First Scotland East


First Scotland East is collective name for First's operations in South East and Central Scotland, operating as First Scotland East and First Midland Bluebird.
The company was created in 1997, following the merger of Eastern Scottish, Lowland Scottish and Midland Scottish, to form a single operation. In 2000, the company was split into two, operating as First Edinburgh and First Midland Bluebird.

History

During 1998, First decided to reorganise their operations within the area, merging three subsidiaries: Lowland Scottish, Eastern Scottish and Midland Scottish. By doing so, operations were simplified, as some areas, including Midlothian and West Lothian being formerly served by at least two out of the three companies.
The start of the process came into effect in 1999, with many back-office functions being transferred to Larbert, and a new corporate livery introduced across the fleet. By 2002, all of the company's operations were controlled by Larbert.
The company's original name was First Edinburgh, despite operating across a much wider area, covering much of Central Scotland, the Scottish Borders and Northumberland. The company was renamed First Scotland East in 2008, to better reflect the operating area.

Fife First

In 1997, the company launched the Fife First brand, in order to compete with Stagecoach Fife – who had recently started competing with First's Glasgow operations. Competition took place, with service 56, using vehicles transferred from Lowland Scottish, Midland Scottish and Rider York, and painted in allover red. A sub-depot was established in Dunfermline, with Westfield providing most of the vehicles used. Fife First ceased in July 2000, when the service was axed, and low-floor buses used were transferred to the Falkirk.

Edinburgh Bus War

In 2001, First sought to increase their market share of city services in and around Edinburgh, cutting fares and increasing traffic on certain routes, whilst cutting back on more traditional routes. This sparked a very bitter bus war between First and Lothian Buses, with fares being cut, extra vehicles drafted in, timetables altered and routes diverted.
Lothian complained to the Office of Fair Trading, claiming First was engaging in anti-competitive behaviour in an effort to become the dominant operator in Edinburgh. The Office of Fair Trading ruled that First's conduct represented legitimate competition, that it did not intend to drive Lothian off the streets, and that its fares were low enough in comparison to its costs.
Regardless of this decision, the First network in Edinburgh was curtailed, ending the bus war, and seeing Lothian remain as the dominant city operator. Heavy losses were made, which resulted in cutbacks in many parts of their operations which included the loss of travel shops in Dalkieth, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Galashiels, Hawick and Livingston. The main depot at Westfield in Edinburgh was also closed. Many traditional routes to Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith and Penicuik that were cut back have also since been taken over by Lothian.

ScotRail

In June 2004, the ScotRail franchise was awarded to First, with the services transferring to First ScotRail in October 2004. The Competition Commission placed a number of controls and undertaking, which had an effect on the company's ability to raise fares, and alter a selected number of services. In 2009 and 2012, First were released from a number of routes which were controlled.

Restructure

In June 2012, First Scotland East closed their depot in Dalkeith, and scaled back operations in Musselburgh, with 20 routes ceasing across East Lothian and Midlothian. The company tried to sell the operations, and transfer staff to another operator, but was unsuccessful. In November 2012, the depot at Linlithgow was closed, with services moved to depots at Larbert and Livingston.
bodied Volvo B7RLE, seen at the former
depot in Linlithgow.
In June 2013, route X38 was re-branded as First Bluebird, with buses painted in a dedicated blue livery. Within a year, most of the buses operating in the Forth Valley area were also re-branded as First Bluebird.
First tried to improve passenger growth, with a number of revised networks in Falkirk and West Lothian, during 2012. In January 2015, First withdrew over a dozen bus routes in and around Falkirk, citing that routes had been operating at a "considerable loss" for many years.
The company made a request to the Competition and Markets Authority in October 2015, about reviewing of the undertakings given in 2002 by First. The undertakings were given following the Monopolies & Mergers Commission's conclusion that the completed acquisition by First of SB Holdings Limited, which took place in 1996, created a merger situation which may be expected to operate against the public interest.
As part of the undertaking, First had mileage floor which required to them to operate a specific number of miles, regardless of the circumstances. In April 2015, the company was released from the undertaking with all requirements dropped.
In May 2016, First Scotland East announced that it would cease operations in East Lothian, with the closure of Musselburgh and North Berwick depots, affecting 88 jobs. In August 2016, Lothian Buses took over the operation of both depots, with all staff given the option to transfer. Services are operated under the East Coast Buses brand.
Perryman's took over several services from First Scotland East in 2016. The remainder of First's operations in the Scottish Borders, including the depot at Galashiels, as well as outstations at Hawick, Kelso and Peebles, was sold to the company in March 2017. The opening of the Borders Railway between Tweedbank and Edinburgh was cited as one of the main reasons for the sale.

Improvements

In April 2017, the company announced plans to bring "significant improvements" to their service. This resulted in additional journeys created, operating an extra 7,000 miles per week, and adding a further six vehicles to the West Lothian network. These changes also re-introduced a direct link from Bathgate, Fauldhouse and Livingston to Edinburgh Airport and The Gyle Centre.

Traffic Commissioner

First Scotland East has appeared before the Traffic Commissioner on five occasions, in relation to various issues surrounding the company. Public enquiries were held regarding maintenance in 2004 and 2005, maintenance and timekeeping in 2008, and timekeeping in 2010. A formal warning was given in November 2011, regarding vehicle maintenance. In August 2012, the company appeared for the fifth time in front of the Traffic Commissioner, due to further issues regarding services in and around Falkirk.

Fleet and operations

As of February 2016, the First Scotland East fleet consists of 420 buses and coaches.
The company currently operates from four main depots: