First boss comes to last stop with firm

The man at the wheel of the West’s biggest bus operator will ring the bell on his career next year.

James Freeman, who lives in Bath, rose through the ranks from being a bus conductor to the man in charge of a fleet of 600 buses at First West of England.

He has been managing director for six years and overseen a huge transformation as passenger numbers grew and the firm’s fleet of buses was modernised.

The coronavirus pandemic saw several bus drivers in the region lose their lives and passenger numbers slump.

Mr Freeman (inset), who will retire in May, said he was immensely proud of how bus drivers and operational staff at depots across the region had kept the West moving during the pandemic.

Public transport has rarely been far from the top of the political agenda in Bristol and the wider West during his tenure.

He has overseen the introduction of one of the largest fleets of biomethane buses across the country and the roll-out of the sometimes controversial £230 million rapid transit metrobus development in Bristol.

Given Bristol’s chronic traffic issues and historic under-investment in public transport, there have inevitably been some bumps in the road, with complaints about fares and changes to routes hitting the headlines.

But before the impact of the coronavirus on the bus industry, the business had seen growth in passenger numbers of between 6 and 10 per cent a year during his time in charge, as more people slowly began to seek alternatives to driving into Bristol.

First employs about 1,800 staff serving its routes in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and parts of Somerset and Wiltshire.

Mr Freeman said: “I am a very lucky person in that I have been able to spend my career in a sector about which I am extremely passionate.

“From an early age I was fascinated by buses and felt then that I could help to make them run. My first contact with the company was when I boarded a brand new bus on display outside Marlborough Street Bus Station in Bristol in 1968. The man I talked to on that day helped make up my mind day that I would make my career on the buses.

“I got my first paid job as a bus conductor way back in 1974.

“Amongst my proudest achievements has been establishing First West of England at the forefront of sustainable developments in the industry to minimise the impact of our vehicles on the environment and enhance air quality in the areas we serve; the digital innovations we have introduced before and during Covid-19 which is taking customer service to a completely new level; and the strong working relationships we have forged with local leaders to ensure buses are, and remain, a critical and prominent part of a sustainable mobility strategy for cities, towns and outlying areas across the region.”

He added: “Last but not least I have been immensely proud of my team in the way they have helped keep the region moving during the pandemic.

“We have lost drivers as a result of this dreadful virus, who will be forever remembered, alongside our staff across all our regional depots who have worked tirelessly to serve key workers and now those returning to work, school and further and higher education.”