First Transit
Encyclopedia
First Transit, a division of FirstGroup America, is a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

-based subsidiary of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-based FirstGroup. It provides contract public transit
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 and paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....

 services, transit management services and transit consulting throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. First Transit is a sister company to First Student, which provides school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...

 services in the same geographic market.

First Transit was created in 1999 when FirstGroup acquired Ryder Public Transportation Services Inc. from Ryder
Ryder
Ryder System, Inc. , or Ryder, is an American-based provider of transportation and supply chain management products, and is especially known for its fleet of rental trucks. Ryder specializes in fleet management, supply chain management and dedicated contracted carriage. Ryder operates in North...

. In 2007 First Transit acquired Cognisa, a company specializing in shuttle services.
In 2007 FirstGroup acquired Laidlaw
Laidlaw
Laidlaw, organized as Laidlaw International, Inc. , was a predecessor corporation of First Student , a US subsidiary of the Scottish transport firm FirstGroup plc...

, and merged Laidlaw's transit operations with First Transit.

As of 2007, First Transit operates in 235 locations in North America, including locations in 41 US states, 5 Canadian provinces/territories and in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. A total of 15,500 employees operate 7,100 buses that cover over 260 million annual fleet miles.

First Transit generally contracts to provide specific services to public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...

 authorities or contracts to manage the whole transportation business of such authorities. Most transit vehicles operated by First Transit are owned by and carry the brands of the contracting authority. The corporate brand of FirstGroup is therefore much less visible in the US than it is in the UK, where most FirstGroup buses operate under the First brand and carry the distinctive corporate livery.

Controversy

Crimson Ride Strike – In 2009, drivers employed by First Transit to operate the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

’s CrimsonRide
CrimsonRide
The CrimsonRide is an area bus service serving the students, staff, faculty, and general public on and around the University of Alabama's campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The CrimsonRide is operated by First Transit, under contract with UA's Department of Transportation Services, and commenced...

 shuttle service voted unanimously to join the Amalgamated Transit Union
Amalgamated Transit Union
The Amalgamated Transit Union is a labor union in the United States and The Amalgamated Transit Union Canadian Council in Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries...

. The drivers earned less than $10 per hour with no benefits, while similarly situated drivers at the University of Texas at Austin (also contracted to First Transit) could earn about $17 per hour if they stuck with the job long enough. After almost a year of negotiations, ATU members carried out a one-day strike on March 1, 2010 to improve their wages and working conditions. University students walked the picket line with the drivers and rallied support across campus with slogans like, “Students support the strike!” and “Walk or bike, respect the strike!”. Supportive students also distributed fliers to their peers. In response to the service disruption, the University of Alabama released a statement indicating that it would search for another transit provider if First Transit could not settle a contract with the drivers. The University also stated that its payment to First Transit was large enough to provide the drivers with an adequate wage. On March 9, Crimson Ride drivers finally ratified their first contract, securing a $1.50 per hour wage increase. However, the drivers still lack paid sick leave.

Class Action Lawsuit – Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union
Amalgamated Transit Union
The Amalgamated Transit Union is a labor union in the United States and The Amalgamated Transit Union Canadian Council in Canada, representing workers in the transit system and other industries...

 filed a class action lawsuit against First Group subsidiaries First Student and First Transit for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Fair Credit Reporting Act
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a United States federal law that regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information, including consumer credit information. Along with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act , it forms the base of consumer credit rights in the United States...

 in October 2009. The plaintiffs claim that employees were illegally fired after the companies hired a third party vendor to perform credit checks. According to the Act, First had to notify employees of any potential adverse actions resulting from the credit check and allow employees an opportunity to dispute the accuracy of the results. The suit was filed in federal district court in Illinois.

First Transit Employee Dies – Questions surround the death of a First Transit employee in Houston, TX. On March 10, 2010 a co-worker found the driver collapsed in a METRO
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...

 vehicle. Co-workers claim that the driver radioed the dispatcher several times, complaining of feeling ill; but, the dispatcher told the driver to stay on the job. First Transit told ABC 13
KTRK-TV
KTRK-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Houston, Texas...

that there was no indication that the driver was seriously ill, while METRO originally stated that there was no evidence that the driver had contacted the dispatcher. METRO is investigating the incident.

External links




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