COMMUTERS across Evesham and Pershore have been assured bus services will continue as normal, despite uncertainty over the future of First Bus in the UK.
Wychavon District Council chiefs were given assurances from First Midlands boss Nigel Eggleton during a meeting in Malvern last Thursday (June 20)
Together with councillors from neighbouring Malvern Hills, Wychavon chiefs wanted to meet the franchise operator after its parent company in the United States revealed First Bus was no longer part of its plans.
FirstGroup has five public transport businesses – First Bus and First Rail in the UK and First Transit, First Student and Greyhound in North America.
The company is currently consulting stakeholders and has advised the changes are expected to take some time.
First bosses hope the UK arm will be separated by a sale, meaning the franchise can continue and Mr Eggleton met with councillors to discuss the plans and what it might mean for passengers.
He said services would continue as normal in both districts while the future of First Bus is resolved. Coun Bradley Thomas, leader of Wychavon District Council, said: “We hope a solution can be reached soon and we welcome discussions with First Bus.
“We’ll work together to ensure they are fully aware of residents’ needs in the urban and rural areas of the county.”
A First Group spokesman said: “We announced that we will be pursuing strategic options, through a sale or other means, to separate First Bus from FirstGroup.
“Please be assured that as this process unfolds we will continue to operate our services as usual, working closely with our local authority partners and demonstrating our commitment to our customers through the service we offer them.
“In recent years we have improved customer service at First Bus by investing in our buses and new technology, transforming our networks, and making operations and maintenance more efficient.
