First Eastern Counties

First Eastern Counties is a major bus operator in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Part of First Group it is the marketing name of First Eastern Counties Buses Ltd, formerly Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Ltd.

History

The company was formed in 1931 by the combination of four existing bus companies in East Anglia, the earliest of which started operations in 1902. Eastern Counties operated throughout Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the Soke of Peterborough. The company was a subsidiary of Tilling and British Automobile Traction Limited (TBAT).

One of the predecessor bus companies, United Automobile Services, had a bus body works, which Eastern Counties inherited. In 1937, this operation was transferred to a separate company, Eastern Coach Works.

In 1933 services in the city of Norwich were taken over with the acquisition of the local tram company, the trams being withdrawn in 1935 in favour of buses.

In 1942 the TBAT group was broken up and Eastern Counties passed to the Tilling Group. In 1948 Tilling's bus interests were sold to the government, and Eastern Counties was nationalised as a company under the control of the British Transport Commission (BTC).

In 1962 the BTC bus companies passed to the Transport Holding Company (THC). While still state-owned, THC companies were required to act as commercial concerns. In 1969 Eastern Counties became part of the National Bus Company.

The bus operations of Waveney District Council were taken over in 1977 after a recast of services left municipal operation unviable.

In preparation for bus deregulation and privatisation the western part of the company, comprising operations in Cambridgeshire (now including the former Soke of Peterborough) was broken off into a separate company: Cambus Limited, on September 9, 1984 as were the Company's coaching operations which became Ambassador Travel based at Great Yarmouth.

The company was bought out by the management on February 26, 1987. In July 1994 they were sold to GRT Group, and by June 1995 GRT merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus. In 1996 the municipal buses of Great Yarmouth Transport were acquired. The whole company since 1997 has been owned by First Group.

First Group is also the operator for Ipswich Rapid Transit.

Garages and Routes

Excel

Excel is the long-distance service offered by First EC. It runs using air-conditioned coaches. It has recently been reduced from 5 services serving most of East Anglia to two.

Norwich

Info to be added.

Major & important local locations served

* Bury St Edmunds
* Cromer (route 50)
* Great Yarmouth
* Ipswich
* King's Lynn
* Lowestoft
* Norwich
* Thetford
* Wisbech
* Felixstowe
* Framlingham
* Woodbridge
* Wymondham

External links

* [http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/easterncounties/easterncounties/home/index.php First Eastern Counties homepage]
* [http://www.ipswichbus.co.uk/fleetlists/fecipswich First Eastern Counties Ipswich/Bury Fleetlist]