First in name only (First Group Buses)

Member Name: tangoman84

Product:	First Group Buses
Date:	16/10/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good amount of routes, regular services

Disadvantages: Expensive, poor drivers, disgusting buses, no change offered, could not care less about customers

I work an hours bus journey from where I live and simply refuse to pay the prices that First Scotrail charge for the journey so for over 2 years I had no other option than to use First Bus and thank goodness all is over with my need for anything from them.

Like I say my bus journey is an hour long (each way) on a daily basis through the week (thankfully I don't work weekends). Each morning I would jump on an old and dirty bus with a driver who could not care less about the fact he saw you each and every day of the working week.
The company charges for a weekly pass for Greater Glasgow £14.50 which I always thought was excellent value as they charge £3.50 for an all day pass but boy was I ever wrong. Recently McColls buses started to operate on the same route and whilst the buses are of the same age they are always clean, the drivers are good and remember you and for a weeks pass it is £7 or £2 for an all day ticket for the same travel.
The bus drivers for First are very grumpy and never offer you any kind of help or warmth with myself having experienced a driver who spoke to himself throughout a journey and seemed drunk, a driver stall whilst turning onto a dual carriageway and nearly crashing into the central reserve and even a driver complain at me for using change in the form of 5 and 10 pences which is due to the company not offering change (McColls thankfully offer change).
I have always hated using First as the bus drivers make the journey feel unsafe thanks to their ridiculous speeds yet they feel it is ok to sit and wait at a bus stop for 10 minutes to run to their timetable.
I have never liked First as a company and thankfully now don't have to deal with them.

Positives:

- Regular buses
- Numerous routes

Negatives:

- Poor drivers
- Unclean and uncomfy buses
- Expensive
- No change offered
- Lack of customer care

I have not had many good experiences of First and now don't use them so can stop having all of the negative experiences.

Summary: First only get 2 stars for regular buses and large amount of routes