First Aberdeen
Encyclopedia
First Aberdeen Ltd is the main bus company serving Aberdeen
, Scotland
and is part of FirstGroup. It was renamed First Aberdeen Ltd in 1998, having previously operated buses in Aberdeen as Aberdeen Corporation, Grampian Regional Transport and First Grampian.
was formed in 1898. The company became Aberdeen Corporation Transport Department when it became solely a bus operator as trams ceased on May 3rd 1958.
, the Aberdeen Corporation bus operations transferred to Grampian Regional Transport, a department of the Grampian Regional authority
.
As part of the bus deregulation
process in the UK, GRT was incorporated as Grampian Regional Transport Ltd in 1986, owned and operated by the council as an arms length company.
On 20 January 1989 the company was privatised, bought by its employees under an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). At the time GRT comprised a fleet of 200 buses and 500 employees.
Unlike future similar sales in the UK, the sale of GRT was done voluntarily by the council which had no overall majority party and had no deep rooted objection to the sale. At the time, councils could negotiate privately with single buyers, rather than the later practice of competitive bidding. It was a sale of a going concern, rather than as seen in other areas in later years, a distress sale, or a forced sale for political reasons.
went on to acquire other bus companies, eventually becoming FirstBus plc in 1995. At the same time, GRT adopted the First Grampian branded subsidiary of FirstBus, while legally remaining GRT ltd. In a further re-organisation of FirstBus into FirstGroup, First Grampian became First Aberdeen Ltd in 1998.
Aberdeen Corporation employed a dark green and white livery, later becoming pea
-green and cream
Council owned GRT changed this livery, by removing the upper green band, replacing it with a thinner orange band, and 'Grampian' fleetnames and a council crest. On being sold to its employees, GRT used a scheme of a larger area of cream base colour, supplemented by a two-tone green stripe pattern. The fleet name was still 'Grampian', but with a thistle emblem over the 'i'.
The cream base and stripe layout would go on to become a corporate livery for the GRT Group
, albeit with different colours for the stripes. The First Grampian livery consisted of the GRT livery, with the fleetname changed to the FirstBus corporate style with the stylised f symbol. Some new buses were introduced with a modified Gold Standard version of the green livery.
First Grampian livery persisted until 1998. On renaming to First Aberdeen, corporate First white and pink livery was introduced, but it took a number of years before it was used on all buses.
In 2012 First are planning to get new livery.
double-decker bus
with Alexander
AL Type bodywork, supplemented by the Leyland National
single-decker bus
. In 1985 it moved to the Leyland Olympian
double-decker with Alexander RH Type bodywork until 1988. From 1991 to 1997 the company steadily bought the Mercedes-Benz O405
single-decker.
GRT was one of the first UK users of articulated bus
es, trialing a Mercedes Benz. As of 2008, Aberdeen was one of the major locations for articulated buses in the United Kingdom
.
In 2008 the fleet received a batch of 12 Wright Eclipse Gemini
bodied Volvo B9TL
s.
As of 2008, all of the First Aberdeen fleet mainly consisted of low-floor buses.
Metro was later renamed the Overground network in line with other First companies. This was a group wide initiative to rationalise route networks into high frequency colour coded networks running on main routes, to reduce the amount of confusing overlaps and divergences of routes on minor roads.
In April 2008 there was a big change in the services affecting most of the services.
As of 2011 services 1 & 2 have different timetables for summer and winter.
. The company operates an exact fare policy, whereby no change is given by the driver.
is the only other major bus operator but only through its Stagecoach East Scotland
(Bluebird Buses Ltd) operating along major trunk routes and a single city centre service. This has been the source of many complaints over the years, with many councillors and members of the public suggesting that the lack of competition in Aberdeen has led to fare prices in the city becoming unreasonably high.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and is part of FirstGroup. It was renamed First Aberdeen Ltd in 1998, having previously operated buses in Aberdeen as Aberdeen Corporation, Grampian Regional Transport and First Grampian.
Aberdeen Corporation
Aberdeen Corporation TramwaysAberdeen Corporation Tramways
-The system:The city's tram system was the most northerly municipal tramway in the United Kingdom. The system was electrified, with trams using bow collectors to take power from the overhead wires...
was formed in 1898. The company became Aberdeen Corporation Transport Department when it became solely a bus operator as trams ceased on May 3rd 1958.
Grampian Regional Transport
Under local government reorganisation in 1975Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, the Aberdeen Corporation bus operations transferred to Grampian Regional Transport, a department of the Grampian Regional authority
Grampian
Grampian was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the unitary council areas of:*Moray*Aberdeenshire*City of AberdeenThe region had five districts:*Aberdeen*Banff and Buchan...
.
As part of the bus deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
process in the UK, GRT was incorporated as Grampian Regional Transport Ltd in 1986, owned and operated by the council as an arms length company.
On 20 January 1989 the company was privatised, bought by its employees under an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). At the time GRT comprised a fleet of 200 buses and 500 employees.
Unlike future similar sales in the UK, the sale of GRT was done voluntarily by the council which had no overall majority party and had no deep rooted objection to the sale. At the time, councils could negotiate privately with single buyers, rather than the later practice of competitive bidding. It was a sale of a going concern, rather than as seen in other areas in later years, a distress sale, or a forced sale for political reasons.
First Grampian
While the company continued to operate as GRT in Aberdeen, its holding company GRT GroupGRT Group
GRT Group plc was a bus operating company in the United Kingdom. Created in 1989 as a holding company to effect the buyout of Grampian Regional Transport , it grew by acquisition and in 1995 merged with Badgerline to create FirstBus plc, forerunner to worldwide transport company FirstGroup...
went on to acquire other bus companies, eventually becoming FirstBus plc in 1995. At the same time, GRT adopted the First Grampian branded subsidiary of FirstBus, while legally remaining GRT ltd. In a further re-organisation of FirstBus into FirstGroup, First Grampian became First Aberdeen Ltd in 1998.
Liveries
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
-green and cream
Council owned GRT changed this livery, by removing the upper green band, replacing it with a thinner orange band, and 'Grampian' fleetnames and a council crest. On being sold to its employees, GRT used a scheme of a larger area of cream base colour, supplemented by a two-tone green stripe pattern. The fleet name was still 'Grampian', but with a thistle emblem over the 'i'.
The cream base and stripe layout would go on to become a corporate livery for the GRT Group
GRT Group
GRT Group plc was a bus operating company in the United Kingdom. Created in 1989 as a holding company to effect the buyout of Grampian Regional Transport , it grew by acquisition and in 1995 merged with Badgerline to create FirstBus plc, forerunner to worldwide transport company FirstGroup...
, albeit with different colours for the stripes. The First Grampian livery consisted of the GRT livery, with the fleetname changed to the FirstBus corporate style with the stylised f symbol. Some new buses were introduced with a modified Gold Standard version of the green livery.
First Grampian livery persisted until 1998. On renaming to First Aberdeen, corporate First white and pink livery was introduced, but it took a number of years before it was used on all buses.
In 2012 First are planning to get new livery.
Fleet
A mainstay of the GRT fleet in the 1970s up to 1983 was the Leyland AtlanteanLeyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
double-decker bus
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
with Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...
AL Type bodywork, supplemented by the Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
single-decker bus
Single-decker bus
A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and...
. In 1985 it moved to the Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
double-decker with Alexander RH Type bodywork until 1988. From 1991 to 1997 the company steadily bought the Mercedes-Benz O405
Mercedes-Benz O405
The Mercedes-Benz O 405 was a highly successful single-decker bus chassis built by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. It was the replacement for the Mercedes-Benz O305 chassis and was widely used in Europe, Australia and Singapore....
single-decker.
GRT was one of the first UK users of articulated bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
es, trialing a Mercedes Benz. As of 2008, Aberdeen was one of the major locations for articulated buses in the United Kingdom
Articulated buses in the United Kingdom
Articulated buses were rarely used in the United Kingdom compared to other countries, until the turn of the millennium. This was historically due to the UK preference for the double-decker bus for use on high capacity routes. As of June 2006, there were over 500 articulated buses in the UK,...
.
In 2008 the fleet received a batch of 12 Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
bodied Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
s.
As of 2008, all of the First Aberdeen fleet mainly consisted of low-floor buses.
Services
A Metro network was introduced on 13 May 2001 as a series of colour-coded high-frequency routes with the promise of no reduction in services in the following three years. In September 2004, a small number of services were withdrawn and minor revisions were made to some existing services.Metro was later renamed the Overground network in line with other First companies. This was a group wide initiative to rationalise route networks into high frequency colour coded networks running on main routes, to reduce the amount of confusing overlaps and divergences of routes on minor roads.
In April 2008 there was a big change in the services affecting most of the services.
As of 2011 services 1 & 2 have different timetables for summer and winter.
Overground
| No. | Type | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Line | Danestone | Garthdee | |
| 2 | Red Line | Ashwood | Auchinyell | |
| 3 | Purple Line | Mastrick | Cove | |
| 3A | Purple Line | Mastrick | Charleston | |
| 5 | Lime Green Line | Dubford | Balnagask Circle | |
| 6 | Hillhead Of Seaton | ARI Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Aberdeen Royal Infirmary or ARI is a teaching hospital on the Foresterhill site in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is run by NHS Grampian and has around 900 beds. ARI is a tertiary referral hospital serving a population of over 600,000 across the North of Scotland... |
||
| 9 | Lavender Line | Woolmanhill/Schoolhill | Schoolhill | University Open Only, Circular Route |
| 12 | Green Line | Heathryfold | Torry | |
| 13 | Pink Line | Scatterburn | Dubford | |
| 14 | Salmon Line | Kingswells | Golf Links | |
| 15 | Salmon Line | Woodend | Beach Retail Park | |
| 16 | Orange Line | Northfield | Craigiebuckler | |
| 16A | Orange Line | Northfield | Airyhall | |
| 17 | Blue Line | Faulds Gate | Newhills | |
| 17A | Blue Line | Faulds Gate | Dyce | |
| 19 | Turquoise Line | Tillydrone | Culter | |
| 20 | Pink Line | Hillhead of Seaton | Union Terrace Gardens | |
| 21 | Claret Line | Charleston/Altens | Dyce | |
| 21A | Claret Line | Charleston/Altens | Dyce | |
| 23 | Yellow Line | Summerhill | Heathryfold | |
| 25 | City Centre | Mastrick | ||
| 27 | City Centre | Airport Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
||
| 40 | Park & Ride | Kingswells P&R | Bridge of Don P&R | |
| X80 | Dyce Railway Station Dyce railway station Dyce railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, with some trains operating on the East Coast Main Line beginning or terminating at the station. This gives it direct services to... |
Dyce Railway Station Dyce railway station Dyce railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, with some trains operating on the East Coast Main Line beginning or terminating at the station. This gives it direct services to... |
Circular Route | |
Late Night Services
Saturday & Sunday Mornings Only. All services go via Union Street.| No. | Type | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Line | Bridge of Don | Garthdee | |
| 2 | Red Line | Auchinyell | Ashwood | |
| 3A | Purple Line | Cove | Charleston | |
| 12 | Green Line | Heathryfold | City Centre | |
| 17 | Blue Line | Dyce | Newhills | |
| 19 | Turquoise Line | Tillydrone | Culter | |
| 20 | Pink Line | Hillhead of Seaton | City Center | University Open Only |
| 23 | Yellow Line | Summerhill | Sheddocksley |
Revenue
The majority of services are operated commercially, with some services partially subsidised through Aberdeen City CouncilAberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. Act 1994...
. The company operates an exact fare policy, whereby no change is given by the driver.
Competitors
As the incumbent city bus operator since the tram era, First Aberdeen has retained control of almost all of the bus services in Aberdeen over the years. StagecoachStagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
is the only other major bus operator but only through its Stagecoach East Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, with its regional base in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland and including the legal companies Bluebird Buses Ltd, Fife Scottish Buses Ltd,Stagecoach Ltd, Strathtay Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, JW Coaches Ltd and Rennie's of Dunfermline Ltd.-...
(Bluebird Buses Ltd) operating along major trunk routes and a single city centre service. This has been the source of many complaints over the years, with many councillors and members of the public suggesting that the lack of competition in Aberdeen has led to fare prices in the city becoming unreasonably high.