Statement re TransPennine Express franchise competition

FIRSTGROUP PLC (`FirstGroup' or `the Group') Statement re: SHORTLISTING FOR TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS FRANCHISE COMPETITION FirstGroup has been shortlisted for the TransPennine Express franchisecompetition by the Department for Transport (`DfT'). The Group currentlyoperates the franchise which provides passenger train services throughout theNorth of England and cross-border services to Scotland. Commenting, Vernon Barker, FirstGroup's Managing Director, UK Rail said: "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the TransPennine Expressfranchise competition. We are proud to have operated the First TransPenninefranchise since 2004 and proud of our success in growing the business. FirstTransPennine Express now carries 26 million passengers a year, twice as many asat the start of the franchise and we recently introduced new, longer, electrictrains on the Anglo-Scottish routes which provide an improved timetable andincreased capacity. We are also the current European InterCity Operator of theYear. We look forward to reviewing the contract details and submitting acompelling and value for money bid which meets the needs of taxpayers as wellas customers and businesses along the route." The current First TransPennine Express franchise is due to end on 31 March 2015and, as previously announced, we are progressing negotiations with the DfT tocontinue operating the franchise until February 2016 when the new contract willbegin. Further information, FirstGroup:Stuart Butchers, Group Media Relations ManagerTel: +44 7713 317979 / 020 7291 0507Faisal Tabbah, Group Investor Relations ManagerTel: 020 7725 3357 NOTES TO EDITORS FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North Americawith revenues of more than £6.7 billion a year. We employ approximately 117,000employees and transport around 2.5 billion passengers a year. Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world… keepingpeople moving and communities prospering. First StudentThe largest provider of student transportation in North America with a fleet ofapproximately 49,000 school buses, carrying some six million students everyschool day across the US and Canada. First TransitOne of the largest private sector providers of transit management andcontracting in North America. We manage public transport systems on behalf ofcity transit authorities, are one of the largest university campus and airportshuttle bus providers in the US and also manage paratransit operations, callcentres and other transit activities. First Services, a division of FirstTransit, is the one of the largest private sector providers of fleetmaintenance for public sector customers such as the Federal Government and fireand police departments. GreyhoundGreyhound is the only national provider of scheduled intercity coach servicesin the US and Canada. Based in Dallas, Greyhound provides scheduled passengerservices to 3,800 destinations carrying approximately 18 million passengers ayear. Our point-to-point service Greyhound Express now serves more than 120markets and we also operate further tailored brands for local markets includingBoltBus and YO! Bus. UK BusFirstGroup is one of Britain's largest bus operators with around a fifth of busservices outside London. A fleet of some 6,400 buses carries approximately 1.6million passengers a day in a huge number of communities including 40 of theUK's largest towns and cities. We operate Greyhound UK providing regularintercity coach services linking South Wales and Bristol Airport, and we alsooperate some US-style yellow school buses and have a fleet of coaches availablefor charter. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland. UK RailFirstGroup operates approximately a quarter of the UK passenger rail network,with a balanced portfolio of intercity, commuter, regional and sleeperservices, carrying more than 330 million passengers a year. o We are the UK's largest rail operator with four passenger franchises -First Capital Connect, First Great Western, First ScotRail and FirstTransPennine Express - and one open access operator, First Hull Trains. o We operate the London Tramlink network on behalf of Transport forLondon carrying more than 31 million passengers a year and the Heathrow Connectservice in partnership with Heathrow Airport. For more information about FirstGroup and our divisions please visitwww.firstgroupplc.com