South Wales Transport

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South Wales Transport

South Wales buses (1980).jpg

Willowbrook bodied AEC Regent Vs in Haverfordwest October 1980
Parent National Bus Company
Founded 2 May 1914
Service area South Wales
Service type Bus operator

South Wales Transport [1] was a bus company that operated services in South Wales centred on Swansea and West Wales.

South Wales region of Wales

South Wales is the region of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, mid Wales to the north, and west Wales to the west. With an estimated population of around 2.2 million, which is almost three-quarters of the whole of Wales, Cardiff has approximately 400,000, Swansea has approximately 250,000 and Newport has 150,000. The region is loosely defined, but it is generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, extending westwards to include Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. In the western extent, from Swansea westwards, local people would probably recognise that they lived in both south Wales and west Wales. The Brecon Beacons national park covers about a third of South Wales, containing Pen y Fan, the highest British mountain south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia.

Swansea City & County in Wales

Swansea, is a coastal city and county, officially known as the City and County of Swansea in Wales. Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr on the southwest coast. The county area includes Swansea Bay and the Gower Peninsula. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales and the twenty-fifth largest city in the United Kingdom. According to its local council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. The last official census stated that the city, metropolitan and urban areas combined concluded to be a total of 462,000 in 2011; the second most populous local authority area in Wales after Cardiff.

West Wales

West Wales is the western region of Wales.

Contents

History

Willowbrook bodied Ford outside Swansea station on as part of NBC in June 1980 Buses Along The High Street - geograph.org.uk - 1311884.jpg
Willowbrook bodied Ford outside Swansea station on as part of NBC in June 1980
Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart bus on a First Cymru service in 2000 FirstGroup Wales bus, original South Wales Transport livery, Swansea, 2000.png
Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart bus on a First Cymru service in 2000

South Wales Transport commenced operating on 2 May 1914 in Swansea. It operated bus services that connected with the Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company. It was owned by British Electric Traction. In 1937, buses replaced the trams. [2]

The Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company operated street trams in and around Swansea in Wales from 1878 to 1937.

British Electric Traction

British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.

In 1958, South Wales Transport bought the Swansea and Mumbles Railway which was an electric tram service between Swansea and Mumbles which closed in 1960.

Swansea and Mumbles Railway

The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world's first passenger railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.

Mumbles is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. The name Mumbles is also applied to the district encompassing the electoral wards of Oystermouth, Newton, West Cross, and Mayals. In the 2018 Best Places to Live in the UK report, The Sunday Times listed Mumbles as the best in Wales.

On 1 January 1969, it became part of the National Bus Company. In May 1987, during the privatisation of the National Bus Company, South Wales Transport was sold to a management buy out. [3] It was resold to Badgerline in 1990. [4] It was included in the 16 June 1995 merger of Badgerline with GRT Group to form FirstBus and became part of First Cymru in April 1998. [2] [5] [6]

National Bus Company (UK)

The National Bus Company (NBC) was a nationalised bus company that operated in England and Wales between 1969 and 1988. NBC did not run buses itself, but was the owner of a number of regional subsidiary bus operating companies.

Badgerline

Badgerline was a bus operator in and around Bristol from 1985 until 2003. Its headquarters were in Weston-super-Mare. Initially a part of the Bristol Omnibus Company, it was privatised in September 1986 being sold to Badgerline Holdings in a management buyout. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Wales. In November 1993, Badgerline Group was listed on the stock exchange, and on 16 June 1995 merged with the GRT Group to form FirstBus.

GRT Group

GRT Group was a bus operating company in the United Kingdom from 1989 until 1995. It was formed when Grampian Regional Transport (GRT) was privatised. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Scotland. In April 1994, GRT Group was listed on the stock exchange, and in June 1995 merged with Badgerline to form FirstBus.

South Wales Transport (Neath) Limited

The South Wales Transport name has been revived by a bus operator in Neath. [7] [8]

Neath town and community in county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales

Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales with a population of 19,258 in 2011. The wider urban area, which includes neighbouring settlements, had a population of 50,658 in 2011. Historically in Glamorgan, the town is located on the river of the same name, 7 miles (11 km) east northeast of Swansea.

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Bus transport in Cardiff

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Buses in Bristol

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NAT Group

NAT Group is a bus and coach company in South Wales. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro.

References

  1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 133884 First Cymru Buses Limited formerly South Wales Transport Company Limited
  2. 1 2 SWT 100. Llanelli: Vernon Morgan. 2014. ISBN   9780957404519.
  3. ↑ NBC sale at halfway stage Commercial Motor 16 May 1987 page 21
  4. ↑ Buses. Ian Allan. 61 (648). March 2009. ISSN   0007-6392.Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Badgerline links with GRT The Independent 5 April 1995
  6. ↑ Link-up creates second largest bus group: GRT and Badgerline in agreed £265m merger Herald Scotland 5 April 1995
  7. ↑ Home South Wales Transport
  8. ↑ Companies House extract company no 5295622 South Wales Transport (Neath) Limited
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