FirstGroup America is the U.S. subsidiary of bus and rail giant FirstGroup plc, headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company made its entry into the U.S. on Sept. 13, 1999 with its acquisition of Miami-based Ryder Public Transportation Services.
In 2007, FirstGroup nearly doubled in size after the 2007 acquisition of Laidlaw International, a Naperville, Illinois, contract school bus service, and a holding company for Greyhound Lines Inc. FirstGroup is in the process of moving some Greyhound corporate jobs from Dallas and creating new jobs in Cincinnati.
"We are proud to call Cincinnati home," said Mike Murray, president and CEO of FirstGroup America. "The city's centralized location, coupled with its entrepreneurial spirit and its commitment to fair business practices, make it an ideal location to grow and develop a business. We look forward to continued growth right here in Cincinnati."
Among FirstGroup's Divisions is First Student, which transports 4 million students to and from school in 40 states and 9 Canadian provinces. That division employs 68,800 and maintains a 60,000-bus fleet. The company is known for its safety record and is twice as safe as the industry average, according to the National School Transportation Association.
The company's First Transit Division transports 160 million riders on 7,100 buses in 41 states and 5 Canadian provinces. First Transit employs 15,500 people and includes call center support services.
Locally, the company employs 475 bus drivers for Cincinnati Public Schools, owns the city's Greyhound stop and manages TANK, Northern Kentucky's public transportation bus system.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Maureen Richmond, FirstGroup Director of Media Relations, and Cincinnati Economic Development Division