First Bus backs growth of Yorkshire coach businesses with £4.5 million investment
First Bus is continuing to strengthen its Yorkshire coach businesses, with more than £4.5 million invested in new vehicles and operational improvements across York Pullman, Tetley’s Coaches and J&B Travel.
The investment follows First Bus’s acquisition of York Pullman in 2024, alongside the more recent acquisitions of Tetley’s Coaches and J&B Travel in 2025, strengthening First Bus’s presence in the Yorkshire coach sector while supporting the continued development of three well-established local operators.
As part of the programme, 17 new coaches have been introduced across the three companies over the last 12 months, alongside wider plans for depot improvements, vehicle wash facilities, technology upgrades and operational enhancements.
Together, the three operators run more than 230 vehicles and employ hundreds of people across North and West Yorkshire. They provide a wide range of services including school transport, private hire, rail replacement, sports travel, corporate travel and scheduled coach services, connecting communities across Yorkshire and beyond.
The new coaches offer modern, accessible travel for customers, with wheelchair access, enhanced passenger comfort and the latest low-emission engine technology. Several of the new vehicles are being deployed on J&B Travel’s growing FlixBus services, helping strengthen long-distance coach connections between Yorkshire and destinations across the UK.
David Hough, Coaching Director of First Bus’s Yorkshire coach businesses, said:
“The Yorkshire coach operators have fantastic reputations, strong local relationships and incredibly committed teams. What makes each of them successful is their deep connection to the communities they serve, and that is something we want to build on, not change.
“Our focus is on supporting the teams, improving facilities, modernising fleets and strengthening our operations, while allowing each company to retain its own identity and strengths.
“The introduction of 17 new coaches across our Yorkshire operations demonstrates our commitment to providing modern, accessible and reliable vehicles for customers, while creating a strong platform for the future.
“There is huge opportunity across the coach sector, whether that is home-to-school transport, private hire, special event and sports travel, or scheduled coach services. We are already seeing strong demand across the companies, and we want to continue building high-quality, reliable operations that customers can trust.”
York Pullman, headquartered in York, operates around 160 vehicles across nine sites and delivers a wide range of services including home-to-school transport, corporate travel, private hire, local bus services, rail replacement and sports travel. Leeds-based Tetley’s Coaches operates around 60 vehicles and has a strong presence in school transport, private hire and supporter travel, while fellow Leeds operator J&B Travel continues to grow its express coach, private hire, sports travel and rail replacement operations.
David added: “These are well-established operators with real ambition for the future. We are investing not just in vehicles and infrastructure, but in building resilient, modern coach operations that will continue to serve customers and communities for many years to come.”