First Eastern Counties
First Eastern Counties is a major bus operator in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Part of First Group it is the marketing name of First Eastern Counties Buses Ltd, formerly Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Ltd.
History
The company was formed in 1931 by the combination of four existing bus companies in East Anglia, the earliest of which started operations in 1902. Eastern Counties operated throughout Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the Soke of Peterborough. The company was a subsidiary of Tilling and British Automobile Traction Limited (TBAT).
In 1933 services in the city of Norwich were taken over with the acquisition of the local tram company, the trams being withdrawn in 1935 in favour of buses.
In 1942 the TBAT group was broken up and Eastern Counties passed to the Tilling Group. In 1948 Tilling's bus interests were sold to the government, and Eastern Counties was nationalised as a company under the control of the British Transport Commission (BTC).
In 1962 the BTC bus companies passed to the Transport Holding Company (THC). While still state-owned, THC companies were required to act as commercial concerns. In 1969 Eastern Counties became part of the National Bus Company.
The bus operations of Waveney District Council were taken over in 1977 after a recast of services left municipal operation unviable.
In preparation for bus deregulation and privatisation the western part of the company, comprising operations in Cambridgeshire was broken off into a separate company: Cambus Limited, on September 9, 1984 as were the Company's coaching operations which became Ambassador Travel based at Great Yarmouth.
The company was bought out by the management on February 26, 1987. In July 1994 they were sold to GRT, and by June 1995 GRT merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus. In 1996 the municipal buses of Great Yarmouth Transport were acquired. The whole company since 1997 has been owned by First Group.
First Group is also the operator for Ipswich Rapid Transit.
Garages and Routes
Great Yarmouth
Local services operated by this garage are the 2 between JPH Hospital and Barrack Estate,4 (off peak) circular between Caister and Barrack Estate ,6 and 6B from the the town centre to Bradwell and Belton,7 and 7A between Barrack Estate and Belton,8 and 8A between Caister and JPH Hospital and summertime service 3. The garage also operates services 1 and 1A to Lowestoft. Dennis Darts make up the bulk of the fleet of this garage and about half are low-floor. There are also a few Volvo B7RLE low floor single deckers. The double deck fleet is made of Leyland Olympians. This is the garage of Great Yarmouth Transport which was bought by First in 1996 and it is sited on Caister Road. The bus station to where all the routes operate is the Market Gates Bus Station.
Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds
Midibuses are Volvo B6s and Dennis Darts. Scania single decks make up a proportion of this fleet. Double decks are a number of Leyland Olympians and Volvo B7TL. The latter are used on the Ipswich Rapid Transit route 66.
Kings Lynn
Lowestoft
Services operated by this garage are the 101/102 town services. 99/99A/99B to Kessingland,Southwold and Halesworth, half of X1 service to Peterborough, half of X2 service to Norwich and 1,1A services to Great Yarmouth. Buses are Dennis Darts, Volvo B10Ms and Leyland Olympians. The garage is on Gas Works Road and still retains its post-1986 bus deregulation Eastern Counties signs.
Norwich
Criticisms
Price increases
As of November 1st 2006; prices in and around the Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Bury St Edumunds, Kings Lynn, Norwich and Ipswich areas have been simplified, though the prices have been increased. Additionally, the return fares have been phased out; it is now only possible to buy two single tickets, as opposed to one return.
Service Reductions
Since taking over from Great Yarmouth Transport in 1996 First have increasingly cut services. Despite this they have continued to raise prices above inflation. This has also happened in recent years in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds, Kings Lynn and Ipswich. Despite this they have improved services on their Excel route and are opening a new route in Great Yarmouth in May 2007.
Fleet
The company has also received criticism for the standard of its bus fleet; many buses are old, poorly maintained and uncomfortable. Norfolk County Council has scrutinised First's service, claiming it to be "an inadequate and expensive service using a substandard fleet". [1]
Major locations served
External links
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