First Potteries

First Potteries

Leyland Olympian at the Wirral Bus & Tram Show in October 2008
Parent	FirstGroup
Headquarters	Adderley Green
Service area	Stoke-on-Trent The Potteries Stafford Crewe Leek
Service type	Bus services
Hubs	Hanley Newcastle-under-Lyme
Depots	2
Fleet	185 (March 2013)
Fuel type	Diesel (plus 10 MicroHybrids)
Chief executive	Nigel Eggleton (Managing Director First Midlands)
Website	Potteries Buses

First Potteries is a bus company based in Stoke-on-Trent operating services in North Staffordshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.

The company began life as Potteries Motor Traction. As part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, PMT Limited was created on 12 December 1986 when it was purchased by its management and employees. The team leading PMT's buyout were managing director Mike Moors, traffic manager Steve Ellis, chief engineer Barry Parkinson and company secretary Nigel Barrett.

Expansion came quickly for PMT, and it had commenced operations outside its traditional North Staffordshire area a little over six weeks prior to purchase from NBC. On 25 October 1986, the day bus services in the UK were deregulated, a small outstation was established in the neighbouring town of Crewe. This was followed by a venture into Merseyside with the opening of a Red Rider outstation at Moreton on the Wirral Peninsula. A small operation in Leeds commenced in 1988, followed a year later by the winning of tenders in the West Midlands. This led to vehicles being outstationed at a haulage company's yard in Willenhall.

On 6 February 1990, PMT purchased the Wirral, Ellesmere Port and Chester operations of Crosville Motor Services from the Drawlane Group. PMT was later purchased by Badgerline before they in turn merged with GRT Group and formed FirstBus. The sale including the former Crosville operations in Chester and Wirral.