First Leicester
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Company type | Public part of First Group |
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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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/1964_AEC_Renown_Leicester_City_Transport.jpg/220px-1964_AEC_Renown_Leicester_City_Transport.jpg)
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[1]. 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[2]. 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[3]. 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.
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, Glenfield Hospital (14A) | |
14A | Beaumont Centre | ||||
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 | Circluars |
26 | Beaumont Centre, Mowmacre Hill, Belgrave Road | ||||
38 | Red Line | City Centre | City Centre | Uppingham Road, Humberstone, Nether Hall, Thurnby Lodge | Circluars |
38A | Uppingham Road,Thurnby Lodge, Nether Hall, Humberstone | ||||
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 | Saffron Lane, The Fairway (88A), Saffron Cross Roads | |
88A | Saffron Cross Roads | ||||
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
References
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- First Leicester website
- First Leicester network map
- Star Trak - Real-Time bus information
- The Leicester Transport Heritage Trust