First Leicester

First Leicester

Company type	Public part of First Group
Headquarters	Abbey Lane, Leicester
Area served	Leicester, Anstey, Beaumont Leys, Birstall, Braunstone, Evington, Eyres Monsell, Glenfield, Mowmacre Hill, Nether Hall, Rushey Fields, Rushey Mead, Thurmaston, Thurnby Lodge
Website	www.firstgroup.com

First Leicester is the trading name of Leicester Citybus Ltd., a bus company owned by the First Group. It runs buses in the city of Leicester, England. It is managed as part of First Midlands which also looks after the First bus services in Northampton and Worcestershire.

History

A preserved 1964 Leicester City Transport bus

First Leicester is the descendant of the former municipal bus operations of Leicester City Council, Leicester City Transport. Under bus deregulation in 1986, the council operation was incorporated as the council owned but arms length private company, Leicester Citybus Ltd.. This was sold in November 1993 to the emerging private UK bus group, the GRT Group (this was shortly after the nearby Northampton municipal operatior had also been bought by GRT). The GRT group later became FirstGroup, with the operations in Leicester subsequently being rebranded as First Leicester in the white First corporate livery.

Liveries

Leicester City Transport buses wore an allover cream livery with horizontal red stripes. On creation of the arms length company Leicester Citybus, buses began to wear a livery with more red, becoming a two tone cream and red scheme, and wore fleetnames of simply CityBus. Upon the takeover by GRT, the Leicester Citybus fleet began to wear a version of the GRT corporate livery, with the base and relief colours associated with Leicester City municipal buses, but in the corporate GRT arrangement, with Leicester citybus fleetnames and a spire motif. As with other GRT companies, upon First rebranding the livery remained for a while, but the fleetnames were reapplied in the First corporate typeface accompanied by the flying 'f' motif, before the launch of the white First corporate livery replaced this scheme.

Depot

In 2007,a new depot opened on Abbey Lane replacing the former premises on Abbey Park Road which go back to the company's municipal heritage.This site is now derelict pending redevelopment as apartments.

Services

City centre

Services use either Haymarket Bus Station or on street city centre stops or both, but do not use St. Margaret's Bus Station, used by longer distance services. Only selected services call directly at Leicester railway station.

Bus Stop Changes

as of sunday 15th march 2009 services 12,14/14A, 21 will have new stopping points in the haymarket bus station

Service 12 will move from Stand C9 to Stand C10. Service 14/14A will move from Stand C10 to Stand C12. Service 21 will move from Stand C12 to Stand C9.

Network

Services run to Glenfield (Kirby Frith & Braunstone Frith Estates), Braunstone Town, Eyres Monsell, De Montfort University, Evington, Leicester General Hospital, Goodwood, Humberstone, Nether Hall, Thurnby Lodge, Hamilton Centre, Thurmaston, Rushey Mead, Birstall, Mowmacre Hill, Beaumont Leys and Anstey. There is also a circular service operating that runs to Highfields and returns to the city centre.

List of routes

First Leicester operate a number of services around Leicester:

Service	Branding	From	To	Via	Notes
12	Indigo Line	City Centre	Kirby Frith, Ryder Road	Glenfield Road, Park Rise
14	Orange Line	Leicester General Hospital	Kirby Frith, Ryder Road	Goodwood, East Park Road, City Centre, Aikman Avenue
14A		Leicester General Hospital	Beaumont Centre	Goodwood, East Park Road, City Centre, Aikman Avenue, Glenfield Hospital
16	Green Line	City Centre	Leicester General Hospital	St. Peters Road, Gedding Road
17	Purple Line	City Centre	City Centre	Sparkenhoe Street, Highfields (Melbourne Road)	Circular (Anti-clockwise)
18	Beige Line	City Centre	Braunstone, Peverel Road	Hinckley Road
21	Olive Line	City Centre	Rushey Fields, Peebles Way	St Matthew's, Catherine Street
22	Blue Line	Evington, Downing Drive	Rushey Mead	Railway Station, City Centre, Belgrave Road
25	Mauve Line	City Centre	City Centre	Belgrave Road, Mowmacre Hill, Beaumont Centre	Circluar
26		City Centre	City Centre	Beaumont Centre, Mowmacre Hill, Belgrave Road	Circluar
38	Red Line	City Centre	City Centre	Humberstone, Nether Hall, Thurnby Lodge	Circluar
38A		City Centre	City Centre	Thurnby Lodge, Nether Hall, Humberstone	Circluar
39	Grey Line	City Centre	Thurmaston, Blount Road	Humberstone Road, Northfields, Troon Industrial Estate
54	Yellow Line	City Centre	Beaumont Centre	Abbey Lane, Stocking Farm
70	Claret Line	City Centre	Blackmore Drive	Narborough Road
70A	Magenta Line	City Centre	Birstall, Wanlip Lane	Abbey Lane
74	Turquoise Line	City Centre	Anstey, Hollow Road	Anstey Lane, Beaumont Centre
88	Lime Line	City Centre	Eyres Monsell, Monmouth Drive	Saffron Lane, Saffron Cross Roads
88A		City Centre	Saffron Cross Roads	Saffron Lane, The Fairway
94	Brown Line	City Centre	Glenfield, The Square	Stephenson Drive, Charnor Road
UHL	Hospital Hopper	Hamilton, Tesco	Beaumont Centre	Leicester General Hospital, Charles Frears Campus (London Road), Railway Station, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield Hospital

Star Trak

All buses, so far, except Services 17, 70, 70A & 94 have now been fitted with Star Trak, which tells you when the next bus will arrive at your bus stop.

See also

• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom

External links

• First Leicester website
• First Leicester network map
• Star Trak - Real-Time bus information
• The Leicester Transport Heritage Trust