LONDON — Ready10 has been retained to handle PR and communications for leading UK transport operator First Bus, after a competitive pitch.

The agency’s brief for the brand – part of FTSE-listed bus and train operator FirstGroup, which has a market cap of more than £1 billion – includes consumer and trade media relations, as well as supporting with corporate reputation management and crisis communications.

As well as running the day-to-day press office, the Ready10 team, led by associate director Amy Ronge, is tasked with delivering creative campaigns throughout the year, aligned with the brand’s ambition of getting more people to travel by bus.

The company recently announced it would be making an investment of £89 million in zero-emission buses; First Bus has pledged to operate a wholly zero-emission fleet by 2035.

First Bus director of communications and engagement Charlotte Butler said: “We are on an exciting journey to transform our business and to do that we need a completely fresh approach to how we present ourselves as a brand.

"The team at Ready10 instantly got what we are trying to achieve and bought into the challenge ahead. Their blend of insight-driven creativity, coupled with a thorough understanding of not only our business, but also the commercial and political factors our business is facing, is exactly what we’re looking for in a new agency partner.”

Ready10 founder and MD David Fraser added: “The bus itself is a great connector, part of the fabric of our culture and something really important to millions of people. That makes it an incredibly rich territory for PR that will enable us to conduct some memorable campaigns. We’ve already built a strong relationship with the PR and comms team who were so helpful and collaborative from the get-go – we’re excited to get out of the depot and onto the road.”

First Bus joins McDonald’s, Sky, Kind Snacks, Renault UK and Paddy Power on Ready10’s client roster.