Purchase of Own Securities

FirstGroup PLC
19 December 2001


19 December 2001

                                FirstGroup plc


              Buyback of 78,306 ordinary shares for cancellation

FirstGroup announces that on 19 December 2001 it purchased for cancellation
78,306 ordinary shares of 5p each at a price of 264p per share.

Since FirstGroup started to buyback its ordinary shares on 16 November 2001 it
has repurchased for cancellation a total of 1,200,000 ordinary shares leaving
419,930,947 ordinary shares in issue.