2011 – Issue 2 of 4

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David Smith estimated that competition from CK was costing CCT about £90,000 per year but admitted that the 20p flat fare was likely to cost £250,000 in the first six months, DECLINE AND FALL; In January 1982 CK applied to convert their peak services to one person operation and to curtail evening services on the Cyncoed route. Severe snowfalls paralysed Cardiff and CCT buses were suspended at 18.30 on Fri. 8 th Jan. CK could not afford to lose revenue and continued to run where possible on the snow-bound roads and were the only buses running in the city. Even they succumbed and did not operate from Sat. evening to Monday pm. Also in January both CCT and CK increased their fares. At the Traffic Court on 27 th Jan. a spokesman for SGCC said that Ely was very well served by buses and that CCT and NW together provided 23 peak time and 18 off peak journeys. These were considered adequate and the CK application was contrary to the interests of the travelling public and the County’s public transport plan. Ely was also one of the most profitable routes for CCT. CK’s application was refused and they decided not to appeal because of the cost. One of the former L.T. Fleetlines on the Cyncoed Route. (CTPG) CK Coaches Ltd. ceased trading on 14 th Feb. and 34 staff laid off. Debts were estimated at £70,000. Some passengers set up a ‘Save CK’ campaign while the firm hunted for financial backers. A mystery Manchester financier was reported to have offered to back 10
CK but later pulled out. On 18 th Feb. the TC’s gave 14 days notice of the revocation of their PSV operators’ licence. Two days later news was circulated that CK had been rescued. “Now it is up to the people of Cardiff to really prove they want us by using our buses” said Keith Morris. This brief respite was due to the bank agreeing to increase CK’s overdraft. Staff had agreed to a 25% pay cut and daytime only services were resumed on 22/2/82. On 23 rd Feb. Bill Thomas of Swanbrook Coaches entered the scene. He praised CK’s operations and was ‘very interested’ in giving financial backing to them. The South Wales Echo described Thomas as a self made millionaire; his Gloucester based firm owned 70 buses and 5 depots (sic). On 1 st March CK were said to have accepted the takeover bid from Swanbrook and vowed to “run on all routes within a year”. Fresh applications would be made for the Ely, Rumney and Trowbridge routes. The Newport route and express services to London would follow. A number of Swanbrook buses were hired by CK to operate services as its own fleet was depleted due to maintenance arrears. Unfortunately some of the Swanbrook vehicles were also to experience mechanical problems. It was said that the charges for their hire was never paid. The TC’s informed CK that the expiry date for their PSV licence had passed and that a public inquiry would be held on 30 th March. An application for an operating licence for a new company known as RJT6 Ltd. (CK Tours) was submitted, but CK’s operating licence and that for RJT6 Ltd. was lost by ‘All Fools Day’. Meanwhile Swanbrook were negotiating the purchase of CK’s Cardiff garage and said they would apply for an operators licence in the South Wales Traffic Area. It appears that Bill Thomas’s initial enthusiasm for Cardiff operations was not shared by his sons, who were his partners in Swanbrook Coaches. Once CK lost its operating licence any attraction it had for Swanbrook was lost and Thomas decided not to proceed in Cardiff. CK failed because it had not anticipated the reactions of CCT to its services and because it was too dependent on revenue from routes which did not carry enough traffic to generate this revenue. Loss of several school contracts also hastened the failure. The 1980 Transport Act had been introduced by the Thatcher Government to promote private enterprise in public transport and CK was the first operator to test this out in south Wales. Keith Morris was not alone in thinking that CK might have survived had the Conservatives not lost control of the County Council. The dust had hardly settled when in the summer of 1984, National Welsh (then still with the backing of NBC) planned to hold talks with Cardiff Corporation regarding the purchase of CCT. However meetings did not take place as the Corporation decided not to pursue the possibility of a sale. The impending 1985 Transport Act and ‘deregulation’ would have probably meant the end if it.. Had it happened though – what a disaster it would have been. 11
Page 1 and 2: FREE TO MEMBERS £1 TO NON MEMBERS
Page 3 and 4: CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE After a seemin
Page 5 and 6: MORE PHOTOS FOR CTPG; Recently Mr.
Page 7 and 8: Keith Morris said “There was no q
Page 9: An MMC report stated that CK though
Page 13 and 14: CTPG Annual General Meeting 19th Ja
Page 15 and 16: LNY903 - The bus is in generally go
Page 17 and 18: An increase in the road run subscri
Page 19 and 20: After a little rethink on my mould
Page 21 and 22: About the CTPG The CTPG lease the f
Page 23 and 24: Two views of the Jones of Aberbeeg

2011 – Issue 2 of 4

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