Adventure Travel (stylised as Adventuretravel; formerly NAT Group and New Adventure Travel) is a bus and coach company in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It is a subsidiary of

ComfortDelGro ComfortDelGro Corporation is a multi-national land transport company listed on the Singapore Exchange, operating about 35,000 vehicles in seven countries. It was formed on 29 March 2003 through a merger of Singapore-based land transport compa ...

History

Established in 2008 with four buses, Adventure Travel has now grown to have over 100 buses and coaches in its fleet from May 2020 - with most buses being second-hand from London. Adventure Travel purchased Humphrey's Coaches of

Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...

in 2011, and has since purchased the businesses of VR Travel of

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

in October 2013 and Select Local Bus of

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

in 2015. In February 2018 the business was purchased by

. Adam Keen of

Damory Coaches Wilts & DorsetCompanies House extract company no 1671355
Wi ...

was appointed managing director of New Adventure Travel. It was confirmed in late 2019 that the business is being progressively rebranded to Adventure Travel - with the coaching side of the business being rebranded to Adventure Coachlines. In May 2020, Adventure Travel permanently ceased all operational work in mainland Europe due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, and is now focusing on its

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

bus and coach services.

Routes

Adventure Travel have won various routes in their operation, these include: * Adventure Travel initially started bus routes in

Cardiff city centre Cardiff city centre ( cy, Canol Dinas Caerdydd) is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway sta ...

in 2013, operating tendered local services to

Cardiff Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...

- however, when

Crossgates Coaches Crossgates CoachesCompanies House extract company no 472634
C ...

(trading as Veolia Transport Cymru) ceased operation in the

area, Adventure Travel quickly registered these lost routes - them being the 102, 103, 105, 106 and 108 * In August 2014, Adventure Travel were successful in its bid to operate the Gower Explorer buses, taking over from the former operator

First Cymru First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup with its headquarters in Swansea. History In 1987, South Wales Transport was sold during the privatisation of the National Bus Company in a man ...

on 26 October 2014. * Adventure Travel also took over the T9 TrawsCymru route from

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Cardiff Airport Cardiff Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Caerdydd) is the only airport offering commercial passenger services in Wales. It has been under the ownership of the Welsh Government since March 2013, operating at an arm's length as a commercial business. Pa ...

from First Cymru. The T9 was run by Adventure Travel using

Optare Tempo The Optare Tempo is an integral low-floor, full-size rigid single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel. It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less ...

and was due to be replaced with

Optare MetroCity The Optare MetroCity is an integral midibus manufactured by Optare since 2013. Originally aimed at the London market, the MetroCity is based on the Optare Versa which was introduced in 2009. In the UK market, longer variants of the MetroCity ha ...

, but the route T9 was cancelled before the Metrocity could see service. * Adventure Travel run the TrawsCymru T6 between

Swansea bus station Swansea City bus station is a bus station serving Swansea, Wales. It lies immediately to the west of the Quadrant Shopping Centre. The station has 20 stands for local bus services with three more serving national coach services. Coach services ...

and

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

using branded

s. * In April 2018, Adventure Travel took on the running of the TrawsCymru T1C between

and

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

using a branded

Mercedes-Benz Tourismo The Mercedes-Benz Tourismo (formerly designated as the Mercedes-Benz O 350) is an integral coach manufactured by Mercedes-Benz since 1994. It was initially introduced as the successor of low-cost variant presented in year 1992 ( O340) to the ...

. * Adventure Travel run the remaining

Rail linc rail linc ( cy, linc trên) is a brand name applied to routes formerly operating under the now-defunct South East Wales Transport Alliance- but now operating under NAT Group. History In a number of cases, the services were set up sometime afte ...

routes - them being th
901
between

Blackwood Interchange Blackwood Interchange ( cy, Cyfnewidfa Coed Duon) is a bus station located in the town centre of Blackwood, Caerphilly, South Wales. It is situated on Gordon Road adjacent to the High Street. Background The existing Blackwood Bus Station r ...

and

Ystrad Mynach railway station Ystrad Mynach railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ystrad Mynach, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network. The nearest bus interchange is Blackwood Interchange, away. From 2020, the rail l ...

and th
905
between

Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station is a railway station that serves Cardiff Airport and the village of Rhoose in southeast Wales. A dedicated shuttle bus connects this station with the airport terminal building. The station is ...

and

. However the 901 is currently being reviewed as part of

Caerphilly County Borough Council Caerphilly County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili) is the governing body for Caerphilly County Borough, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The last full council elections took place 5 May 2022. Political control The ...

's budget cut proposals. * In August 2019, Adventure Travel was named the operator for five key bus routes in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. * On 10 June 2020, Adventure Travel announced it was to start operating the Severn Express. The route was branded as the X7 'TrawsHafren' and operated between

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

via

Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...

. The route began on 15 June 2020, taking over from

Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is the trading name of Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited, a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. ...

and ran for a six-month trial period until 31 December 2020. It was run with

Mercedes-Benz Citaro The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is a single-decker, rigid or articulated bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus. Introduced in 1997, the Citaro is available in a range of configurations, and is in widespread use throughout Europe and parts of Asia ...

. As of 4 January 2021, the route is numbered T7 and is operated by Newport Bus. *On 29 June 2020, the G1 route covering Coryton,

Gwaelod-y-Garth Gwaelod-y-garth ( Welsh for ''Foot of the Garth'') is a village in the community of Pentyrch, Cardiff in Wales. Location Gwaelod-y-garth is located in Taff Valley at the foot of Garth Hill, north of central Cardiff and south of Pontypridd ...

Llandaff North Llandaff North ( cy, Ystum Taf), is a district, community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Description It is located in the north of Cardiff and can be considered a two-part ward, each containin ...

Tongwynlais is a village and Community (Wales), community in the north of Cardiff, Wales, north of the M4 motorway in the River Taff, Taff Valley. It is notable as the location of the hillside landmark, . The population as of the 2011 census was 1871. Top ...

, and Whitchurch was transferred to

Fflecsi Fflecsi (stylised fflecsi; ) is a trial demand-responsive bus service administered by Transport for Wales (TfW) and local authorities, operated by local bus operators across Wales. Pilot trials of the service are conducted across Wales, which ...

, a

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...

demand responsive transport Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

service, where Adventure Travel operates the service in Cardiff, in partnership with

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...

, and the local council.

Controversy

In May 2015 the company faced criticism for two adverts on the back of its route X1 buses which showed a scantily clad woman and man holding a placard saying "Ride me all day for £3". Adventure Travel said that the advertising campaign had been a "tongue-in-cheek" effort to target the younger generation and no offence had been intended, but that due to the volume of complaints, it would remove the adverts immediately. In March 2019, Adventure Travel was fined £17,550 for buses not running to registered timetables. The company also had 4 buses taken off the road due to them having defects.

claimed this was due to staff shortages, and the company have since implemented new software with better monitors to make sure routes run the schedule. 2019 saw residents of Thornhill, Cardiff rebel against Adventure Travel's X8 service. The route has since been amended.

Fleet

Barry bus leaving Southerndown - geograph

As of July 2020, Adventure Travel operated around 120 vehicles out of depots in

and

.ComfortDelGro buys New Adventure Travel for £13.4 million
''Route One'' 7 February 2018 The bus service fleet mainly consists of second-hand vehicles, either from London operators or their sister company,

Metroline Metroline is a bus company operating services in Greater London and south Hertfordshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation and operates services under contract to Transport for London. As at March 2021, the fleet consisted of 1,5 ...

. The group also previously operated older vehicles like

Alexander ALX400 The Alexander ALX400 (later known as the TransBus ALX400 and the Alexander Dennis ALX400) was a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders (later by TransBus International/Alexander Dennis). It was one of the ALX-seri ...

and

Plaxton President The Plaxton President was a low floor double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was first unveiled in 1997 on the longitudinal Volvo B7L chassi ...

, but due to the fleet standardisation program they have all been retired. Adventure Travel currently, as of May 2020, operate the following vehicles in their bus service fleet: *

- mainly new, some purchased from

GHA Coaches GHA Coaches was a bus and coach operator serving North East Wales, Cheshire, and Shropshire. It also operated bus services extending into Telford & Wrekin, Staffordshire, Gwynedd, and Merseyside. GHA Coaches ceased trading after entering ...

. Many of these Metrocities are used on

TrawsCymru TrawsCymru is the brand name for a network of regional bus services in Wales, sponsored by the Welsh Government. It was introduced as a replacement for the TrawsCambria network. History Launch plans In 2010, the Welsh Assembly ran a consultatio ...

route T6. Unlike other TrawsCymru vehicles in Wales, the TrawsCymru T6 vehicles are not leased from

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

but are owned by Adventure Travel themselves as they are painted and maintained in-house at the group's depot in Swansea. Another 5 Metrocities are due to operate the

T9. *

Alexander Dennis Enviro200 The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro200) is a midibus that was manufactured by TransBus International and later Alexander Dennis between 2003 and 2018. The original TransBus Enviro200 design was innovative but ...

- mainly new, long wheelbase versions are transferred from

. One of these Enviro200's are used on

route T6. Another one of these Enviro200's, a short wheelbase version, is used on the

901. *

Optare Solo SR The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...

- all new to the company. 2 hybrids variants bought from Reays. * MAN Citysmart - all new to the company *

MCV Evolution The MCV Evolution (stylised as ''eVolution''; internal designation: MCV C102) is a low floor and low entry single-decker bus body built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles. It was unveiled in 2003 as the successor to the MCV Stirling. The MCV ...

- all bought for the group's Newport depot, but have since been transferred to their Taffs Well depot. *

Plaxton Centro The Plaxton Centro was a Low-entry bus, low entry single-decker bus bodywork designed by Bluebird Vehicles and manufactured by Plaxton.Mercedes-Benz Citaro The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is a single-decker, rigid or articulated bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus. Introduced in 1997, the Citaro is available in a range of configurations, and is in widespread use throughout Europe and parts of Asia ...

- face lifts all new, older variants transferred from

Quality Line Quality Line was a bus company based in Epsom, England. A subsidiary of the RATP Group, Quality Line operated bus services throughout the South West (London sub region), South West London and Surrey area, with many under contract to Transport fo ...

Scania OmniLink The Scania OmniLink is a series of integrally constructed rear longitudinal-engined low-entry city buses available on the European market. It is a complete product built by Scania of Sweden. The OmniLink was launched in 1998 with an inclined ...

- new to the company in January 2013 *

Scania OmniCity The Scania OmniCity is an integrally constructed transverse-engined low floor city bus that was available from Scania on the European market between 1997 and 2012. The OmniCity was introduced in September 1996 as the first product based on t ...

- all started with other companies, such as

Stagecoach London Stagecoach London is a major bus operator in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach and operates services under contract to Transport for London mostly in East and South East London as well as some services into Central London. It i ...

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the United Kingdom, British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident 2, ...

- all transferred from

. These are in red livery for dedicated school services. *

Alexander Dennis Enviro300 The Alexander Dennis Enviro300 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro300) is a light-weight full-size single-decker bus that was built by Alexander Dennis and its predecessor TransBus International between 2001 and 2015. The design was the first ...

- all started with other companies *

- transferred to the company following the demise of the Stansted Citylink service to operate on

route T1C.

Depots

N4 NAT bus in Crindau, Newport - geograph

Adventure Travel's headquarters are at Coaster Place in

. However, the company also operate depots at

Taff's Well Taff's Well () is a semi-rural village, community and electoral ward located at the south easterly tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, to the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the Valleys', it is separated from Gwa ...

(

) and

. The group have also previously operated depots at the following locations:

Newport Depot

Adventure Travel previously ran a number of commercial services to compete with

Newport Bus Newport Bus (the operating name of Newport Transport Limited) is the main provider of bus services in the city of Newport, Wales. A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council, it is one of the few remaining munici ...

after Adventure Travel won their school services, enabling them to run bus routes off the back of them. Subsequently, Adventure Travel withdrew from Newport and closed its Newport depot. The only Adventure Travel routes that remain in Newport are the R1 between

Newport bus station Newport Central bus station ( cy, Gorsaf fysiau Canol Casnewydd) is a bus terminus and interchange located in the city centre, Newport, South Wales. It is the largest road transport hub for public services in the county. It is situated on the ...

and

Risca Risca ( cy, Rhisga) is a town in the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. Risca has a railway station, opened on the Ebbw Valley Railway in February 2008, after a gap of 46 years. It is spl ...

, and the Sainsbury's Free Bus - both these routes are run by the group's

depot.

Skewen

Following the purchase of Select Local Bus of

, Adventure Travel ran a number of ex-Select routes and vehicles from this depot. Adventure Travel has now largely withdrawn from Neath and only provides limited services.

Abercrave

Adventure Travel purchased the Abercrave depot when

Crossgates Coaches Crossgates CoachesCompanies House extract company no 472634
C ...

ceased trading. The depot was used for storage but was sold and is now closed.

References

External links

Company website
* {{South Wales Metro Bus operators in Wales Bus transport in Cardiff Transport companies established in 2008 2008 establishments in Wales