Andy’s worked for First Group for over 20 years and has delivered the ground transport for a series of high profile sporting events. Andy has over 30 years’ experience in front line, project management and operational delivery in the bus industry.

He joined the London Transport graduate management scheme in 1983 and worked in a diverse range of departments and depots across the capital before moving to GM Buses in Manchester in 1990. From 1998 to 2007 Andy was an Operations Director and then Managing Director for First’s companies in West Yorkshire before becoming Managing Director at First Manchester in 2007.

Andy’s role at the London 2012 Olympics was to establish the new First Games Transport (FGT) operation, recruit the delivery team and manage the overall project to ensure the successful delivery at Games time. He successfully replicated this operating model at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games,&nbsp;ER2015 Rugby World Cup, Glasgow 2018 and UCLF 2017. Andy is currently Managing Director of First Travel Solutions.

Andy Scholey

Staff

Katie joined FTS in October 2022 in the newly created role of Business Development Director. &nbsp;The role is focused on improving our operations internally and externally to deliver the best experiences to our clients and their customers, as we continue to grow our business.

Katie joined us from e.on Energy (and previously First Direct Bank) where she worked for 14 years in senior operational and strategic roles including leading change, digital operations and customer services during a challenge time in the energy industry.

Our “Why” at First Travel Solutions is Delivering Better Experiences and Katie is leading the team in ensuring this is delivered every time, at every event for our customers. &nbsp;Which means ensuring our people are having the best experience too.

Katie Johnson

Richard is a transport professional with over 25&nbsp;years industry experience at both National Express Group companies and&nbsp;First. He has unparalleled knowledge of sub-contracted provision in the bus and coach sector, along with a background in delivering day to day service delivery for major sporting events, rail replacement and dedicated executive coach services.

Richard most recently was the General Manager of First Games Transport’s team that delivered Spectator, VIP and Media bus and coach services for Rugby World Cup England 2015 across the country.

He’s undertaken contract mobilisations in rail replacement and aviation disruption services. Richard focused on delivering customer satisfaction balanced with supportive client and sub-contractor requirements for rail replacement.

Richard has worked on multiple events from London 2012, Glasgow 2014, ER 2015, UCLF 2017 to more recently Glasgow 2018. &nbsp;Alongside this event work Richard is developing our corporate and consultancy solutions with the commercial team.

Richard Kirk

Say hello to Nic Ryder, our dynamic new Head of Business Development here at First Travel Solutions!

Nic brings a fantastic mix of experience, energy and fresh thinking to our team. With a strong background in commercial partnerships and customer-led growth strategy, she’s here to help us continue delivering safe, sustainable and seamless transport solutions across the UK.

Before joining FTS, Nic led the Membership team at Day Out With The Kids, helping families plan unforgettable experiences. She’s also no stranger to the transport world, having held senior roles with Virgin Trains and Avanti West Coast, where she built innovative commercial partnerships and championed customer experience in the rail and travel sectors.

Now at FTS, Nic is focused on growing our client base, building strategic alliances, and bringing her people-first approach to everything she does. Her insight, leadership and passion for making travel better for everyone make her a fantastic addition to the team.

We’re thrilled to have Nic on board as we continue to support some of the UK’s biggest events and organisations with our award-winning managed transport services.

Nic Ryder

Chris has been with FirstGroup since 2015. New to the Transport industry, Chris brings 12 years of experience in project management and operational delivery related to roles from a variety of industries.

Creates and develops with our partners bespoke systems to support our business objectives, operations requirements, reporting, safety and more. &nbsp;Chris also project manages operations system development and website and ticket sales sites.

Chris’s knowledge and experience with various industries make him a valuable asset that brings experience in the planning and practical implementation of projects.

Chris Lee

Darren is our Client Account Director and will ensure service levels are met and exceeded for all our clients, including Rail, Airlines, Sports and Events industries.

Darren has predominantly worked in supply chain with experience in Rail, in the past and is a key member of our team.

Darren believes people are key to delivering managed transport and with his values of honesty, integrity and accountability we know he will deliver a better experience inside and out!

Darren Chadwick

Darren was fist involved in Event transport in 2006 at the Doha Asian Games. After five years with RBS, the pull of returning to events could not be resisted and took the role of Media Transport Manager for London 2012. After the Games, Darren went on to work with MV Global, working on a number of projects worldwide. Notably he was VIP &amp; Sponsor Transport Manager at Glasgow 2014, working alongside First Travel Solutions.

Since Glasgow, Darren has overseen the Transport arrangements for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, working with all stakeholders, including the Government, Police and Traffic Engineers to deliver a successful plan and embed the plan for future years.

Darren has now joined FTS to manage our various work streams and contracts in relation to sporting events, starting with the UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff in June &amp; IPC/IAAF World Championships in London in Summer 2017 and senior leadership of the European Championships at Glasgow 2018.

Darren now works with the Commercial Director targeting opportunities outside of the UK.

Darren Platts

Mick’s worked in the transport industry for 26&nbsp;years starting as a bus driver. Mick has unrivalled operational delivery experience of major events including the Commonwealth Games Manchester 2002, Farnborough International Airshow 2006 and 2008, London 2012 Spectator Transport and high profile music events such as Boardmasters, Leeds Festival and Parklife.

Currently Mick’s responsible for all aspects of forward planning and external projects for FTS. He also overseas compliance of all operators on the FTS sub-contractors database.

Mick Coombes

Gary’s worked in the transport industry for 20 years, starting as Depot Supervisor for a major independent bus company in the north east of England.

From 1999, Gary spent 7 years as a Senior Public Transport Officer for Suffolk County Council. After that he progressed his career with National Express as a Service Delivery Manager within their rail replacement division.

Gary’s currently an Operations Manager with FTS with the responsibility of the contract with Great Western Railway (GWR). Gary’s a key member of the Major Project Delivery group within GWR and has delivered a number of successful major rail replacement operations. Gary’s been with FTS since 2008.

Gary Trotter

John has worked in the transport industry since 1995, and seen many changes during that time, but his&nbsp;core approach has always been the same: working hard to provide the very best service in terms of safety, reliability and value for money.

The role has taken John&nbsp;from Birmingham to Bahrain, managing large-scale transport operations for both public sector and private organisations. He&nbsp;helped to make sure thousands of football fans arrived safely at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium for the 2017 UEFA Champions League final, liaising with multiple stakeholders and responding to fast-changing transport requirements.&nbsp;

Currently, John&nbsp;is&nbsp;responsible for planning and delivering rail replacement bus services for major UK rail operators and supporting the rollout of vehicle tracking technology to improve the passenger experience.

John Batchelor

Joe’s first role in transport was in 2012 at the London Olympics Torch Relay. That was closely followed by working on the actual Games. He also worked on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia where he was Fleet Manager.

Joe first worked with FTS as a Deputy Bus System Manager at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He’s also been the Bus System Manager at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. After finishing this role Joe joined FTS as a permanent fixture in the role of an Operations Manager on the Great Western Railway rail replacement contract.

Project managing the transport solution for the 2018 Glasgow European Championships was a highlight for Joe, from helping to map out the initial transportation strategy, through to delivering and co-ordinating over 70 vehicles and 60 ground staff each day throughout the event.&nbsp;

It was critical to ensure that athletes, families, officials and media had a fast and efficient event transport experience. They did!

<a name="_Hlk10914411">Joe is currently engaged with the Olympics in Japan via project experts, Blacc, who are advising on transport provision and management. This is a near two-year assignment where he is&nbsp;based full time in Tokyo,&nbsp;consulting on the driver training programme and the planning of player and media transport between the athletes’ village, accommodation sites and venues.&nbsp;</a>

Joe Bryant

Mark joined FTS in&nbsp;2007, starting as a Controller, promoted to Duty Manager and then becoming Control Manager. Mark’s now the&nbsp;Operational Support&nbsp;Manager supporting the 24/7 Control Team&nbsp;and the Coordination Admin Team.

Mark has a 15 year career with BT as a Technical Officer, working as a field engineer in the Lancashire area. His present role within FTS is to manage and support the activities of the Control teams to ensure contractual obligations.

Our Team