First Stop Travel

First Stop Travel was a Scottish bus company, which operated primarily in Renfrewshire and southwest Glasgow. Its depot was located in Muriel Street, Barrhead.

Initially founded as the 'Govan Minibus Company' after bus deregulation, it provided strong competition to Strathclyde Buses in the Govan area of Glasgow by operating cheaper minibuses instead of Strathclyde's then full-size buses. Strathclyde countered the threat with minibuses of their own, known as 'Your Wee Happy Bus'. This was the first round of the 'Paisley bus wars' with many competing companies challenging for routes, threatening to bankrupt the larger companies, including Clydeside (now Arriva Scotland West). The bus wars failed to stop the progress of the company, which was competing on a number of key routes with Strathclyde. After First Group purchased Strathclyde's Buses, Govan Minibus Company lost its operating licence when it was revoked by VOSA. The company changed direction away from mini-buses and was re-opened as 'First Stop Travel', usually shorted to F.S.T.

The company still had a large patronage on the former Govan Minibus Company routes and exploited this by running many services in competition with First Glasgow and Arriva. Gibson Direct, another Paisley company, accepted a number of SPT contracts in 2004, and was unable to continue its competition with Arriva on the busy 21 route linking Paisley, Renfrew, Braehead and Govan and thus the buses and route passed to FST. This was FST first route in Renfrew, especially unusual since their depot had been based in the town for some years. This also saw an influx of modern buses and a move to proper albeit small buses rather than minibuses. This service has returned to Gibsons in 2006. First's service cuts in 2005 saw FST become the only operator on the key "Paisley-Penilee-Govan corridor", a route that was well-patronised and run using double deckers with First, as well as the Nitshill-Govan service.

In August 2005, due to reported ill-health of the founder, the Port Glasgow company Slaemuir Coaches acquired the operation. Subsequently following redirection of the business by Slaemuir, the company has been sold on to the Walker Family who run a variety of small bus operations including Gullivers Travel, Erskine Travel and L.B.C. The buses of both Gullivers, First Stop Travel and LBC have now been branded First Stop. As a result, First Stop now operates a number of new routes, however these are licenced and operated by vehicles belonging to both LBC, Erskine Travel and Gullivers Travel. The buses are now in an all yellow livery, and the operations have also moved into premisis in Barrhead with the other Walker companies, having left the previous depot in Clyde Street, Renfrew.

There has also been a significant expansion of services and many used vehicles have been purchased in 2007. This has seen Firststop compete on many main corridors with local independent operators as well as major companies like Arriva and First. The company operated a service into Glasgow City Centre over the busy 38 corridor, which has seen the purchase of full-size buses. Further into 2007 further expansion took place with the addition of the 9 Paisley - Hawkhead, 19 Paisley - Bridge of Weir and 301 Johnstone - Kilmacolm.

Vehicles

Up until the take over by Slaemuir, the vehicles tended to be liveried in FST's Red, Grey and White livery with a few exceptions. The fleet has always had slogans with the FST logo, a driver raising his hat, on the back of its buses. Examples are "Martin says Hop on Babe", "Chris says we're on time", "Dave says he ain't heavy" and such.

Since the Walker Family has taken over the company livery has all but disappeared and it has now has repainted its vehicles in bright all-over yellow, first seen on the Erskine Travel fleet with First Stop fleetnames, having dropped the Travel part of the name. Since the takeover the company has been proppeled into one of the largest independent operators in the west of Scotland.

Previously the fleet was minibus-based, but had moved into larger vehicles by early 2000, and had several Dennis Darts and Marshall Buses, some of which were disabled-accessible. Since the takeover by Slaemuir the low floor buses were sold to national company Arriva, whilst the Marshalls and older Wright and Carlyle-bodied Dennis Darts, many of which were ex-London Buses vehicles, were sold to McKindless of Wishaw, the largest independent in West Central Scotland.

The fleet varied from Iveco minibuses to full size single deck Dennis Lances, most vehicles were dating from the mid- to late 1990s. The average estimated age of the fleet was 7 to 10 years. After the recent purchase of 10 Dennis Darts the fleet had a big mix of Iveco, Mercedes, Optare and Dennis vehicles. The licence allowed for over 30 vehicles to be run by First Stop Travel with more being licenced for use by associated companies.

On July 14th 2008, The Traffic Commissioner revoked the company's operating licence & banned them from holding one for 10 years

Routes operated

* Route 1: Paisley - Potterhill - Barrhead - Barrhead Auchenback
* Route 2: Barrhead Centre - Blackbyres Circular
* Route 4: Paisley - Barrhead - Neilston
* Route 7X: Neilston - Barrhead - Silverburn - Hillington Estate - Braehead Xscape
* Route 9: Paisley - Hawkhead
* Route 19: Paisley - Inchinnan Ind Estate - Bridge of Weir
* Route 22: Erskine Sempill - Inchinnan - Renfrew - Paisley
* Route 38: Glasgow - Ibrox - Cardonald - Ralston - Paisley
* Route 66: Gallowhill - Paisley - Todholm - Dykebar
* Route 117: Paisley - Southern General Hospital - Govan
* Route 149: South Nitshill - Pollok - Cardonald College - Bellahouston -Govan
* Route 217: Paisley - Ralston - Penilee - Govan
* Route 279: Ibrox - Govan - Linthouse - Southern General Hospital
* Route 289: Drumoyone Circular
* Route 301: Johnstone Station - Quarriers Village - Kilmacolm

External links

* [http://www.travelinescotland.com Traveline Scotland website listing First Stop timetables]
* [http://www.andypreece.co.uk/glasgowbus/fulllist.php Glasgow Bus Site listing First Stop timetables]