviro300, albeit in comparatively smaller numbers to Stagecoach. Having ordered 142 integral Enviro300s in 2013, 89 of these were delivered to First Glasgow , 41 were delivered to First Greater Manchester for services in Oldham and Bolton , 23 were delivered to First Aberdeen , and ten were delivered to First Scotland East for a cross-border express service to Carlisle . In mid-2008, Translink ordered 45 Enviro300 bodied Volvo B7RLEs for its Ulsterbus operation, these being

2067-534: The intention that the Barbie scheme would stand for a set service quality. Later older buses received a modified "Barbie 2" livery. As part of its corporate branding, First subsequently removed all local branding for its bus services, buses simply carried the 'First' brand, although each company still operated independently. In 2012, the group began to introduce a new purple, white and lilac livery to its bus fleets, which also reinstated local branding. In January 2014,

2120-914: The late 1990s, FirstBus continued its policy of growth by acquisition. To this end, it acquired several former council owned operations and companies formerly owned by English, Welsh and Scottish nationalised operators. FirstBus went on to acquire larger urban metropolitan operators by taking advantage of the privatisation of the PTE bus operations and the privatisation of London bus services . FirstBus acquired GM Buses North in Manchester and Strathclyde Buses in Glasgow in 1996, Mainline in South Yorkshire and CentreWest in London in 1997, and Capital Citybus in London in 1998. During December 1997,

2173-543: The manufacturer had hoped, though sales were not helped by the collapse of TransBus International in 2004. The first seven Enviro300s were delivered to Truronian for use on Eden Project shuttle services in 2002. First Midland Red were among the biggest customers for the original Enviro300, purchasing 25 new between 2003 and 2005. A smaller number of original Enviro300s were also sold to the Stagecoach Group , Cardiff Bus and Bus Éireann . The Enviro300 chassis

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2226-606: The offer had undervalued the company. While talks between the two companies continued for a further two months, I Squared ultimately called off its efforts in August 2022. In February 2023, FirstGroup announced that subject to regulatory approval, it would purchase both the bus services and bus dealer operations of Purfleet -based Ensignbus . In January 2024, FirstGroup announced that it had purchased York Pullman . In October 2024, FirstGroup announced that it had purchased both Lakeside Group and Anderson Travel. FirstGroup

2279-696: The only Enviro300s to be bodied on this chassis. These were built to a rural specification featuring unique modifications such as narrower entrance doors, a separate wheelchair access door on the nearside, and 55 seatbelted seats arranged in a 2+3 layout. A fleet of ten Enviro300s on MAN 18.240 chassis, which were converted to run on biodiesel produced from tallow and used cooking oil , were delivered to Stagecoach West Scotland for use in Kilmarnock in 2010, replacing older single-deck buses also fuelled by biodiesel. In April 2013, Reading Buses took delivery of 20 natural gas-powered Enviro300SG buses based on

2332-481: The original Great Western Railway . London Tramlink operations are painted in white, green and blue as per Transport for London requirements. In Scotland, First ScotRail operated with a blue livery with white saltire markings on the carriage ends, as mandated by the Scottish Government's transport agency Transport Scotland . Current operating businesses include: In September 2022 First Bus

2385-477: The sale of Greyhound Lines to FlixMobility , completing its stated divestments to focus on its core UK public transport businesses. In October 2021, the open-access operator Lumo commenced operating services on the East Coast Main Line . In June 2022, FirstGroup's board unanimously rejected a £1.2bn takeover proposal from US private equity firm I Squared Capital ; a spokesperson stated that

2438-409: The term "non-articulated" bus or, when the context is clear, "standard bus". However, the term "standard bus" can be confusing, because it is sometimes used, in other English-speaking countries, referring to a uniform bus design developed for and by a number of European bus manufacturers, in two model generations, between the 1960s and the end of the 20th century. The German VöV-Standard-Bus includes

2491-972: The total number of MAN-chassised Enviro300s operated by Stagecoach Group companies to over 350. Integrally-constructed Enviro300s were distributed across all UK bus operating subsidiaries of Stagecoach, with examples including large numbers delivered to Stagecoach North East for services in Stockton-on-Tees , Stagecoach East Scotland for services in Glenrothes , Kirkcaldy and Perth , and 18 built to revised Stagecoach Gold specification for Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire . In January 2011, Stagecoach placed an order for 50 Scania K230UBs with Enviro300 bodies. These were followed by further 28 examples between 2012 and 2013, and 28 between 2014 and 2015, including two built to Gold specification for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire 's X4/X5 service. The FirstGroup were also another customer for

2544-536: Was also able to be fitted with bodywork by other manufacturers, with Courtney Coaches purchasing East Lancs Esteem bodied examples in 2006. This was the first time the Enviro300 chassis was constructed with bodywork by another manufacturer. In late 2007 Alexander Dennis introduced a second generation version of Enviro300 which featured styling cues similar to the Enviro200 Dart and the Enviro400 . It had

2597-436: Was formed through the merger of the Badgerline and GRT Bus Groups, with fleets in England, Wales and Scotland. The former King Street Barracks site in Aberdeen was selected as the headquarters. At the time of the merger, FirstBus had 5,600 buses, 4,000 of which came from Badgerline. Badgerline's Trevor Smallwood became chairman of FirstBus, while GRT head Moir Lockhead became deputy chairman and chief executive. Throughout

2650-418: Was launched by Alexander Dennis in 2010, initially available with Tata Hispano bodywork exclusively for the Continental Europe export market. On 10 May 2019, the UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) issued an instruction to all operators of both the Enviro200 and the Enviro300 to carry out additional safety checks of front and rear suspension components, following several safety concerns raised by

2703-450: Was run by Abellio ScotRail until the end of that franchise in March 2022. During December 2015, FirstGroup was awarded the next TransPennine Express franchise. The new franchise commenced on 1 April 2016 with a commitment to introduce new trains, routes and faster journey times. During October 2016, First Transit commenced operating the A-train under contract to the Denton County Transportation Authority , its first rail operation in

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2756-491: Was struggling with debt at the time and was struggling to hold onto its National Express East Coast rail franchise. This offer was rejected; a National Express spokesperson stated that it did not "consider it appropriate" at the time to discuss a takeover. FirstGroup believed that there was "significant industrial and commercial logic" for a merger, but National Express wished to focus on its own initiatives. In June 2010, FirstGroup sold its railfreight business First GBRf to

2809-413: Was unsuccessful and the franchise was awarded to the rival transport company National Express from April 2004, including the services operated by First Great Eastern. In November 2003, FirstGroup purchased a 90% shareholding in Irish coach operator Aircoach . In February 2004, FirstGroup's joint venture with Keolis commenced operating the First TransPennine Express rail franchise, FirstGroup having

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