First Bus investing in future growth of Yorkshire coach businesses

The investment programme will support fleet renewal, depot upgrades, operational enhancements and future growth opportunities across the three businesses, which collectively operate more than 230 vehicles and employ hundreds of staff across North and West Yorkshire.

As part of the investment, 17 new coaches, valued at more than £4.5 million have been introduced across the three businesses over the last 12-months.

York Pullman has taken delivery of six new Temsa HD13 coaches, including four introduced during the last year, and a further two recently added to the fleet. Tetley's Coaches has also received two new Temsa HD13 vehicles, while J&B Travel has added five new Yutong GT12 coaches, three Scania K360 Mobi Premiums, and a Temsa HD13.

The Temsa HD13 vehicles are 57-seat coaches equipped with PSVAR-compliant wheelchair lifts and powered by Euro VI DAF MX11 engines. The Yutong GT12 vehicles offer 53 seats, PSVAR-compliant wheelchair access and are also powered by Euro VI DAF MX11 engines.

The five new Yutong coaches, the Scania K360s and the Temsa are predominantly being deployed on J&B Travel's growing FlixBus services, supporting the continued expansion of long-distance coach travel connections between Yorkshire and destinations across the UK.

Alongside the fleet investment, wider plans include depot improvements, vehicle wash facilities, operational upgrades, and continued investment in technology and people.

The investment follows First Bus’s acquisition of York Pullman in 2024, alongside the more recent acquisitions of Tetley’s Coaches and J&B Travel in 2025, strengthening the company’s growing presence in the coach sector.

David Hough, Coaching Director of First Bus’s Yorkshire coach businesses, said:

“The Yorkshire coach businesses have fantastic reputations, strong local relationships and incredibly committed teams. What makes each of them successful is their deep connection to the communities they serve, and that is something we want to build on, not change.

“Our focus is on supporting the teams, improving facilities, modernising fleets and strengthening our operations, while allowing each company to retain its own identity and strengths.

"The introduction of 17 new coaches across the businesses demonstrates our commitment to investing in modern, accessible and reliable vehicles for our customers, while creating a strong platform for future growth.

“There is huge opportunity across the coach sector, whether that is home-to-school transport, private hire, special event, sports travel or scheduled coach services. We are already seeing strong demand across the businesses, and we want to continue building high-quality, reliable operations that customers can trust.”

York Pullman, based in York, operates around 160 vehicles across nine sites and delivers a wide range of services including home-to-school transport, corporate travel, private hire, scheduled bus services, rail replacement services, and sports travel.

Tetley’s Coaches, based in Leeds, operates around 60 vehicles and has a strong presence in school transport, private hire and supporter travel, while J&B Travel continues to operate a growing and diverse coach company from its Leeds base, including private hire, express coach operation, sports travel and rail replacement services.

David added: “These are businesses with proud histories and strong customer relationships, but there is also real ambition for the future. We are investing not just in vehicles and infrastructure, but in building resilient, modern coach operations that will continue to serve customers and communities for many years to come.”