Islwyn Borough Transport was a Welsh bus operator providing services around
Blackwood, Caerphilly
Blackwood ( cy, Coed Duon) is a town, community and an electoral ward on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys administered as part of Caerphilly County Borough. It is located within the historic county of Monmouthshire.
The town hou ...
, and surrounding towns in the former Borough of
Islwyn
The Borough of Islwyn was one of five local government districts of Gwent from 1974 to 1996.
History
The borough was formed in 1974 as a local government district of Gwent. It covered the whole area of three former districts and part of a fou ...
between 1974 and 2010.
History
Islwyn Borough Transport was formed on the creation of the Borough of
Islwyn
The Borough of Islwyn was one of five local government districts of Gwent from 1974 to 1996.
History
The borough was formed in 1974 as a local government district of Gwent. It covered the whole area of three former districts and part of a fou ...
in April 1974. The area had previously been part of West Monmouthshire. From 1926, it had been served by the
West Monmouthshire Omnibus Board, which, as MynyddIslwyn Urban District Council, was a joint operation with Bedwellty Urban District Council. It was expanded by taking over some of the services and vehicles of three local operators. A depot in
Blackwood High Street was used from 1926 to 1984, when a new depot in
Pontllanfraith
Pontllanfraith ( cy, Pontllanfraith ) is a large village and community located in the Sirhowy Valley in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is situated adjacent to the town of Blackwood, with t ...
was opened. A second change in local government saw Islwyn become part of
Caerphilly County Borough
Caerphilly County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It is governed by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
Its main and largest town is Caerphilly. Other towns in the county borough are B ...
in April 1996, and control of the company passed to
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 ...
.
In November 2009, it was announced that the Borough Council had agreed to sell the company to
Stagecoach.
[Tiny bus company plans to sell up to national carrier]
''WalesOnline
Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd.
History
The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...
'' 5 November 2009 The move attracted some criticism within the region, as no other potential buyers had been consulted: local bus operator Clayton Jones stated that he would have made a bid had the proposal been openly discussed. It was also noted that the council had lost around £15 million after the collapse of an Icelandic bank during the
Late-2000s financial crisis earlier in the year. The council described claims that the two events were linked as a "wild accusation", noting that Stagecoach intended to retain all Islwyn staff members. The deal was concluded in early January 2010, with Islwyn's operations integrated with those of
.
''Caerphilly Observer'' 13 January 2010 At the time of the sale, it was the smallest of the remaining municipal bus companies
A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom.
Most municipal bus companies disappeared between 1968 and 1974 before (o ...
.
Operations
Bus routes
Prior to its sale in 2010, Islwyn operated 18 local bus routes centred on Caerphilly and Blackwood, taking in 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 ...
and Bargoed
Bargoed ( cy, Bargod) is a town and community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly. It straddles the ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, wit ...
. School contracts were also operated, but no services were run on Sundays.[
Its routes are now operated by .]
Coaches
The company operated coaches from 1988. Independent operator Paul Diaper Tours was taken over in 1991, and the coaching division rebranded to Kingfisher Travel. The operations were sold to Diamond Holidays in 2009.
References
External links
Welsh-Transport-Heritage
- a look back in time at the history of Islwyn Borough Transport and its predecessors
The Welsh Heartlands Transport Festival
- A website celebrating the history of Caerphilly UDC and Bedwas & Machan UDC motor bus departments which both started in the year 1917
{{Defunct British Bus Companies
Former bus operators in Wales
Transport in Newport, Wales
1974 establishments in Wales
2010 disestablishments in Wales