First Midlands

First Midlands

One of First Midland Red's Alexander Dennis Enviro300s
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Leicester/Stoke-On-Trent
Locale	Worcestershire, Leicester, Stoke-On-Trent, Northamptonshire
Service area	English Midlands
Service type	Urban and interurban bus services
Operator	FirstGroup
Website	http://www.firstgroup.com

First Midlands is an operating unit of FirstGroup operating in the English Midlands. The unit was formed in 2008 with the merger of the management and administration of First Midland Red, First Northampton and First Leicester.

In 2010, the Staffordshire, along with the Crewe depot of First Potteries was transferred to First Midlands. First Midlands is the management level operations of First Midland Red, First Potteries, First Northampton and First Leicester.

The combined "group" has First Potteries' legal addresses for the Potteries and Leicester operations, while First Midland Red and First Northampton retaining (currently) legals for the Abbey Lane (Leicester) depot/HQ of First Leicester.

First Midland Red began life as Midland Red (West) Limited, one of five bus operating companies created when the National Bus Company's massive Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited subsidiary was split in 1981 in preparation for privatisation. It was created in September 1981 with a fleet of 183 vehicles and usied the trading name Midland Red West.

In November 1985 the company introduced a fleet of 60 new minibuses to operate its urban network in Worcester as part of a new high-frequency service within the City. Similar but much smaller minibus services were launched for the Kidderminster and Stourport areas a year later. In December 1986 the company was sold by the NBC to Midland Red West Holdings Limited, a management buyout company created by Midland Red (West) Limited's employees. There was also a minor change in the company name, from Midland Red (West) Limited to Midland Red West Limited. The management buyout also took the 40-vehicle fleet of Midland Red Coaches, which was merged with the main operation.

In 1988 Midland Red West Holdings Limited was acquired by Badgerline Holdings Limited (a management buyout company which had purchased Badgerline Limited from the NBC operating rural services around the Bristol area).