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First West Yorkshire
A First West YorkshireWright Eclipse Geminiin the livery of the formerWest Yorkshire Road Car CompanyinLeeds
ParentFirstGroup
FoundedFebruary 1998;26 years ago(1998-02)
HeadquartersHunslet,Leeds,West Yorkshire
England
Service areaWest Yorkshire(some services overlap into other counties such asGreater Manchester,etc)[clarification needed]
Service typeBus services
Depots5
Fleet882 (July 2017)
Managing DirectorPaul Matthews
Website

First West Yorkshireoperates both local and regional bus services inWest Yorkshire,England. It is a subsidiary of theFirstGroup,and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and First Leeds.

History[edit]

Main articles:West Yorkshire MetroandYorkshire Rider

In April 1974, theWest Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executivewas formed, with the municipal fleets ofBradford,Calderdale,Halifax,HuddersfieldandLeedscombined. Services were branded under the MetroBus brand, with a cream and verona green livery adopted.[1][better source needed]

To comply with theTransport Act 1985,the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive formed an arms length company namedYorkshire Riderin September 1986.[2][3]West Yorkshire PTE's 'Metrobus' services were transferred to Yorkshire Rider upon thederegulationof West Yorkshire bus services on 26 October 1986.[4]

On 21 October 1988, Yorkshire Rider was privatised for £20 million (equivalent to £74,021,000 in 2023), with 51% of shares in the company being sold by West Yorkshire PTE to a team of eight managers in amanagement buyoutand the remaining 49% sold to Yorkshire Rider's 3,500 employees in anEmployee Share Ownership Plan,the largest ESOP arrangement in the United Kingdom at the time.[5][6]

In August 1989, Yorkshire Rider purchased theWest Yorkshire Road Car Company,a formerNational Bus Companysubsidiary who operated services in Bradford, Leeds andOtley,from AJS Holdings.[7]The 'West Yorkshire' trading name was retained by Yorkshire Rider for nearly a year following the takeover, after which it was removed in a restructuring of former WYRCC operations.[8]

On 15 April 1994, Yorkshire Rider was purchased by theBadgerline Groupfor £38 million (equivalent to £95,467,000 in 2023).[9][10][11]Badgerline and its subsidiaries were later merged with theGRT Groupin April 1995 to form theFirstGroup.[12][13][14]

In September 1995, Yorkshire Rider was split into four separate divisions: Bradford Traveller, Calderline, Kingfisher Huddersfield and Leeds City Link.[15]However in February 1998, all these were respectively renamed First Bradford, First Calderdale, First Huddersfield and First Leeds as part of the rollout of theFirstGroupbrand.[16][better source needed]

During the early 2000s, several were merged. First Quickstep were based at the same Kirkstall Road depot as First Leeds but as a separate entity running several services around the Leeds area until it was merged into First Leeds' operation, while First Calderdale and First Huddersfield merged in 2003 to form First Calderdale & Huddersfield.[citation needed]

In July 2005, First Leeds purchasedMorley-basedBlack Prince Buses.The family-run independent's last buses left service on 31 July, with First taking on most of Black Prince's services from 1 August.[17][18]

On 18 May 2008, the company's Kirkstall Road depot, first opened in 1897, was closed after 111 years of service. Staff and operations were subsequently moved to a new depot atHunslet.Named Hunslet Park, the new depot was opened with a capacity of 200 buses with room for additional expansion.[19]

In 2009, the management of the three FirstGroup sub-divisions in West Yorkshire, as well asFirst Yorkwere centralised, creating First West Yorkshire.[20]

First's Todmorden outstation was partially demolished in 2015, converting the site into an open-air yard housing 24 vehicles.[21]

The operations of First West Yorkshire andFirst Yorkare to be remerged into aFirst North and West Yorkshirebusiness uniton 1 October 2022, with current Managing Director Paul Matthews temporarily overseeing operations of the new business unit until a new Managing Director can be recruited. This is part of major changes to the FirstGroup's senior management, which will see the merger of First's ten regional bus operations across the United Kingdom into six business units.[22][23]

Operations[edit]

As of June 2022, excluding First York, the company operates from five depots in the region:Bradford,Bramley,Halifax,HuddersfieldandHunslet.The company also maintains an open-air outstation inTodmorden.

Leeds[edit]

A Leeds ElectricWright StreetDeck Electrolinerat Leeds Eastgate in May 2024

First Leedsoperate buses in the city of Leeds and surrounding areas from the Bramley and Hunslet Park depots, the latter replacing the former Kirkstall Road site in 2008.[19]

First's Leeds services were rebranded toLeedsCityin early 2018, with First's standard fleet livery replaced with a predominantly green livery, of which was first applied to over 120 newWright StreetDecksdelivered between 2018 and 2022. Between 2019 and 2024, it was also rolled out to pre-existing fleet vehicles.[24]In 2020, nineYutong E10s,the first zero-emissions buses in West Yorkshire, entered service.[25][26]This was followed by 57 StreetDeck and GB Kite Electrolinerbattery electric busesproduced byWrightbus,[27]arriving from 2024. These did not come in LeedsCity Green livery and instead painted into the new 2024 standard livery with Leeds Electric skylines added. Pre-existing fleet vehicles that are not electric at both Bramley and Hunslet depots are also set to receive this new grey-fronted purple livery minus the Leeds Electric branding.

In partnership withLeeds City CouncilandWest Yorkshire Combined Authority,First Leeds also operates a network ofpark and ridebus services in the city. As of June 2022, there are three sites atElland Road,Temple GreenandStourton,numbered P&R1-3 respectively. The network first went into operation in June 2014 with the early opening of the Elland Road site for theGrand Départof the2014 Tour de France,[28]followed by a full opening later that month.[29]A second site at Temple Green was opened in 2017,[30][31]and a third site powered by self-sustainablesolar panelswas opened in Stourton in 2021.[32][33]The network is operated by a fleet ofhybrid electricWright StreetDeck HEVandbattery electricAlexander Dennis Enviro400EVdouble-deck vehicles branded in dedicated liveries.[34][32]This is to be soon replaced by a small fleet ofWright StreetDeck Electrolinerbattery electric double-decker buses.[27]

Bradford[edit]

A First Bradford Wright StreetDeck Ultroliner in the new City of Bradford livery in March 2022

First Bradfordoperate buses in Bradford and surrounding areas.

Bradford's flagship services are the Leeds to Bradford 72 and express X6 services, which run via Bowling Back Lane depot. However, the 72 route was run byBramleydepot until late 2018 where operations transferred over to Back Bowling Lane depot in Bradford. In 2012, refurbished formerftrWright StreetCararticulated buses operated route 72.[35]These were withdrawn in July 2016 and replaced by a fleet of double-deck Wright StreetDeck vehicles delivered in both Olympia for route 72 and the distinctive Olympia-Express livery the X6.[36]

In March 2022, ahead of the start ofBradford's Clean Air Zonelater that year,[37][38]First Bradford launched theCity of Bradfordbranding, which was first applied to 28 new Wright StreetDeck Ultroliners delivered for service on the X6, 72 and X11, replacing older 2016 StreetDecks. This was followed by 11 newCity of Bradford-brandedWright StreetLite Max Ultrolinersentering service in the summer, whilst some pre-existing fleet vehicles based at Bradford Bowling Back Lane depot were painted in the 2-tone blue livery.[39][40]Like with First Leeds, the City of Bradford livery is dropped in favour of the new 2024 standard livery.

Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield[edit]

A Wright Eclipse Gemini bodiedVolvo B7TLin HD Connect livery atHuddersfield bus station,September 2022

First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfieldis an amalgamation of theFirst HalifaxandFirst Huddersfieldoperations, running services in their respective towns as well as theCalder Valleyregion.

Until recently, some buses in Halifax and Huddersfield were branded for theHolme Valley Connection,Calder Connect, Red ArrowandZestnetworks respectively, with refurbished buses receiving free WiFi and an improvement in bus frequency.[41][42][43][44]In 2018, theHD Connectnetwork was launched in Huddersfield, with buses for services 370, 371 and 372 receiving new blue-front branding, live service tracking and ticket machines withcontactless payment.[45]TheHD Connectnetwork has expanded on these services since.First Halifax initially opted for the HX Connect livery, with a darker blue front, but it was soon discontinued and replaced by the Olympia-Urban livery, otherwise known as 'hybrid-Olympia'. In April 2023, the 184 service, previously run byFirst Greater ManchesterfromOldhamtoGrottonandHuddersfieldwas transferred to First Huddersfield, now running fromHuddersfieldtoMarsden Hard EndandOldhamto replace the 183 bus service. This service is now run by Stagecoach Manchester due to Tranche 2 of the Bee Network bus franchising.

Service changes at the start of 2024, meant renumbering bus routes in First Halifax, Calder Valley and Huddersfield, including the 503 which was renumbered to 501 with an additional express service launched, X1. As a result, First Halifax decided to route-brand some of their existing fleet vehicles with Elland Lines to represent the Halifax/Huddersfield corridor. Like with First Leeds and Bradford, HD Connect and the Olympia-Urban livery has been dropped in favour of the new 2024 standard livery, with the pre-existing fleet already starting to wear this new livery.

Fleet[edit]

As of July 2017, the First West Yorkshire fleet consisted of 882 buses,[46][needs update]mainly consisting of buses manufactured byWrightbus,Alexander DennisandYutong.

FTR and Hyperlink[edit]

An FTRWright StreetCarin Leeds city centre, 2009
Main article:FTR (bus)

In 2006, following the introduction of the service in York, which had been beset by problems, Leeds was chosen to be the second First operation to launch anFTR(stylisedftr) service.[47][48]17 articulatedWright StreetCarswere initially acquired for the service, which was officially launched in August 2007 following the alteration of bus lanes, road layouts and the construction of raised kerbs at bus stops.[49][50][51]The FTR StreetCars operated on the 4 service servingPudsey,central Leeds andSeacroftuntil 2012, when they were redeployed and refurbished alongside ex-York StreetCars to operate on the Leeds-BradfordHyperlinkroute 72;[52][35]these were finally withdrawn in 2016 and replaced with StreetDecks.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^Part 1 – 1974 to 1979 The Early Metrobus eraArchived13 November 2013 at theWayback MachineWest Yorkshire Buses
  2. ^"New era on the buses".Huddersfield Daily Examiner.27 September 1986. p. 3.Retrieved24 November2023– viaNewspapers.com.
  3. ^"Timetables ready for new bus services".Huddersfield Daily Examiner.13 October 1986. p. 9.Retrieved24 November2023– viaNewspapers.com.
  4. ^"West Yorks routes taken over by Rider".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 4 October 1986. p. 16.Retrieved24 November2023.
  5. ^"Yorkshire's riding high".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 3 November 1988. p. 19.Retrieved24 November2023.
  6. ^Wainright, Martin (11 October 1988)."Staff are driving force behind £20m buyout".The Guardian.London. p. 12.Retrieved24 November2023– viaNewspapers.com.
  7. ^"WYRC in takeover deal".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 27 July 1989. p. 16.Retrieved10 June2022.
  8. ^"Job losses at Yorkshire Rider".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 5 April 1990. p. 21.Retrieved10 June2022.
  9. ^Thornton, Philip (16 April 1994)."Badgerline buys a ticket for the record books".Western Daily Press.Bristol. p. 21.Retrieved24 November2023– viaNewspapers.com.
  10. ^"Rider sale confirmed".Bus & Coach Buyer.No. 252. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 22 April 1994. p. 2.
  11. ^Jarosz, Andrew (23 April 1994). "Badgerline wins control of Rider".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough: Emap.
  12. ^"Badgerline to merge with GRT Bus Group".Bus & Coach Buyer.No. 301. Spalding. 7 April 1995. p. 7.Retrieved28 March2024.
  13. ^"Link-up creates second-largest bus group".The Herald.Glasgow. 5 April 1995.Retrieved10 June2022.
  14. ^Grimond, Magnus (4 April 1995)."Badgerline links with GRT".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 28 June 2020.Retrieved10 June2022.
  15. ^Jarosz, Andrew (17 February 1996). "Rider invests in new image".Coach & Bus Week.No. 205. Peterborough: Emap. p. 10.
  16. ^Part 6 – 1997 to 1999 The early Metrobus eraArchived10 October 2008 at theWayback MachineWest Yorkshire Buses
  17. ^Anticipated acquisition by First West Yorkshire Limited of Black Prince Buses LimitedArchived6 March 2012 at theWayback MachineOffice of Fair Trading
  18. ^"End of the line for Black Prince".Morley Observer & Advertiser.15 June 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2011.Retrieved10 June2022.
  19. ^ab"Bus firm's growth will ease jams".The Yorkshire Post.Leeds. 9 May 2008.ProQuest335515432.
  20. ^"First rationalises Yorkshire businesses".Bus & Coach Professional.3 December 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved10 June2022.
  21. ^"It's all change as town's bus depot gets a makeover".Halifax Courier.29 August 2015.Retrieved11 June2022.
  22. ^"First Bus restructures as Government funding cuts loom in England".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 5 July 2022.Retrieved6 July2022.
  23. ^"First Bus names leaders of new regional structure".Routeone.18 August 2022.Retrieved19 August2022.
  24. ^Jenkins, David (15 August 2019)."Connecting Leeds".Buses.Stamford: Key Publishing.Retrieved30 December2021.(subscription required)
  25. ^Peat, Chris (19 October 2020)."Electric Yutongs launch into service in Leeds".Bus & Coach Buyer.Retrieved10 June2022.
  26. ^Johnson, Kristian (15 October 2020)."West Yorkshire's first ever all-electric buses – and where you can spot them in Leeds".Leeds Live.Retrieved10 June2022.
  27. ^abDeakin, Tim (31 August 2022)."First Bus orders 193 Wrightbus battery-electrics".routeone.Retrieved31 August2022.
  28. ^"Elland Road park-and-ride open for Leeds' Tour de France".BBC News.18 June 2014.Retrieved10 June2022.
  29. ^"Park-and-ride is set to double up in Leeds".The Yorkshire Post.Leeds. 23 June 2014.Retrieved10 June2022.
  30. ^"New 1,000 space park and ride set to open in Leeds".Yorkshire Evening Post.Leeds. 13 June 2017.Retrieved10 June2022.
  31. ^"New 1,000-space Park & Ride for Leeds".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 20 June 2017.Retrieved10 June2022.
  32. ^ab"UK's first solar-powered park and ride service launched in Stourton".RouteOne.23 September 2021.Retrieved10 June2022.
  33. ^"Leeds Stourton solar-powered park and ride site opens".BBC News.17 September 2021.Retrieved10 June2022.
  34. ^"Leeds Park & Ride receives new Wrightbus hybrids".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 19 June 2018.Retrieved10 June2022.
  35. ^abLowson, Rob (22 July 2016)."First West Yorkshire unveils new fleet at Bradford Industrial Museum".Bradford Telegraph & Argus.Retrieved9 May2022.
  36. ^Coules, Chloe (6 June 2022)."Bradford Clean Air Zone to launch in September".Air Quality News.Retrieved22 September2022.
  37. ^"Delayed Bradford Clean Air Zone to start in September".BBC News.2 June 2022.Retrieved23 September2022.
  38. ^Rahman, Miran (2 March 2022)."£8.1m investment in buses to create cleaner air".TheBusinessDesk.Retrieved10 June2022.
  39. ^"First Bus unveils £8.1m investment in new fleet for Bradford".RouteOne. 2 March 2022.Retrieved10 June2022.
  40. ^"New Holme Valley bus service launched as public urged to leave cars at home for Catch the Bus Week".The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.5 July 2016.Retrieved11 June2022.
  41. ^"First launched Zest brand in Halifax".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 21 December 2015.Retrieved11 June2022.
  42. ^"It's Catch the Bus Week".Bus & Coach Buyer.6 July 2016.Retrieved11 June2022.
  43. ^Harrison, Matt (2 June 2019)."#AYearOfBuses 89: Calder Connect Rochdale – Burnley".Transport Designed.Retrieved12 June2022.
  44. ^"First Huddersfield launches HD Connect service".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 20 November 2018.Retrieved11 June2022.
  45. ^Carlisle, Simon (12 July 2017)."Hybrid and Retrofitted SCRT bus fleets"(PDF).First West Yorkshire.Retrieved11 June2022.
  46. ^"Phased introduction for Leeds 'ftr'".Bus & Coach Professional.24 October 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2007.Retrieved12 June2022.
  47. ^"Leeds StreetCars delayed start".Bus & Coach Professional.5 December 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2007.Retrieved12 June2022.
  48. ^"Coming soon to a Leeds bus stop near you".Professional Engineering.Vol. 19, no. 10. London. 31 May 2006.ProQuest218368520.
  49. ^"New ftr bus fleet plans shelved".The Yorkshire Post.Leeds. 11 September 2007.ProQuest335475568.
  50. ^"First joins FTSE 100 on high".The Yorkshire Post.Leeds. 8 November 2007.ProQuest335405519.
  51. ^"First to link Leeds and Bradford with Ftrs".Passenger Transport.13 June 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2022.Retrieved12 June2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_West_Yorkshire&oldid=1227078030"