Transaction in Own Shares

17 February 2005

                                FirstGroup plc                                 

                      Buyback of 215,000 ordinary shares                       

FirstGroup plc ('the Company') announces that on 17 February 2005 it purchased
215,000 ordinary shares of 5p each at an average price of 352.2208p per share.

The Company intends to hold these shares in treasury.

Following the purchase of these shares, the Company holds 900,000 of its shares
in treasury and has 397,851,321 shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).