UK bus and rail company profits up 9%

British bus and rail operator FirstGroup today hailed an “excellent” performance by its trains as it turned in a 9% rise in half-year profits to £62.1m (€89.9m).

The company said its rail division increased passenger income by 11% while reliability of its key Great Western franchise reached an average of 99.5% in the year to date – the highest level since the Hatfield crash.

The group said that while London bus operations had continued to grow revenues, growth outside the capital had come mainly in areas where it had forged partnerships with local authorities.

First said it was making progress in areas where councils were investing in measures to make bus travel faster, such as bus lanes.

A First spokesman said: “We would like to see more being done to help the bus compete with the car.”