CINCINNATI- FirstGroup America celebrates its tenth business anniversary Sept. 13. Transporting 4.5 million passengers per day throughout the United States and Canada, FirstGroup America is the largest provider of surface transportation services in North America, according to the company.

FirstGroup America's history began in Scotland 20 years ago, when Grampian Regional Transport merged with Badgerline Group to incorporate FirstGroup plc.

After much success within the United Kingdom, FirstGroup plc purchased Ryder Public Transportation Services to form FirstGroup America in 1999. The company more than doubled in size following the acquisition of its much larger competitor, Laidlaw, in 2007. This purchase included Greyhound, which introduced FirstGroup America to an even broader consumer base.

Today, the company has more than 96,000 employees throughout the United States and Canada and total revenues of $4.8 billion. FirstGroup America operates in 49 states and 11 Canadian provinces.

FirstGroup America operates five successful business units:

First Student - Transports 4 million children each day to and from school.

First Transit - Carries 160 million passengers every year more than 260 million annual fleet miles.

First Vehicle Services - Provides maintenance support for more than 50,000 vehicles.

First Canada - Operates 11,100 school and transit buses throughout nine Canadian provinces.

Greyhound - Carries 22 million passengers each year, covering 6.2 billion passenger miles.

 "FirstGroup America has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past 10 years," said FirstGroup America President and CEO Mike Murray. "With the increased focus on environmental consciousness and fiscal responsibility, the need for public transportation is even stronger. We look forward to many more years of providing our customers with affordable, reliable, and sustainable transportation solutions."

About FirstGroup America

FirstGroup America is a leading transportation company in North America. Based in Cincinnati, the company provides busing and maintenance services to municipalities, school districts and the general public in the U.S. and Canada. In 2008, the company was awarded the National Safety Council's highest award for safety. FirstGroup America is the largest provider of student transportation and the largest private sector provider of transit management and contracting services in the U.S. and Canada. The company also owns and operates Greyhound. For more information, visit www.firstgroupamerica.com.