Newport Bus
{{Short description|Municipal bus operator in Newport, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox bus company
| name = Newport Bus
{{Lang|cy|Bws Casnewydd}}
| logo = Newport Transport logo.png
| logo_alt =
| image = 2024 Yutong U11DD.jpg
| image_caption = Yutong U11DD in July 2024
| company_slogan = Make The Switch
| parent = Newport City Council
| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1901|07|01}}
| commenced =
| ceased =
| defunct =
| headquarters = Corporation Road, Newport
| locale = Newport, Wales
| service_area = South Wales Forest Of Dean
| service_type = Bus
| alliance =
| routes = 73 (including school routes) {{cite web|url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/services#timetables |title=Routes & Maps |author=|publisher=Newport Bus|access-date=2 December 2022}}
| stops =
| destinations = Cardiff
Chepstow
Monmouth
Newport
Cribbs Causeway
Bristol
Lydney
Cinderford
| hubs = Newport bus station
| stations =
| lounge =
| fleet =
| ridership =
| annual_ridership = 7.6 million{{cite web|url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/about |title=About Newport Bus|author=|publisher=Newport Bus|access-date=28 April 2020}}
| fuel_type = Diesel
Electric
| operator = Newport Transport Limited{{cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01997971|title=Newport Transport Limited|author=|department=Companies House|access-date=28 April 2020}}
| ceo =
|leader_type = Chair
Managing Director
|leader = Cllr Debbie Harvey{{Cite web|url=https://democracy.newport.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=62|title=Councillor details - Councillor Debbie Harvey|date=2 March 2022|website=democracy.newport.gov.uk}}
Scott Pearson{{cite web|url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/media/a-christmas-message|title=A Christmas Message|date=20 December 2019|publisher=Newport Bus|access-date=28 April 2020}}
| website = {{URL |https://www.newportbus.co.uk/}}
}}
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 municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom.
History
In 1901, the Newport Corporation took over the town's horse-drawn bus service, establishing a municipal bus operation.{{cite magazine |last=Millier|first=Noel|date=5 September 1981|title=Newport plays the Scania variations|url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/5th-september-1981/27/newport-plays-the-scania-variations|magazine=Commercial Motor|pages=27–29|access-date=28 April 2020}}
Motorbus services began in April 1924,{{cite magazine|date=3 April 1928|title=Cardiff and Newport as Bus Centres|url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/3rd-april-1928/63/cardiff-and-newport-as-bus-centres|magazine=Commercial Motor|access-date=28 April 2020}} although the corporation was prohibited from running services beyond Rogerstone and Langstone without the assent of local councils by the Newport Corporation Act 1925.{{cite magazine|date=4 August 1925|title=Bus Developments in South Wales|url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/4th-august-1925/23/bus-developments-in-south-wales|magazine=Commercial Motor|access-date=28 April 2020|quote=These [extra-boundary] services are to be established under the newly obtained powers of the authority under which the assent of the local councils concerned in the routes had to be obtained.}} This prohibition was removed in 1981, allowing then-Newport Borough Council to operate more extensive services.{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/694/contents/made |title=The Newport (Revocation of Restrictions) Order 1981|author=|publisher=Legislation.gov.uk|access-date=28 April 2020}}
By 1985, the Borough Transport Department held responsibility for the town's bus services.{{cite report|author=Newport Transport Limited |title=Newport Transport Limited, Directors Report on the Accounts for the Period 10th March 1986 to 31st March 1987|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01997971/filing-history/OTk1Nzk1MDFhZGlxemtjeA/document?format=pdf&download=0|publisher=Companies House |access-date=28 April 2020|format=PDF}}{{cite web|url=http://www.newporttransport.co.uk/|title=About Newport Transport|publisher=Newport Transport|access-date=28 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031205234958/http://www.newporttransport.co.uk/|archive-date=5 December 2003}} Following passage of the Transport Act 1985, which deregulated the UK bus network and required local councils to transfer the functions of their bus operations to commercial entities, a stand-alone company limited by shares was incorporated on 10 March 1986. Initially named Newport Buses Ltd, the company was renamed Newport Transport Ltd on 9 October 1986, before formally taking over operation of bus services in Newport from the Borough Transport Department on 26 October 1986.
In the 1980s, Newport Transport was the largest operator of Scanias in the United Kingdom.{{cite magazine |date=20 September 1986|title=Newport sticks with Scanias|page=20|url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/20th-september-1986/20/newport-sticks-with-scanias|magazine=Commercial Motor|access-date=28 April 2020}} It also operated Renault 50 midibuses.{{cite magazine |date=7 January 1988|title=Renault order well received|url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/7th-january-1988/17/renault-order-well-received|magazine=Commercial Motor|page=17|access-date=28 April 2020}}
The bus operation was rebranded from Newport Transport to Newport Bus in 2011.{{citation needed|reason=Newport Bus branding can been seen in photos dated 2009 and earlier.|date=April 2020}}
After receiving a £1 million grant from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles in February 2019,{{cite news|author= |title=Electric buses for Cardiff and Caerphilly win funding|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47146844|work=BBC News|date=6 February 2020|access-date=28 April 2020}} the company placed an order for 15 fully-electric, zero-emission Yutong E12 buses. The first demonstrator vehicle, funded by the grant, began operating in August 2019,{{cite news|last=Bird|first=Nelli|date=19 August 2019|title=Electric buses: Wales' first to hit the roads in Newport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-49374665|work=BBC News|access-date=28 April 2020}} with the remaining vehicles entering service in 2020,{{cite press release|date=5 June 2019|title=Announcing our own fleet of zero emission fully electric buses |url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/media/announcing-our-own-fleet-of-zero-emission-fully-electric-buses|publisher=Newport Transport|access-date=28 April 2020}}{{cite news|author=|title=Newport Transport orders electric Yutong fleet|url=https://cbwmagazine.com/newport-transport-orders-electric-yutong-fleet/|work=Coach & Bus Week|date=29 May 2019|access-date=28 April 2020}} the first electric buses to operate in Wales.{{Cite web|last=Burkitt|first=Sean|date=8 October 2020|title=First electric buses in Wales to launch next week in Newport|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/first-electric-buses-wales-launch-19068003|access-date=6 September 2022|website=WalesOnline|language=en}} Following additional funding of £2.8 million from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and commercial partnerships, a further 16 Yutong vehicles were ordered in April 2021.{{Cite web|last=Searle|first=Joshua|date=17 April 2021|title=New fully-electric buses set to hit streets of Newport|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19236389.new-fully-electric-buses-set-hit-streets-newport/|access-date=6 September 2022|website=South Wales Argus|language=en}}
On 1 March 2020, the company introduced the Ticketer contactless payment system on all its routes, a system used by Cardiff Bus since 2018, enabling payment by card and NFC-enabled devices, as well as recognition of QR codes from paper day/week tickets.{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18260923.newport-bus-launch-contactless-fare-payment-sunday/|title=Newport Bus to launch contactless fare payment from Sunday|website=South Wales Argus|date=25 February 2020 |language=en|access-date=15 March 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18219267.make-switch-zero-emissions-newport-bus/|title=Make the switch to zero emissions with Newport Bus|website=South Wales Argus|date=12 February 2020 |language=en|access-date=15 March 2020}} The company also aims to provide ticket sales and journey tracking though a mobile app in the first half of 2020, to be followed by real-time bus information.
On 18 May 2020, in partnership with Transport for Wales (TfW), and its parent local council, Newport Bus transferred some of its routes to Fflecsi, a demand responsive transport service in the city, in which Newport Bus continues to operate the service but is commanded by TfW.{{Cite web|year=2021|title=Fflecsi Service|url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/fleccsi-service|access-date=12 June 2021|website=Newport Bus}} The scheme is to end on 25 September 2022.{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Nicolas|date=12 August 2022|title=Newport Fflecsi bus scheme ending after trial scheme|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/20626949.newport-fflecsi-bus-scheme-ending-trial-scheme/|access-date=6 September 2022|website=South Wales Argus|language=en}}
Services
Newport Bus operates a network of services from Newport bus station throughout the city; services extend as far as Chepstow in the east, including three local services within Chepstow, Monmouth in the north, and Cardiff in the west.{{cite web|url=https://www.newportbus.co.uk/Journey-Planner|title=Journey Planner - Route Timetable 2020 |author= |publisher=Newport Bus |access-date=28 April 2020}} Route 30 to Cardiff is operated in partnership with Cardiff Bus.{{cite web|url=https://www.cardiffbus.com/services/CB/30?date=2022-09-06&direction=outbound|title=30 Cardiff to Newport |author= |publisher=Cardiff Bus |access-date=6 September 2022}}
As of 4 January 2021, Newport Bus operates TrawsCymru route T7 from Chepstow to Bristol via Cribbs Causeway.{{cite web| url = https://www.newportbus.co.uk/traws-hafren-t7-route| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201229223831/https://www.newportbus.co.uk/traws-hafren-t7-route| archive-date = 29 December 2020| title = Traws Hafren T7 Route}}
{{as of|2020}}, discussions are ongoing with TfW for the network to form part of the South Wales Metro rail and bus project.{{Cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/answers-big-metro-questions-how-10526272|title=The South Wales Metro project explained|last=Barry|first=Sion|date=7 December 2015|website=walesonline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802192543/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/south-wales-metro-explained-new-10526272|archive-date=2 August 2019|url-status=live|access-date=2 August 2019}}
The company operates Fflecsi services in two zones (1 and 26) centred on Rogerstone and St. Julian's respectively (overlapping in the city centre), which replaced solely operated Newport Bus routes 1, 1B, 11A and 11C in Zone 1, and 26A and 26C in Zone 2. The service is a trial project, but was extended beyond the initial time frame{{Cite web|last=O'Neill|first=Ryan|date=4 September 2020|title=Newport Bus is not axing its fflecsi bus service after all|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/fflecsi-newport-bus-transport-wales-18873758|access-date=12 June 2021|website=WalesOnline|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Newport|url=https://www.fflecsi.wales/locations/newport/|access-date=11 June 2021|website=Transport For Wales|language=en-GB}} for a further year following funding by TfW. The Fflecsi scheme is to end after 25 September 2022 and Newport Bus has introduced or amended other routes from 4 September 2022 as a replacement.{{Cite web|last=Moody|first=Tom|date=31 August 2022|title=Newport Bus changes as Fflecsi bus trial comes to an end|url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/20846300.newport-bus-changes-fflecsi-bus-trial-comes-end/|access-date=6 September 2022|website=South Wales Argus|language=en}}
The company also offers various commercial transport services.
Livery
The original pre-war livery of maroon was changed to green and cream in the 1940s{{cite book|last1=Thomas|first1=DB|last2=Thomas|first2=EA|title=Trams and Buses of Newport 1845 to 1981|year=1982|publisher=Starling Press |isbn=0903434482}} and remained the same until August 2009, when it was replaced with a livery of dark green and white with lime green and grey logos at the rear. From 2018, a new livery of all-over green was introduced.
Gallery
File:Newport Bus Station - geograph.org.uk - 1781614.jpg|Metro-Scania at Newport bus station in 1976
File:NEWPORT TRANSPORT - Flickr - secret coach park (10).jpg|Scania OmniCity at Newport bus station May 2013
File:Newport Bus in Cardiff Central station.JPG|Scania OmniCity at Cardiff Central bus station in May 2014
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category-inline|Newport Transport}}
- [http://newportbus.co.uk/ Newport Bus website]
- [http://www.showbus.co.uk/gallery/wales/newport.htm Showbus gallery]
{{Bus companies in Wales}}
{{South Wales Metro}}
{{Transport in Newport}}
{{City of Newport}}
{{Transport in Caerphilly County Borough}}
{{Transport in Torfaen}}
{{authority control}}
{{Coord|51|35|12.515|N|2|58|57.83|W|display=title}}
Category:Bus operators in Wales
Category:Bus operators in Bristol
Category:Companies based in Newport, Wales
Category:Companies owned by municipalities of Wales
Category:Transport companies established in 1901
Category:Transport in Caerphilly County Borough