Cardiff Bus
Encyclopedia
Cardiff Bus is the dominant operator of bus services
in Cardiff
, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry
and Penarth
. Its hub is Cardiff central bus station
. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council
and is one of the few municipal bus companies
to survive the effects of UK bus deregulation
in the late 1980s.
and the city centre. It had been previously run by the Cardiff Tramway Company. The resultant Cardiff Corporation Tramways spent the next 3 decades extending its electric tram network, and at its peak in 1927 ran 141 electric trams over 18 miles of line.
On Christmas Eve 1920, the corporation introduced its first motor buses
, although the first motor bus route was operated by the Tramway Company from 1907.
The first Cardiff trolleybus
es were introduced in 1942, their introduction having been delayed by the outbreak of World War II
. The intention was to convert the remaining tramway system to trolleybus operation, then to extend the network. While the first stage was completed in 1950, the only extension made to the system was to Ely
which took place in 1955. Although powers had been obtained to considerably expand the network, a policy U-turn occurred in 1961 when the decision was made to replace all the trolleybuses with motor buses. This task was completed in 1970, bringing to an end 68 years of electric traction on the streets of Cardiff.
The Transport Act of 1985
deregulated bus services
outside London and required all Local Authorities to establish private "arm's length" bus companies. In October 1986 the council established its own wholly owned company - 'Cardiff City Transport Services Limited', trading as 'Cardiff Bus'. In 1992, the closure of the National Welsh bus company led Cardiff Bus to extend and intensify its network in the areas and towns surrounding Cardiff, including Barry
, the Vale of Glamorgan
and Caerphilly
. The Caerphilly local network of services including links between Cardiff, Caerphilly, Blackwood and Tredegar
were discontinued in 2001 and are now provided by Stagecoach in South Wales
.
Some loss-making services have been withdrawn and are operated under local authority tender by other companies, including Bebb Travel and the former Shamrock group, now owned by Bebb's proprietor Veolia. Several operate entirely within the City of Cardiff, while some in the Vale of Glamorgan are operated by ESTbus.
In September 2007, Council chief executive Byron Davies unveiled plans aimed at massive efficiency improvements and bringing in additional funding, which would include selling County Hall
, the Cardiff Heliport
and up to 40% of Cardiff Bus. This did not happen and the company remains in council ownership
Cardiff Bus has a turnover of £27million, employs around 720 people, on an average weekday carries around 100,000 passengers. The company uses software systems supplied by UK based software supplierOmnibus Systems, for timetabling, scheduling and publicity purposes. Services are managed using software from VIX ACIS which is also used by Cardiff Council to provide the real-time digital information displays positioned at many stops around the city, used to inform people when the next bus is due and alerting waiting passengers of any delays. Raised kerbs have been installed at the majority of stops.In 2009 the company started to operate the park and ride service from Cardiff City Stadium to the city centre.
introduced by Cardiff Bus in October 2010, allowing customers to travel on its services after having pre-paid. The first 30,000 cards were issued free of charge and pre-loaded with £3 of credit, after which the cards will be charged at £5.
An amount of money is electronically loaded onto the card, either upon boarding a bus or at the Cardiff Bus customer service centre. A passenger then chooses a ticket type. The card can also be used as a season ticket. The card should be topped-up when the balance is low, however the card allows the customer to acquire a negative balance up to £3.
The card can be topped-up in units of £5, £10 and £20 up to maximum amount of £50. The card may be used by persons aged between 6 and 60. The Iff card cannot be used to pay a partial amount. The card would be cancelled if not used for a continuous period of one year
es.
In May 2006, Cardiff Bus invested 4.5m in 19 new Scania OmniCity
articulated bendy buses
to provide much needed extra capacity on the busiest routes, and at 235,000 each show the high specification. Thirteen operate exclusively on the 17/18 Ely route, branded Capital City Red
, and four buses operate on the Bay and City Centre link service known as Baycar
.
On 8 October 2007, Cardiff Bus received 15 Scania OmniCity
s and 13 Scania N230UD
/East Lancs Olympus
in late November, with the final delivered in early 2008.,. These replaced the Leyland Lynx
s, the Optare MetroRider
s, Volvo Ailsa B55
and the N-registration Dennis Dart
s. Six Scania Omnicity buses will operate exclusively on the 27 route, branded Capital City Green, from the city centre to Llanishen
and Thornhill
, with the remainder principally operating on services 28, 29, 29B, 30 as well as the Christmas park & ride services. On the Capital City Green
routes, there are 6 buses, all with a person from Cardiff on the back of them. Bus 721 is Elaine Petersen, bus 722 is Michael Simmons, bus 723 is Jenny Hemingway, bus 724 is Pauline De Rochha, bus 725 is Daniel Bois and bus 726 is Stephen Bailey.
On 15 December 2007 Cardiff Bus held a final running day as a farewell gesture to the Volvo Ailsa, to commemorate 25 years of service to the city starting in March 1982. Cardiff Bus scheduled two Ailsas, 408 (NDW408X) and 436 (A436VNY) to run a number of duplicate services on a large variety of routes. All Volvos with the exception of three, have now passed onto new owners with: 407 and 436 with the Cardiff Transport Preservation group; 404 and 419 with members of the Rhymney Valley Transport Preservation Society.
launched an investigation in 2007 into claims of "predatory behaviour" 18 months after 2Travel had ceased the service and gone into liquidation.
Bus transport in Cardiff
Bus transport in Cardiff, the capital and most populous city in Wales, forms the major part of the city's public transport network, which also includes water, air travel and an urban rail network...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry
Barry, Wales
Barry is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. Located along the northern coast of the Bristol Channel less than south-southwest of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the Barry Island Pleasure Park...
and Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
. Its hub is Cardiff central bus station
Cardiff Central bus station
Cardiff Central bus station is the main bus transport interchange in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. With 34 stands, it is the largest bus station in the city and in Wales. It is located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station forming a major bus-rail-cycle-taxi interchange.The station used...
. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council
Cardiff Council
The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff or in...
and is one of the few municipal bus companies
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....
to survive the effects of UK bus deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
in the late 1980s.
History
While horse buses (and later horse trams) had run in the city since 1845, Cardiff Bus can trace its history back to 1902, when the borough council took over and electrified a tram line between RoathRoath
Roath is a district in the east/north-east of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.It lies just east/north east of the city centre, stretching from Adamsdown in the south to Roath Park in the north. Roath contains the Plasnewydd electoral ward. The name is believed to originate from Irish ráth,...
and the city centre. It had been previously run by the Cardiff Tramway Company. The resultant Cardiff Corporation Tramways spent the next 3 decades extending its electric tram network, and at its peak in 1927 ran 141 electric trams over 18 miles of line.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, although the first motor bus route was operated by the Tramway Company from 1907.
The first Cardiff trolleybus
Trolleybuses in Cardiff
The Cardiff trolleybus system once served Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Opened on , it gradually replaced the Cardiff tramway network.By the standards of the various now-defunct trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom, the Cardiff system was a medium-sized one, with a total of 14 routes,...
es were introduced in 1942, their introduction having been delayed by the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The intention was to convert the remaining tramway system to trolleybus operation, then to extend the network. While the first stage was completed in 1950, the only extension made to the system was to Ely
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
which took place in 1955. Although powers had been obtained to considerably expand the network, a policy U-turn occurred in 1961 when the decision was made to replace all the trolleybuses with motor buses. This task was completed in 1970, bringing to an end 68 years of electric traction on the streets of Cardiff.
Transport Act 1985
The Transport Act 1985 was a Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It introduced deregulation of bus services throughout Great Britain, although a different system of franchised routes was applied in Greater London. It was introduced by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.Bus...
deregulated bus services
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
outside London and required all Local Authorities to establish private "arm's length" bus companies. In October 1986 the council established its own wholly owned company - 'Cardiff City Transport Services Limited', trading as 'Cardiff Bus'. In 1992, the closure of the National Welsh bus company led Cardiff Bus to extend and intensify its network in the areas and towns surrounding Cardiff, including Barry
Barry, Wales
Barry is a town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. Located along the northern coast of the Bristol Channel less than south-southwest of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the Barry Island Pleasure Park...
, the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
and Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
. The Caerphilly local network of services including links between Cardiff, Caerphilly, Blackwood and Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
were discontinued in 2001 and are now provided by Stagecoach in South Wales
Stagecoach Wales
Stagecoach in South Wales is the trading name for Stagecoach in the south east Wales region. The operations centre around the South Wales Valleys, Cardiff and Newport.The head office is in Cwmbran...
.
In September 2007, Council chief executive Byron Davies unveiled plans aimed at massive efficiency improvements and bringing in additional funding, which would include selling County Hall
County Hall, Cardiff
The County Hall is the head office of Cardiff Council , located beside the disused Bute East Dock in the Atlantic Wharf area of Butetown, Cardiff.-Design and construction:...
, the Cardiff Heliport
Cardiff Heliport
Cardiff Heliport is a heliport located in Tremorfa, Cardiff, Wales, approximately 2 miles from the city centre.The heliport is owned by Cardiff Council, but Veritair Ltd have a long term lease on the facility...
and up to 40% of Cardiff Bus. This did not happen and the company remains in council ownership
Operations
Fares
Cardiff Bus operates an exact fare policy and no change is given. The city used to be divided into four fare zones for the purpose of fare calculation, but on 5 April 2009, Cardiff Bus introduced a flat fare of £1.50 for a one-way journey or £3 for all-day travel in Cardiff and Penarth, or £1.40/£2.80 for travel within Barry. Special fares apply for travel between Cardiff and Barry, Newport, the Airport and Llantwit Major.Iff card
Iff card is a contactless smart cardSmart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
introduced by Cardiff Bus in October 2010, allowing customers to travel on its services after having pre-paid. The first 30,000 cards were issued free of charge and pre-loaded with £3 of credit, after which the cards will be charged at £5.
An amount of money is electronically loaded onto the card, either upon boarding a bus or at the Cardiff Bus customer service centre. A passenger then chooses a ticket type. The card can also be used as a season ticket. The card should be topped-up when the balance is low, however the card allows the customer to acquire a negative balance up to £3.
The card can be topped-up in units of £5, £10 and £20 up to maximum amount of £50. The card may be used by persons aged between 6 and 60. The Iff card cannot be used to pay a partial amount. The card would be cancelled if not used for a continuous period of one year
Fleet
The current fleet is composed of 232 buses, all low-floor busLow-floor bus
A low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...
es.
In May 2006, Cardiff Bus invested 4.5m in 19 new Scania OmniCity
Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
articulated bendy buses
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
to provide much needed extra capacity on the busiest routes, and at 235,000 each show the high specification. Thirteen operate exclusively on the 17/18 Ely route, branded Capital City Red
Capital City Red
Capital City Red is the branding of bus services 17 and 18 in Cardiff. The route runs from the city centre to the west of the city, serving the Canton, Ely and Caerau districts....
, and four buses operate on the Bay and City Centre link service known as Baycar
Baycar
Baycar is a bus service in Cardiff, serving the city centre and Cardiff Bay.The service forms part of the wider Cardiff Bus network, but is unique in that the entire Baycar bus system includes its own branded vehicles, bus shelters and boards.-History:The service was introduced in 2006 to connect...
.
On 8 October 2007, Cardiff Bus received 15 Scania OmniCity
Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
s and 13 Scania N230UD
Scania N-series
Scania N-series is a series of city bus with straight-up, transversely mounted Euro IV/Euro V engine at the rear.It is available as N230UB, N270UB as well as the N230UD and N270UD...
/East Lancs Olympus
Optare Olympus
The Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare...
in late November, with the final delivered in early 2008.,. These replaced the Leyland Lynx
Leyland Lynx
The Leyland Lynx is a single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992. It was designed to replace the ageing Leyland National.Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986. From 1990 to 1992 the updated Lynx II version was produced...
s, the Optare MetroRider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
s, Volvo Ailsa B55
Volvo Ailsa B55
The Volvo Ailsa B55 was a front-engined double-decker bus chassis built in Scotland by Ailsa, Volvo's British commercial vehicle agency. It was in production from 1973 to 1985, and was a relatively successful alternative to the ubiquitous rear-engined Bristol VR, Leyland Atlantean and...
and the N-registration Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s. Six Scania Omnicity buses will operate exclusively on the 27 route, branded Capital City Green, from the city centre to Llanishen
Llanishen
Llanishen is a district in the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Llanishen is well-known as the home of the 'Tax Offices', the tallest buildings in north Cardiff and a landmark for miles around...
and Thornhill
Thornhill, Cardiff
Thornhill is a northern suburb in the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, south of Caerphilly . It is a relatively modern area with housing stock dating mainly from the late 1980s and beyond...
, with the remainder principally operating on services 28, 29, 29B, 30 as well as the Christmas park & ride services. On the Capital City Green
Capital City Green
Capital City Green is the branding of the bus service 27 Cardiff, operated by Cardiff Bus. The route runs from the city centre to the north of the city, serving the Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove and Thornhill districts....
routes, there are 6 buses, all with a person from Cardiff on the back of them. Bus 721 is Elaine Petersen, bus 722 is Michael Simmons, bus 723 is Jenny Hemingway, bus 724 is Pauline De Rochha, bus 725 is Daniel Bois and bus 726 is Stephen Bailey.
On 15 December 2007 Cardiff Bus held a final running day as a farewell gesture to the Volvo Ailsa, to commemorate 25 years of service to the city starting in March 1982. Cardiff Bus scheduled two Ailsas, 408 (NDW408X) and 436 (A436VNY) to run a number of duplicate services on a large variety of routes. All Volvos with the exception of three, have now passed onto new owners with: 407 and 436 with the Cardiff Transport Preservation group; 404 and 419 with members of the Rhymney Valley Transport Preservation Society.
Controversy
Cardiff Bus's dominant position has sometimes come in for criticism and investigation. In 2004, 2Travel, a company operating significant numbers of school contract services in South Wales, launched low-cost services in Cardiff and Swansea to utilise its stock between the school runs. In both cases, the low fares were achieved by omitting the major bus stations, thereby avoiding hefty access fees. While the services were mostly ignored by First Cymru, Cardiff Bus launched a basic service in competition with 2Travel, using white buses bearing no livery (displaying only the operator address as required) also stopping short of the bus station. The Office of Fair TradingOffice of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
launched an investigation in 2007 into claims of "predatory behaviour" 18 months after 2Travel had ceased the service and gone into liquidation.
See also
- Bus transport in CardiffBus transport in CardiffBus transport in Cardiff, the capital and most populous city in Wales, forms the major part of the city's public transport network, which also includes water, air travel and an urban rail network...
- List of bus routes in Cardiff
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom
- Municipal bus companiesMunicipal bus companiesA 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....
- Transport in WalesTransport in WalesThis article is about means of transport within Wales. The geography of Wales has been a key influence on the development of its transport system, with the main settlements lying on the coasts of North and South Wales, while Mid Wales is lightly populated...
- Transport in CardiffTransport in CardiffTransport in Cardiff, capital and most populous city in Wales involves road, rail, bus, water and air. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network...