2012 – Issue 2 of 4

Amicable talks were held with Cardiff Bus during January 1995 on service revisions and
joint ticketing. Whilst still operating profitably it was obvious that without a further
injection of cash the company would be unable to improve the fleet situation.
With the unknown outcome of an imminent public inquiry, it was decided to seek a safe
haven for the services and staff and to apply for voluntary liquidation.
On 15 th February 1995 Cardiff Bus acquired the business of Golden Coaches and
continued the Llandow services the following day with nine of their own buses. It was
rumoured that the decision to buy Golden was mainly to stop Clayton Jones’s Shamrock
outfit expanding in the Vale.
When bosses from Cardiff Bus came to Llandow it must have been a culture shock as
the working practices were completely alien to them. A new company, Vale Busline Ltd.,
was formed to encompass the operations.
Cardiff Lynx 233 and 243 at the Llandow Yard in April 1995.
(Mike O’Sullivan)
Dave Gee was kept on as depot manager and tried to adopt the Cardiff Bus ethos, but
there was soon conflict. Mr Gee had methods of running a bus company that did not go
down too well with the Cardiff Bus management so he left after a few months.
Mr Gee became manager at Thomas of Barry under Clayton Jones and later ran Cled
Williams business at Pengam. In recent years he has re-kindled the ‘Glamorgan Bus’
fleet-name for his own bus operations from the Cynon Valley.
During 1995, Cardiff Bus had been trying to sell their loss making coaching operations.
In the September, Brewers of Port Talbot were willing to do a deal but only if the
Llandow operations were included.
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