 | |
 | |
| Parent | Mike Edwards |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Llantwit Fardre |
| Service area | South Wales , Bristol |
| Service type | Bus & Coach services |
| Fleet | 225 (October 2014) |
| Website | www.edwardscoaches.co.uk |
Edwards Coaches [1] is a family-owned coach company based in Llantrisant, near Pontypridd in South Wales.
In 1925 Edwards Coaches was founded by George Edwards. [2] Over recent years, the company has expanded by acquiring several smaller local firms. Today, their fleet consists mainly of single decker coaches used for holiday tours and private hire but they also have a number of double-decker buses primarily for school contracts and park and ride services. Edwards Coaches carry around 7,100 students to school every day and around 80,000 customers on holidays each year. A small fleet of service buses is maintained to operate a group of local bus services. [3]
On 7 January 2011, Swansea based coach holiday operator Diamond Coach Holidays went into administration. [4] In the week after Diamond collapsed, Edwards took over £1m in holiday bookings (many of these from ex Diamond customers). On 25 January 2011, after talks with administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers, Edwards Coaches agreed to buy the firm becoming the largest coach holiday operator in Wales [5] In 2016, as Silcox Coaches of Pembroke Dock were going out of business, Edwards took over their school contracts and some of their bus services. [6] The local bus services however did not last long and have since been retendered.[ citation needed ]
During the 2021 Go North West strike, Edwards Coaches was one of a number of bus operators who provided vehicles and drivers to operate services on behalf of Go North West along with Selwyns Travel and Midland Classic. [7]
Edwards Coaches are a National Express contractor and as of June 2019 operate services on routes: [8]
From May 2017, Edwards commenced operating more National Express services previously operated by South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach from a new depot in Avonmouth. [9] [10] [11]
As at October 2014, the fleet consisted of 225 buses and coaches. [12]
Newport railway station is the second-busiest railway station in Wales, situated in Newport city centre. It is 133.5 miles (215 km) from London Paddington on the British railway network.
The South Wales Main Line, originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. It diverges from the core London-Bristol line at Royal Wootton Bassett beyond Swindon, first calling at Bristol Parkway, after which the line continues through the Severn Tunnel into South Wales.
The West Wales lines are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The main part runs from Swansea to Carmarthen and Whitland, where it becomes three branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
Transport in Wales is heavily influenced by the country's geography. Wales is predominantly hilly or mountainous, and the main settlements lie on the coasts of north and south Wales, while mid Wales and west Wales are lightly populated. The main transport corridors are east–west routes, many continuing eastwards into England.
First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup with its headquarters in Swansea.
Swansea City bus station is a bus station serving Swansea, Wales. It lies immediately to the west of the Quadrant Shopping Centre.
Transport in Cardiff, capital and most populous city in Wales involves road, rail, bus, water and air. It is a major city of the United Kingdom and a centre of employment, government, retail, business, culture, media, sport and higher education.
Cardiff Central bus station was the main bus transport interchange in the Cardiff city centre until it closed on 1 August 2015. With 34 stands, it was the largest bus station in Wales. It was located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station forming a major interchange. Construction of a new bus and transport interchange on the site of the former NCP multi-storey car park in Wood Street, adjacent to the old bus station, is underway with an expected date of completion in Spring 2023.
A travel to work area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a larger town, city or conurbation for the purposes of employment.
Rail services in the West of England refer to passenger rail journeys made in the Bristol commuter area. 17 million passenger rail journeys were made in 2019-20 within the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath region.
National Cycle Route 4 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from London to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route.
South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach Company Ltd was a bus and coach operator operating school bus services under contract to Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council and coach services under contract to Megabus.
Megabus is a long distance coach operator founded by Stagecoach, it commenced operating in August 2003, initially in the United Kingdom, and later expanding into continental Europe. Some services link with Megatrain services, also operated by Stagecoach. Fares use a yield management model, formerly starting at £1. In June 2016, Stagecoach Group sold all operations in the European mainland, as well as those services linking London with Europe, to German competitor Flixbus. Megabus serves as a contractor, so the sale resulted in no route changes for passengers.
Bus transport in Cardiff, the capital and most populous city in Wales, forms the major part of the city's public transport network, which also includes water, air travel and an urban rail network. Cardiff is a major city of the United Kingdom and a centre of employment, retail, business, government, culture, media, sport and higher education.
Network Rail planned to spend £5 billion on modernising the Great Western Main Line, its South Wales branch and other associated lines. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their development time-scales overlap in the 2010s. The work included electrification, resignalling, new rolling stock and station upgrades. According to Network Rail, the modernisation started in June 2010 and was due to end in 2017. As of December 2019, electrification was complete as far west as Cardiff Central, and also from Reading to Newbury.
Rail transport in Cardiff has developed to provide connections to many other major cities in the United Kingdom, and to provide an urban rail network for the city and its commuter towns in southeast Wales. Today, there are three train operating companies in Cardiff: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.
Wales & West Utilities operates the gas distribution network across Wales and South West England in the United Kingdom. It also provides the gas emergency service and delivers the iron mains risk reduction programme in those areas.
Adventure Travel is a bus and coach company in South Wales. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro.
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Media related to Edwards Coaches at Wikimedia Commons
