Taff-Ely Transport Ltd. 1986-1988
Taff-Ely Transport Ltd was set up under the 1985 Transport Act to assume control of the former municipal fleet of Taff-Ely District Council (see Pontypridd UDC), which took place on the 26th October 1986.
The new company was immediately beset by problems, including the loss of schools and contract services and competition from the minibuses of a local operator on some of its services.
In an endeavour to rectify the situation the company purchased a number of Optare CityPacers in 1987, but the company remained in a perilous financial state. The larger vehicles that remained were withdrawn by 1988 and the fleet size reduced to just 20 vehicles.
This attracted the attention of National Welsh, who accordingly increased its operations in the area. Taff-Ely responded by commencing competitive services against National Welsh, but to no avail and the Company quickly became insolvent.
On the 5th September 1988, Taff-Ely Transport Ltd became the first casualty of de-regulation and was sold to National Welsh, bringing to an end over 83 years of local authority transport in the area, although for a short while at least, the buses used by National Welsh in the town were painted in a predominantly blue livery and bore the fleetname ‘Taff-Ely Bustler’.
This history covers the period of operations of Taff-Ely Transport Ltd. an ‘arms-length’ limited company, which effectively commenced trading on 26th October 1986 with the enactment of the 1985 Transport Act (de-regulation).
In producing this history reference has been made to the following sources;
Taff-Ely Transport (Roy Marshall, Buses No. 412, July 1989); Municipal Buses in Colour (Reg Wilson, Ian Allan 1997); PSV Circle Fleet History PG3 (1980).