Because there's usually a bus stop less than 5 minutes away, you don't need to worry about the cost, hassle or environmental impact of taking the car, our buses take you closer to your destination and they're clean, comfortable and quiet. In short, better by far!
The answer to long queues, finding parking spaces and rising petrol costs is here. With our day ticket you can enjoy unlimited bus travel all day. Find out more »
Frequent services and clearer information means you spend less time hanging around.
Getting the bus is easier than you think. Most people live within 500m of a bus stop, so you're already only minutes from your nearest one.
Just signal the bus to stop, and ask your driver for the ticket that works best for you. And unlike the train, we can drop you off exactly where you need to go. If you're not sure which stop is closest to where you're going, ask the driver and they'll be happy let you know in plenty of time.
It's convenient too. Many of our services run every 15 minutes, so you're never likely to have to wait for long. And you can plan your journey before you leave by visiting our website, for easy-to-use timetables, route and ticket information. Use the folling dropdown to jump to the most appropriate UK First Bus operator for you.
Also, some bus stops display a special code which you can text to get details of the next bus due, check out the traveline website for more details to find the correct number to text for your area. If you have a web-enabled phone you can check our mobile website anytime for timetables and ticket information.
Cheaper fares and frequent services when you buy weekly or monthly. What's not to like?
Travelling by bus also is easy, convenient and quite simply great value for money, especially if you choose any of our season tickets, available in most areas on a weekly, monthly or annual basis.
Even if you travel less regularly, unlimited daily travel and ten-day tickets can be a great route to get even better value when you travel with First bus.
If you're a student, you'll need help to stretch your budget too, sothere are always loads of special offers to help you get from A to B.
By driving greener we reduce emissions and give you a smoother, more pleasant journey.
At First bus, we're working hard to reduce the environmental impact of travelling, so while we do our bit for the planet, you can feel good about travelling with us, too.
We're fully ISO14001 compliant, meaning we are committed to making continuous improvements like our fuel efficiency programme. In the last 2 years we've actually reduced bus emissions per passenger kilometre by 6%.
We've managed this by
Our drivers are getting greener too! All our buses carry LED displays which tell the driver how efficiently they're driving, and the data is sent back to HQ so we know who is driving greenest. Drivers with the best green driving record are recognised and rewarded at our annual environmental awards. Travelling by bus allows you to do your bit too, as our buses carry at least 40 passengers. This can mean as many as 40 cars off the road with every bus - far greener than individual car journeys. So give yourself a pat on the back!
Find out more about how we are doing our bit for the environment
Our buses are amongst the cleanest and most comfortable on the road today
Over the last few years, we've invested over £220 million on improvements to services and new buses and we're always thinking of new ways of improving things for our passengers. As part of this, we're investing £160m in 955 new vehicles to be rolled out over the next 2 years.
We want our make it as easy and convenient as possible for you to use our buses, so all our new vehicles have easy-access, buggy-friendly low floors which are ideal for the elderly and people travelling with children.
We know you want the experience on board to be as good as it can be. That's why, as well as having one of the newest and best equipped fleets of buses on the road today, we put so much effort in maintaining the perfect environment on board, whether it's through our scrupulous cleaning and maintenance, a warm welcome from your driver or modern conveniences like air conditioning .
And of course, safety is everything. So as well as undergoing a rigorous safety inspection every three months, each bus is inspected every day, once by our expert mechanics and once by the driver themselves before they go out on the road. And of course our mechanical and maintenance team are available at specialised workshops 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to make sure your buses are running perfectly all the time.
We train our drivers to be extra helpful and polite, because a smile costs nothing but it's worth a lot.
We know that a large part of giving you the service you expect when you travel with us rests in the hands of our drivers. We call them our five pillars of service. Here they are:
1. Deliver the Promise
This means putting you, the customer, first at all times, making sure vehicles and drivers are completely prepared for the journey. It also means putting safety first at all times, especially when passengers are moving to their seats.
2. Make it Personal
We believe you should be made to feel special. We value your custom and you deserve to feel welcome, comfortable and valued when you get on board. We teach all of our drivers to look for the little things they can do to make your journey better and to be aware of any special needs or requirements you may have.
3. Go the Extra Mile
We ask our driver to look out for whatever needs our passengers have, and to be quick in providing assistance. This might be as simple as letting you know where to get off if you're not familiar with a route, or lowering the bus for passengers with buggies or small children. Many of our customers have challenges with mobility, visual impairment or other difficulties and we train our drivers to offer assistance wherever they can.
Customers can also use one of our Safe Journey Cards to let the drivers know what sort of help they need. If a passenger has fear of falling the driver will wait until they reach the seat safely, if they are hard of hearing the driver will speak up, or if they have speech difficulties they can let the driver know where they want to go. These cards are accepted everywhere we operate and can be downloaded on all our sites.
And of course, if a passenger is accompanied by an assistance dog, the dog will travel for free.
4. Keep it Simple
We know you're busy and just want to get on with your journey and with your day, so we ask all our drivers to respect that and make their transactions with you as quick and as straightforward as possible. Simple really.
5. Resolve Problems Well
Occasionally problems occur. When they do, we ask our drivers to pay attention to what our customers are saying, to be honest a nd helpful, and to do their best to resolve the issue. Where a driver can't help there and then, they are empowered to refer problems back to our Customer Service team at the depot.
Sometimes, there isn't anything a driver can do, particularly with issues that lie outwith their direct control such as road works and traffic conditions, but we still encourage our drivers to report these problems back to us, so we can improve our service wherever possible.
As well as providing training, we also encourage great customer service from all our employees, by rewarding them when they go the extra mile and we do this via our Superstars programme.
In the last three years we've rewarded over 1,000 employees for great work and exceptional customer service. Nominations from our customers have recognised drivers for having a friendly welcome every day , returning a passenger's life savings to her that she left on the bus, and even heroic actions like saving peoples' lives
If you haven't tried a bus recently, we believe there's never been a better time.
Buses are better value.
Remember the pain you felt when you last filled up your car, got a parking ticket or just felt like the parking meter was bleeding you dry?
We offer a range of tickets - from day tickets that let you travel all day for one low price, to the convenience of weekly and monthly tickets, all designed to save you time and money.
Buses are more convenient.
For some journeys, you can't beat the bus. Buses cruise straight into the centre of town without you having to endure the stress of driving, finding somewhere to park and then pouring money into the meter.
Buses give you more time.
Instead of enduring traffic jams, discourteous motorists and searching for that illusive parking space, travelling by bus gives you some 'me time'. You can relax, chat or knit - and then concentrate on having a good time when you get to your destination, without worrying about driving back.
Catching the bus is also a great way to travel to work where you can run through a presentation, catch up on emails or just enjoy another chapter of that unputdownable thriller.
Buses are a fun way to travel.
A fun day out with the kids becomes an adventure by bus. You can spend more quality time with them on the journey and play games on the way. They could even help plan the route before you go.
Or if you're going to catch a film, catch the bus. With no parking space dramas to deal with, it's even more of an adventure for kids - and plenty of time to sit back and discuss the movie on the way back, too! And of course if you're going for a drink, getting the bus makes perfect sense. Our clean comfortable services drop you right where you're going and our regular services run well into the evening.
Buses help you do your bit for the planet.
Buses are kinder to the environment than cars too, so whatever you're doing, for work or pleasure, often getting the bus makes more sense than getting behind the wheel - so why not give it a go?
