First East Anglia
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First Eastern Counties is a major bus operator in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Part of First Group it is the marketing name of First Eastern Counties Buses Ltd, formerly Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Ltd.
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[edit] History
The company was formed in 1931 by the combination of four existing bus companies in East Anglia, the earliest of which started operations in 1902. Eastern Counties operated throughout Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the Soke of Peterborough. The company was a subsidiary of Tilling and British Automobile Traction Limited (TBAT).
In 1933 services in the city of Norwich were taken over with the acquisition of the local tram company, the trams being withdrawn in 1935 in favour of buses.
In 1942 the TBAT group was broken up and Eastern Counties passed to the Tilling Group. In 1948 Tilling's bus interests were sold to the government, and Eastern Counties was nationalised as a company under the control of the British Transport Commission (BTC).
In 1962 the BTC bus companies passed to the Transport Holding Company (THC). While still state-owned, THC companies were required to act as commercial concerns. In 1969 Eastern Counties became part of the National Bus Company.
The bus operations of Waveney District Council were taken over in 1977 after a recast of services left municipal operation unviable.
In preparation for bus deregulation and privatisation the western part of the company, comprising operations in Cambridgeshire was broken off into a separate company: Cambus Limited, on September 9, 1984 as were the Company's coaching operations which became Ambassador Travel based at Great Yarmouth.
The company was bought out by the management on February 26, 1987. In July 1994 they were sold to GRT, and by June 1995 GRT merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus. In 1996 the municipal buses of Great Yarmouth Transport were acquired. The whole compnay since 1997 has been owned by First Group.
[edit] Criticisms
[edit] Price Increases
As of November 1st 2006; prices in and and around the Norwich and Ipswich areas have been simplified, though the prices have been increased. Additionally, the return fares have been phased out; it is now only possible to buy two single tickets, as opposed to one return.
