CINCINNATI – Oct. 1, 2008, marks the one-year anniversary of the FirstGroup acquisition of Laidlaw International, Inc. The new integrated company, FirstGroup America, has established itself as a leader in the transportation industry.

Dean Finch, chief operating officer of FirstGroup America, said, “This was a huge undertaking merging two giants of the North American transportation industry into one, but by incorporating best practices from both companies we have successfully created a strong, financially sound organization. We also have a culture which is committed to delivering safe, high quality and cost-effective transportation services to our customers.”

FirstGroup America customers are municipalities, federal government entities, private enterprises, school districts, and the general public. FirstGroup America, part of FirstGroup plc, operates First Student, a provider of student transportation in North America; First Transit, a private sector provider of transit management and contracting services; First Services, a privately owned vehicle maintenance service business; and Greyhound, a national provider of scheduled intercity bus services across the United States and Canada.

FirstGroup America in Numbers

Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio

Employees: 100,000 across North America

Annualized Revenues: More than $5 billion

Vehicles: Operates more than 70,000 vehicles on the road everyday

Passengers: Serves more than 5 million customers every day

Locations: Operates in 45 states and nine Canadian provinces