Created 17-Jan-20
Modified 8-Mar-24
Although the principal services covered by this gallery are those that latterly ran from Pontypridd to Porthcawl, this history covers other services which were the other ones operated by Rhondda around Talbot Green (apart from the Cardiff to Treorchy service). Many of these other services were rarely-photographed so cannot be illustrated here as I would like. These include services such as those to Cowbridge and Barry.
These services start with the the introduction by Rhondda Tramways of a Pontypridd to Porthcawl service on 6th July 1925. This was quite limited at this stage with just three round trips daily and an end-to-end journey time of two hours. It may later have been curtailed to a Pontypridd to Bridgend service; certainly by 1928 South Wales Commercial Motors (to become Western Welsh in 1930) were also operating between those two places. They had been bought in April 1927 by the National Electric Construction Company, who also owned Rhondda and this would have promoted co-operation between the two.
By 1929 buses were running from Pontypridd to Porthcawl again and continued to do so for the rest of the period covered by this gallery. The Road Traffic Act 1930 and the introduction of road service licensing helped larger operators to consolidate their position - many small operators hadn't the abilities needed to deal with the licensing system and even though they may have obtained a licence would soon willingly sell out. There were two such operators in Porthcawl, Morgan Weeks and Francis Motors who were bought by Western Welsh in 1933, with Rhondda contributing towards the purchase price of the latter operator.
Following the 1930 Act the service ran from Pontypridd through Beddau, Llantrisant, Talbot Green, Llanharan, Pencoed and Bridgend to Porthcawl. A regular feature of the timetable in the pre-war years was a different timetable for summer and winter periods reflecting the significance of seaside trip traffic to Porthcawl. The service was worked by Rhondda and Western Welsh jointly.
In August 1925 Rhondda introduced a Pontypridd to Cowbridge service through Beddau, Talbot Green and Pontyclun. This was extended to Barry from June 1932 during the summer months only. The final service to start in this period was from Pontypridd to Llanharry, which also ran through Beddau and Talbot Green. This service had been introduced by the June 1932 timetable but by 1935 was already reduced to a Saturdays only operation.
Another service which appears in the October 1926 timetable is one from Pontypridd to Cowbridge and Llantwit Major. The 1929 timetable makes reference to a Cowbridge to Llantwit Major service although this was apparently operated by South Wales Commercial Motors. More research is needed to fit these into the story fully. Cowbridge to Llantwit Major was later worked by Western Welsh eventually becoming their 201 service, but was never a frequent service.
With the onset of World War II all three services were affected in different ways. The Pontypridd to Porthcawl service would see extra traffic from the huge ordnance factory at Bridgend, whereas the Llanharry service ceased completely and the Pontypridd to Barry service was cut back to only operate from Talbot Green to Cowbridge.
After the war a new service appeared in the form of a Pontypridd to Pontyclun service via Cross Inn, which did not serve Talbot Green. By August 1947 an additional Pontypridd to Pontyclun service via Talbot Green was introduced. Then, commencing 17th November 1947 Llanharry was served again with a service from Talbot Green via Pontyclun, running just seven times daily.
The next step was a major reorganisation of these services commencing 19th February 1956, the new services were given the route numbers shown below by 1957:
140 - Pontypridd to Porthcawl via Talbot Green and Llanharan
144 - Pontypridd to Porthcawl via Cross Inn, Pontyclun and Llanharry
150 - Talbot Green to Cowbridge
By the June 1959 timetable these had been joined by a new 145 which ran from Talbot Green to Llanharry via Pontyclun and Brynsadler which had just a handful of journeys in the peaks. After this the next changes were re-numberings. In the early 1960s as Western Welsh started to adopt service numbers the Pontypridd to Porthcawl services were numbered in their series for Bridgend area services and thus the 140 and 144 became the 240 and the 244. From 3rd January 1971 upon absorption of Rhondda by Western Welsh the 145 Talbot Green to Llanharry service became the 501 and the 150 Talbot Green to Cowbridge service became the 502.
By August 1972 the 244 service had been diverted to run via Talbot Green instead of Cross Inn. This led to the introduction of a new 243 circular service from Talbot Green via Cross Inn and Pontyclun but this was withdrawn from 9th July 1973 along with the 501. From 28th August 1973 some journeys on the 502 service ran from Cowbridge to Talbot Green then looped through Cross Inn and Mwyndy Cross before returning to Talbot Green and Cowbridge. The 502 ceased completely with the implementation of the Cowbridge "Village Bus" network from 22nd August 1977.
The Bridgend area Market Analysis Project used the local identifier "Glan-Ogwr" as the 240 and 244 services were considered within that scheme although when the scheme was extended to Porth depot their vehicles used on the Pontypridd to Porthcawl services still showed their "New Rhondda" identifiers. The 1980 Glan-Ogwr scheme saw the 240 and 244 modified slightly and joined by a new 241. The three routes were:
240 - Pontypridd-Yorkdale-Bryncae-Porthcawl
241 - Pontypridd-Yorkdale-Brynna-Brackla-Porthcawl
244 - Pontypridd-Beddau-Llanharry-Brynna-Porthcawl (via Brackla on evenings and Sundays)
With these changes came a lot less through running from Pontypridd to Porthcawl with passengers mainly having to change at Bridgend and use other services between Bridgend and Porthcawl. In general it was only alternate 244 journeys that ran through. There was a different timetable in July and August.
From 22nd September 1986 a new set of Bustler services were introduced between Pontypridd and Beddau, jointly operated with Bebb's. These were:
P4 - Pontypridd-main road-Beddau (as the 244)
P5 - Pontypridd-East Glamorgan Hospital-Beddau
P6 - Pontypridd-Efail Isaf-Beddau
P7 - Pontypridd-Upper Church Village-Beddau
These were only shown operating until deregulation on 26th October 1986 and I have no information on what happened to them after that date. They may have ceased operation in that form as joint operation became viewed as anti-competitive. Otherwise from deregulation the 240 ceased running and a new 245 service commenced which ran from Pontypridd to Bridgend and then to Bettws. The 241 service only ran from Pontypridd to Bridgend with just a single journey continuing to Bettws. In late National Welsh days on Sundays the service was continued beyond Pontypridd to Porth depot. Probably for crew rostering purposes, it also helped fill a gap in the service between those two places given that the X8 and G1 didn't run on Sundays.
By March 1989 there was an additional Bustler service (G4) running from Pontypridd to Beddau and returning via Yorkdale, co-ordinated with the 241, 244 and 245 providing one of the the three journeys per hour. From 17th April 1989 there were two G4 journeys per hour which ran from Pontypridd to Talbot Green via Yorkdale, the 241 virtually disappearing apart from one or two early morning journeys. By February 1991 the 245 service had disappeared, all journeys being replaced by the 244, and the G4 had a handful of journeys each way diverted via Heol Gwynno in Llantrisant. The G4 does not seem to have survived into the Rhondda Buses era.
In Rhondda Buses days from 1992 it initially continued similarly but the service, which had previously been operated by National Welsh from both Porth and Bridgend depots was now an integrated service with Rhondda Buses working alongside buses operated by Brewer's. From 1st March 1993 on Mondays to Saturdays Rhondda Buses worked Pontypridd to Bridgend (just the last bus ran to and from Porthcawl) whilst Brewers worked Talbot Green to Bridgend. On Sundays Rhondda worked from Porth to Porthcawl (although surprisingly the last bus from Porthcawl ran through to Maerdy) and Brewers ran from Pontypridd to Coity. From 27th June 1993 the Brewers service is shown numbered 44 and on Mondays to Saturdays generally runs through to Porthcawl whilst the Sunday service was cut back from Coity to Bridgend.
The final service pattern in the Rhondda Buses era was an hourly service from Pontypridd to Bridgend on Mondays to Saturdays with the last bus from Pontypridd to Bridgend (as early as 1815) a supported service and worked by Shamrock. There were only three journeys each way on Sundays with one running from Porth and two running to Porth, with one continuing to Maerdy. The latter journey also called at East Glamorgan Hospital.
© David Beilby
