 | |
 | |
| Parent | Mike Edwards |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Llantrisant |
| 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]
100 - Bristol Bus Station- Digbeth Coach Station [Digbeth] Via Gloucester Transport Hub and Cheltenham on selected journeys,
100- Bath Bus Station [Bath]- Digbeth Coach Station.[Digbeth] Via Bristol Bus Station & Cheltenham Spa
401-Swindon Bus Station[Swindon]–London Victoria Coach Station[London]- Queens Drive, Coate Water and Heathrow Central Bus Station.
401-Trowbridge- London Victoria Coach Station via Melksham- Devizes - Wroughton- Swindon Bus Station- Queens Drive [Swindon]- Coate Water[Swindon]- Heathrow Central Bus Station and Earls Court
403-Bath Bus Station [Bath]- London Victoria Coach Station via London Road- Box- Rudloe - Corsham - Chippenham Cepen Park[Sainsburys] and Chippenham the Bridge. Via Heathrow Central Bus Station and Reading Mereoak Park and Ride on selected journeys- Earls Court is also served.
502- Bideford- London Victoria [London] via Yelland- Fremington- Bickington[North Devon]- Barnstaple- South Molton-Tiverton- Wellington[Somerset]- Taunton- North Petherton-Bridgwater- Bristol Bus and Coach Station - Heathrow Central Bus Station and Earls Court [London]
503- Penzance - London Victoria Coach Station[London] via Crowlas- Camborne Cornwall- Newquay- Launceston- Okehampton- Exeter[City Centre]- Exeter [Honiton Road]- Taunton Deane Services and London Earls Court [London]
503- London Victoria Coach Station[London]- Penzance via Heathrow Central Bus Station- Taunton Deane Services- Exeter [Honiton Road]- Exeter [City Centre] Okehampton- Launceston-Newquay-Camborne[Cornwall]& Crowles
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]
Cardiff Central is a major station on the South Wales Main Line. It is located in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, 144 miles 77 chains (233 km) down the line from London Paddington, via Bristol Parkway, and 170 miles 30 chains (274 km) measured via Stroud. It is one of the city's two urban rail network hubs, along with Cardiff Queen Street. Opened in 1850 as Cardiff station, it was renamed Cardiff General in 1924 and then Cardiff Central in 1973.
The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. The GWML is presently a part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail while the majority of passenger services upon it are provided by the current Great Western Railway franchise.
First Greater Western, trading as Great Western Railway (GWR), is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that provides services in the Greater Western franchise area. It manages 197 stations and its trains call at over 270. GWR operates long-distance inter-city services along the Great Western Main Line to and from the West of England and South Wales, inter-city services from London to the West Country via the Reading–Taunton line, and the Night Riviera sleeper service between London and Penzance. It provides outer-suburban services in West London; commuter services from its London terminus at London Paddington to the Thames Valley region, including parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire; and regional services throughout the West of England and South Wales to the South coast of England. Great Western Railway also operates the Heathrow Express service.
Reading railway station is a major transport hub in the town of Reading in Berkshire, England, it is 36 miles (58 km) west of London Paddington. It is sited on the northern edge of the town centre, near to the main retail and commercial areas and the River Thames. It is the busiest station in Berkshire, and the third busiest in South East England.
Newport is the second-busiest railway station in Wales. It is situated in Newport city centre and is 133 miles 13 chains (214.3 km) from London Paddington measured via Bristol Parkway, and 158 miles 50 chains (255.3 km) via Stroud.
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, 163 miles 12 chains (263 km) west of London Paddington station, measured via Box. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, and is operated by Great Western Railway. The station is also served by CrossCountry trains and by the West Somerset Railway on special event days and by mainline steam excursions.
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.
Swindon railway station is on the Great Western Main Line in South West England, serving the town of Swindon, Wiltshire. The station is 77 miles 23 chains down the line from the zero point at London Paddington and lies between Didcot Parkway and Chippenham. It is managed by Great Western Railway, which also operates all of the services from the station. It is the busiest station in Wiltshire, and the fifth busiest station in South West England.
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 previously in Swansea, it is now part of the First Wales and West region which also covers Bristol, Bath and Worcester, with its headquarters in Bristol. With 220 vehicles, it is the second largest bus operator in Wales after Stagecoach South Wales.
The North Devon Railway connected Barnstaple to the growing railway network in 1854 and as Ilfracombe developed as a watering place, it was obvious a railway connection to the town was needed. The hilly terrain was very difficult, but an Ilfracombe Railway was authorised in 1864 but failed when a major shareholder was unable to respond to a subscription call. After several false starts the Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Railway, soon taken over by the London and South Western Railway, opened in 1870.
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.
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.
Trathens Travel Services was a Devon (England) based bus and coach operator, taken over in 1996 by Scottish-based Park's Motor Group. The family owned group came to national attention after running express coach services from Plymouth to London, in light of the Transport Act 1980.
Urban andsuburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the major cities of the United Kingdom. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travellers on a daily basis. They consist of several railway lines connecting city centre stations of major cities to suburbs and surrounding towns.
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 an urban rail network, Waterbus and international airport. Cardiff is a major city of the United Kingdom and a centre of employment, retail, business, government, culture, media, sport and higher education.
In the 2010s Network Rail modernised the Great Western Main Line, the South Wales Main Line, and other associated lines. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their implementation overlapped in the 2010s.
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.
The 1923–24 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's third season in competitive football and their second season in the Southern League. The season runs from 1 July 1923 to 30 June 1924.
The 1924–25 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's fourth season in competitive football and their third season in the Southern League. The season runs from 1 July 1924 to 30 June 1925.
Media related to Edwards Coaches at Wikimedia Commons