page_title: GRT Group
hierarchical_section_title: GRT Group
caption_attribution_description: English: First Aberdeen bus 544 (reg. P544 BSS), a 1997 Mercedes-Benz O 405 single-decker with Optare Prisma bodywork, pictured at the stops on Union Street in Aberdeen. At the time of this photograph it was just over a year old, having been delivered new to the company in February 1997 when it was, as Grampian Regional Transport Ltd, a subsidiary of the FirstBus plc group. FirstBus employed a corporate identity of applying a standard typeface and flying f logo to each subsidiary's own fleetname and livery (which in GRT's case was simply 'Grampian' and this cream with green scheme). The additional Gold Service branding was part of a quality improvement drive by the company, associated with the delivery of new vehilces like this. The days of this corporate scheme were numbered however. Days earlier, on 27 February 1998, Grampian Regional Transport Ltd had been renamed First Aberdeen Ltd, as part of the process that saw FirstBus become FirstGroup, and the adoption of an even more uniform corporate style, with a standard livery of white, pink and purple and 'First' f fleetnames in the same corporate typeface, for all companies. Subsidiaries would only being identified by a much smaller geographic identifier tucked away over the wheelarches (in GRT's case being 'Aberdeen'). This was initially only to be applied to new buses, to mark them out as the new style of low floor buses. 544, being one of the last step entrance designed buses, was instead treated to a hybrid version, whereby the local livery was left as is, but the large 'Grampian' fleetname was removed leaving a space, and the First f fleetname / Aberdeen identifier applied in green. Eventually the last remaining step entrance buses also received the corporate livery. 544 also eventually received the national fleetnumber 60444. It was later transferred to First Manchester.
context_page_description: GRT Group was a bus operating company in the United Kingdom from 1989 until 1995. It was formed when Grampian Regional Transport was privatised. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Scotland. In April 1994, GRT Group was listed on the stock exchange, and in June 1995 merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus.
context_section_description: GRT Group was a bus operating company in the United Kingdom from 1989 until 1995. It was formed when Grampian Regional Transport (GRT) was privatised. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Scotland. In April 1994, GRT Group was listed on the stock exchange, and in June 1995 merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus.
caption: First Aberdeen Optare Prisma bodied Mercedes-Benz O405 in March 1998
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