First Stop Travel

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First Stop Travel is a Scottish bus company, which operates primarily in Renfrewshire and southwest Glasgow. Its depot is 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 After First Group purchased Strathclyde's Buses, Govan Minibus Company lost its operating licence when it was revoked by VOSA.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 has 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 now returned to Gibsons. 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, and repained into similar livery as Erskine Travel, which has retained its own name. As a result, First Stop now operates a number of new routes, however these are licenced and operated by vehicles belonging to both LBC and Gullivers Travel.

The operations have also moved into premisis in Barrhead with the other Walker companies, having left the previous depot in Clyde Street, Renfrew.

[edit] 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.

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 is currently based around Mercedes minibuses, most vehicles are elderly dating from the mid- to late 1990s. The average estimated age of the fleet is 7 to 10 years. The licence allows for over 30 vehicles to be run by First Stop Travel with more being licenced for use by associated companies.

[edit] Routes operated

Route 1: Paisley - Potterhill - Barrhead Auchinback (LBC Route)
Route 2: Barrhead Centre - Blackbyres Circular(Gullivers Route)
Route 4/21: Govan - Braehead - Renfrew - Paisley - Barrhead Neilston (LBC / Gullivers Route)
Route 117: Paisley - Southern General Hospital - Govan
Route 134: Govan- Mosspark - Shawlands - Battlefield - Victoria Infirmary - Crooftfoot - Castlemilk
Route 135: Castlemilk Circular
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