First Berkshire, already running the Runnymede First Student service, won the contract from Surrey County Council in 2005 to operate the Ride Pegasus!

FirstGroup suggested that their research shows 86% of British parents would like to send their children to school in dedicated buses.

[citation needed] In contrast to the North American division, where school busing is a primary function, First Student UK takes advantage of the existence of a First Group operating base throughout the country.

Yellow School Bus schemes are run on behalf of the local authority by an existing subsidiary of First or sub-contracted to an independent operator where they do not have a presence.

[citation needed] One of the biggest schemes, First Halifax was the largest provider of yellow school buses on behalf of West Yorkshire Metro.

The scheme, which required 22 buses,[11] served 14 primary schools in the Guildford area and carried 850 children each day for a cost of £900,000 per year.

[12] Some non-school "Access Bus" services, primarily for senior citizens, were also run, as was the Guildford park & ride route 300 to Merrow.

Ride Pegasus stopped running on 23 July 2010, at the end of the 2010 school year, due to the withdrawal of financing by the council.

[14] In April 2005 the Department of Transport branded the plan, now known as the Pegasus School Bus Project, "low value for money" and decided not to fund a pilot scheme.

[15] However, by January 2006 funding had been arranged for a pilot scheme to begin at Tillingbourne School in Chilworth, with an official launch on 17 March 2006.