CARDIFF AND NEWPORT . AS BUS CENTRES.
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Details of Some of the Many Municipal and Private Services which are in Operation.
BOTH Cardiff and Newport (Mon.) have of recent years become very important centres of motorbus traffic, and the corporations of both placea operate large bus fleets. Ample travelling facilities are also provided by over a dozen fairly large companies, together with a number of smaller cencerns, which provide services to almost every town and village in the surrounding districts.
Dealing first with Cardiff, which has a population of approximately 220,000, the corporation of this city owns the largest number of vehicles operated in this neighbourhood, and about 50 miles of road are served by a fleet of over 80 vehicles of various carrying capacities. Except for a few Commer doubledeckers, which were acquired when the corporation absorbed a small undertaking, the chassis utilized in nearly all the remaining vehicles are of Dennis manufacture, although the buses initially purchased were of the petrol-electric type placed on the market some years ago by W. A. Stevens, Ltd. Incidentally, about a dozen of these buses are still giving good service.
Approximately one-third of the corporation's fleet comprises double-deck buses, and amongst the more recent additions are several 35-seater Dennis Btype saloons. Incidentally, it may be noted that all the single-deck vehicles owned by the corporation now run on pneumatic tyres. '
The majority of the buses is housed at Llandaff North and at the depot near the centre of the city, The tram depot at Newport Road at present provides accommodation for vehicles requiring painting, bodywork repairs, etc., but a new depot is being built alongside it for the use of the buses.
Frequent services are run to Lisvanc,
Cyncoed, 121anishen, Whitchurch, Dori, Morganstown, Creigiau, Ely Estate, Newport and Penarth, amongst other. places, and in the last-mentioned case the service is jointly operated by the municipal authority, White's Motors, Ltd., and South Wales. Commercial Motors, Ltd., which, between them, provide a five-minute service over that route.
There are, as we have already intimated, several important bus-operating concerns in Cardiff and the surrounding district, and amongst these can be mentioned White's. Motors, Ltd., and South Wales Commercial Motors, Ltd. The former company, which has depots at Cardiff and Barry, runs a mixed fleet of over 60 vehicles, consisting of double-deckers, saloons and open coaches. Daintier, A.E.C., Thornycroft, Dennis and the latest-type Associated Daimler vehicles are employed, and frequent services are provided from Cardiff to Barry, via Wenvoe, and via Dines Pawls to Pontypridd and Penarth, and from the last-named to Barry. The Pontypridd route is also 'worked jointly with other concerns.
On the Pontypridd section Oridlands Motors, Tresillian Motors and the Rhondda Tramways Co., Ltd., combine with White's Motors, Ltd., to maintain a 10-minute service. Cridlands Motors and Tresillian Motors also operate over the Barry route, via Dines Powis. Dennis, Daimler and Associated Daimler buses are utilized by these concerns.
The Rhondda Tramways Co., Ltd., also runs a service from Porth—in which its headquarters are located—to the Cathedral Road tram terminus, Cardiff. Permission to continue this route to the centre of Cardiff was recently the subject of an appeal to the Ministry of Transport. The fleet owned by the company comprises about 50 saloon vehicles of Bristol and Associated Daimler manufacture.
The South Wales Commercial Motors, Ltd., has a main depot and offices in Cardiff and a branch organization at Bridgend, from which a large number of the company's services radiates.
Employing some 50 saloon buses, chiefly incorporating Commer chassis, with a few of Lancia and Leyland makes, this concern takes a part in serving the Cardiff to Penarth route, and its other main service is to Cowbridge, Bridgend and Porthcawl. From Cowbridge a connecting service runs to Llantwit Major, whilst at Bonvilston there is a connection for Barry Island.
The company in question started in 1921 in quite a small way with only five buses and, during the past seven years, has built up its present fleet, which operates. on more than a dozen different routes. This enterprising Concern also maintains a parcels delivery service and, in this connection, 14 agents in various districts have been established to facilitate the working of this scheme.
Besides the services described above, there is a number of smaller undertakings the buses of which run chiefly on the Cardiff-Barry and Penarth-Barry routes, with the exception of those of the Coast Line service, which operate between Newport Road tram terminus and Newport by the route which runs near the coast, as the concern's name implies.
These Coast Line motors are owned by Mr. E. J. Davies, of St. Bride's, near Newport, and are all 20-seater Karriers. The concern of Lewis and James, Ltd., which owns the Western Valleys Omnibus Services, also runs into Cardiff, connecting up Newbridge, Risen and Cardiff without the need for changing vehicles, which was necessary before this service came into being.
Lewis and James, Ltd., operates a number of routes around Newbridge and Blackwood, one of the most important being a through 10-minute service from Crumlin to Newport, via Risen and Newbridge.
The company owns about 36 largecapacity saloons on Associated Daimler and Leyland chassis and is well established in this area, having been operat ing some of the services mentioned since 191.
Considering the size of Newport (Mon.)—the borough has a population of some 100,000; which is less than half that of Cardiff—the passenger-transport facilities provided are extremely good and cover practically every main route out of the town, besides a number of subsidiary roads.
Mr. T. Bevis, of Risen, also operates over part of the same route as the Western Valleys buses, his fleet, which consists chiefly of Thornyeroft 26seater, rear-entrance saloons, being run under the name of Danyeraig Omnibus Service. These buses operate between Newport and Rogerstone at intervals of 30 or 40 minutes. Services are also run hotirly from Newport to Machen and at two-hourly intervals from Newport to St. Melons via Basseleg. At Machen, connection is made with buses of the Bedwas and Machen Urban District Council, which run to Caerphilly:
Yet another company serves the Rises route. In this ease it is Western Services, Ltd., of Blackwood, which concern rims a through bus between Newport, Risen and Blackwood, with connections to Tredegar every 30 minutes.
Using 26-seater Lancia and 30-seater Associated Daimler saloons, Ralpff's Garages, Ltd., of Abertillery, also operate5 on the Newport to Pontypool
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route. The Eastern Valleys Services likewise work vehicles over this road, buses running at intervals of 10 minutes. The vehicles employed by the last-mentioned concern are of Commer, Leyland and Associated Daimler makes.
Chepstow is also connected to Newport by Fisher's service. Mr. Fisher runs four 14-16-seater buses using Chevrolet, Dennis and Morris-Commercial chassis, and two 20-seater Thornycrofts.
A through service from Newport to Hereford. via Usk, Monmouth and Welsh Newton, is operated at twohourly intervals by the Hereford Transport, Ltd. An hourly service to Usk is also provided by this company. On thisroute 32-seater Albion buses are in use, and it is interesting to note that the through return fare is only 3s. 6d. for a journey of about 90 miles.
Usk is also served by the R.M.S. service owned by Mr. Rosser, of that town, who uses 26-seater Lancia buses.. Incidentally, other places, such as Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth, are also served from Usk. An important service, which provides a through con
neetion between Newport and Gloucester via Chepstow and Lydney, has recently been established, this being worked jointly by the South Monmouthshire Motors, Ltd., and the Gloster (Red and White) Services, Ltd.
The town and suburbs of Newport are well catered for by the local corporation, which provides frequent bus services to Caerleon, Liswerry, Goldeliff, Christchurch and Fields Park Avenue. It is interesting to note that it has been decided to replace the trams on the Mal pas Road by buses, which goes to show that the Newport authorities are following the trend of developments. The vehicles at present in. use by the ear poration are of the one-man-operated type and total 30 in number. Six of these are 20-seaters and 12 are 32seaters all on Karrier chassis, whilst 12 are Leyland Lion. saloons. The whole of the municipal fleet, it may be stated, is shod with pneumatic tyres.
• The Newport Corporation's tramways department first started motorbus operation in April, 1924, having obtained powers for services in the borough and St. Mellons district 10 years before.