Rhondda Transport Company

The Rhondda Tramways Company was established in 1906 as a subsidiary of the National Electric Construction Company. The NECC was acquired, with all its subsidiary businesses, by British Electric Traction Company (BET) in 1928.[1] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the BET was a major operator of tramways in the UK, and later became one of the biggest operators of motor buses in the UK.

History

The Rhondda Tramways Company was given the franchise under act of parliament to run trams within the boundaries of the Rhondda Urban District Council. The council itself was prohibited from running its own bus service. In the early 1930s the trams were replaced by diesel buses.[2]

By 1956 Rhondda Transport operated over 200 buses, and shortly afterwards it became the largest bus operator in Wales. In 1971 the company was taken over by Western Welsh. Western Welsh was merged with Red & White to form National Welsh, a component company of the newly created and nationalised National Bus Company (NBC).[3]

Subsequent developments

NBC was privatised under prime minister Margaret Thatcher's privatisation campaigns in 1986. National Welsh was sold to its management and began a vigorous expansionist drive, taking over smaller local and municipal bus companies in the South Wales valleys. It collapsed in 1992, and the former Rhondda Transport operations were taken over by Rhondda Buses. This company was taken over by the Stagecoach Group in 1997, and the erstwhile RTC now operates as Stagecoach Wales.[3]

References

Five Decades of B.E.T.; Roger Fulford; published by B.E.T.in 1946
Rhondda Cynon Taf - Library Service Heritage Trail - Treherbert Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
WalesOnline - News - South Wales Valleys - Plenty of changes on Valley buses

Former bus companies of the United Kingdom

National

England

Former bus companies operating in England
North West England	Avon Buses Birkenhead Transport Blackburn Transport Blue Bus & Coach Services Bluebird Bus & Coach Bu-Val Buses ChesterBus Citibus Tours Crosville Motor Services Finglands Coachways First Chester & The Wirral GHA Coaches Glenvale Transport GM Buses Halton Transport Jim Stones Coaches John Fishwick & Sons JPT Lancashire United Transport Manchester Community Transport Maynes Bus Maytree Travel MTL North Western Road Car Company (1923) North Western Road Car Company (1986) Pennine Blue Red & White Services Ribble Motor Services Shearings Speedwellbus Transdev Northern Blue UK North Yelloway Motor Services
North East England	Black Prince Buses BrightBus Busways Travel Services Durham Travel Services Jolly Bus Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company Northern General Transport Company OK Motor Services Samuel Ledgard Scarlet Band South Yorkshire Transport Tates Travel United Automobile Services Venture Transport West Riding Automobile Company West Yorkshire Road Car Company Yorkshire Rider Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Traction
Midlands	Barton Transport Birmingham City Transport Birmingham Motor Traction Central Buses Chase Coaches First Northampton Glossopdale Bus Company Go West Midlands Ludlows North Birmingham Busways People's Express Premiere Travel Probus Management South Notts Bus Company Stevensons of Uttoxeter Travel de Courcey Travel Merry Hill Travel Your Bus Yourbus Zak's Buses
East of England	Eastern National Omnibus Company MK Metro
South West England	Abus Alexcars Badgerline Bristol Omnibus Company Crosville Motor Services Devon General Greyhound Motors Great Western Railway Hants & Dorset Nippy Bus Shamrock Buses South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach Southern National Sureline Trathens Travel Services WebberBus Wessex Bus Western Greyhound Western National Yellow Buses
South East England	Alder Valley Aldershot & District Traction Badger Vectis Boro'line Maidstone Cavendish Motor Services City Clipper Countryliner Eastbourne Buses East Kent Road Car Company Epsom Coaches Fleet Buzz Invictaway Kent Top Travel Maidstone & District Motor Services Maidstone Corporation Transport Marchwood Motorways Moss Motor Tours New Enterprise Coaches Portsmouth Corporation Transport Shamrock Buses Southampton Citybus Southdown Motor Services Southdown PSV Thames Transit Thames Valley Traction Tillingbourne Bus Company Velvet Yellow Bus Services
Greater London	Abellio Surrey Bexleybus Birch Brothers Boro'line London Capital Citybus Capital Logistics Connex East Thames Buses First London Grey-Green Harris Bus Limebourne London Buslines London Country Bus Services London Country North East London Country North West London Country South East London Country South West London Easylink London Electrobus Company London Forest London Pride Sightseeing London Traveller MTL NSL Buses Quality Line Thorpes Tower Transit Travel London Travel Surrey Westlink

Scotland

Former bus companies operating in Scotland
Scottish Bus Group	Central Scottish Clydeside Scottish Eastern Scottish Highland Scottish Kelvin Central Buses Kelvin Scottish Lowland Scottish Midland Scottish Northern Scottish Western Scottish
Other operators	Arriva Scotland West A1 Service Dart Buses First Scotland East First Stop Travel Gibson's of Moffat McKindless Munro's of Jedburgh Oban and District Rapsons Scottish Motor Traction Strathclyde Buses Western SMT

Wales

Former bus companies operating in Wales
Companies	Crosville Motor Services Express Motors GHA Coaches Islwyn Borough Transport National Welsh Omnibus Services Padarn Bus Red & White Services Rhondda Transport Company South Wales Transport Western Welsh

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.