REG-FirstGroup PLC: Statement re Denton County A-train contract <Origin Href="QuoteRef">FGP.L</Origin>

FirstgroupAnnouncement

20/07/2016 15:05

FIRSTGROUP PLC
STATEMENT RE: DENTON COUNTY A-TRAIN CONTRACT

FirstGroup plc (the 'Group') is pleased to welcome the announcement by the
Denton County Transportation Authority (‘DCTA’) Board of Directors that
First Transit has been awarded the contract to operate and maintain the
A-train commuter rail service. The A-train is a 21-mile regional rail system
connecting Denton and Dallas Counties in the state of Texas. DCTA has five
A-train stations; two in Denton and three in Lewisville. The A-train also
connects with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) at their Trinity Mills
Station in Carrollton where passengers can transfer to the DART Green Line and
gain access to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. First Transit and DCTA’s new
contract agreement, which covers a period of nine years with an additional
five-year option, will go into effect 1 October 2016, and will earn revenues
of approximately USD9m per year.

First Transit already has a strong presence in the area through a transit
management contract with DCTA. The Group’s First Student division operates
buses in Lewisville within the same county, and the Greyhound division is
headquartered in nearby Dallas. FirstGroup continues to explore opportunities
for future growth which meet its criteria for returns and create long-term
sustainable value, while ensuring focus on core operations. The US rail sector
offers a number of potential opportunities in a market that is increasingly
focused on outsourcing.

Commenting, Tim O’Toole, FirstGroup Chief Executive said:

“We are very pleased that the Denton County Transit Authority has awarded us
the contract for A-train service; our first rail contract in North America.
This contract for A-train service represents an exciting new development for
the Group and we welcome the opportunity to develop and share our rail
expertise with a progressive partner such as the Denton County Transportation
Authority. Our US rail team blends our significant experience in rail in the
UK with North American transit expertise in both rail and bus. We look forward
to building on this success as we explore further opportunities in the
sector.”

Jim Cline, DCTA President said:

“We’re excited to extend our partnership with First Transit to our A-train
rail operations and maintenance. First Transit’s innovative solutions in
rail infrastructure maintenance will enable us to provide enhanced rail
services for the many communities we serve.”

Contacts at FirstGroup:
Ian Wheeler, Group External Communications Officer
Faisal Tabbah, Head of Investor Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354

Contacts at Brunswick PR:
Michael Harrison / Andrew Porter, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959

Notes
FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is a leading transport operator in the UK and
North America. With £5.2 billion in revenues and 110,000 employees, we
transported around 2.2 billion passengers last year. Each of our five
divisions is a leader in its field: In North America, First Student is the
largest provider of student transportation with a fleet of around 47,000
yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest providers of
outsourced transit management and contracting services, while Greyhound is the
only nationwide operator of scheduled intercity coach services. In the UK,
FirstGroup is one of Britain's largest bus operators running a fleet of some
6,200 buses, and we are one of the country's most experienced passenger rail
operators, carrying around 140 million passengers last year.

Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world...
keeping people moving and communities prospering.

Visit our website at www.firstgroupplc.com and follow us @firstgroupplc on
Twitter.



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