Rhondda Buses Ford Transit fleet comprised eight examples new to West Yorkshire along with a solitary example acquired with the services of Cyril Evans. I would like to record my appreciation of the work done by the West Yorkshire Information Service (
www.wyis.org.uk) in making their bulletins available on line, which has helped me put together the story of the Transits from that fleet.
With one exception the buses from West Yorkshire were acquired at the end of 1992 or early 1993 and all were Ford Transit 190D with Carlyle B18F bodies on Dormobile shells. The luggage pen on all was removed by the end of 1986 and an additional seat provided making them B20F, however, the policy was soon reversed, certainly on those based at Harrogate. The picture is confusing as some movement between depots took place and it is not clear which vehicles had which seating when with Rhondda Buses although I believe all but the later acquisition 1063 mentioned below were 18-seaters.
19/20 (C82/87 AUB) were new as West Yorkshire 104/109 in early 1986. 21-25 (D529/523/524/525/528 HNW) had been originally registered C99/86/90/93/98 AUA but didn't enter service until August 1988 and therefore received the new registrations. These were numbered 121/108/112/115 and 120 respectively.
All these Transits started service in Harrogate but gradually moved to York by July 1989. With the splitting up of West Yorkshire following privatisation the operation there became known as York City and District. The fleet was renumbered in April 1990 and 104/109/121/108/112/115 and 120 then became 182/187/129/123-125/128 (which did at least correspond with their registrations). All passed with the business when AJS Holdings sold out to Yorkshire Rider on 29th July 1990 and in October the same year they moved to Yorkshire Rider in Leeds, keeping the same fleet numbers.
All these vehicles came to Rhondda Buses via Stevenson's of Uttoxeter acting as a dealer, but 25 (D528 HNW) ran for a short period as Stevenson's 268. 19-21 came to Rhondda Buses in November 1992, 22-24 the following month and 25 on April 1993.
19 passed to Thomas Williams of Mossley by April 1996. Sold to T J Walsh in Halifax in March 1997 it was used for spares and not operated.
20 was withdrawn in February 1994 and from April 1996 was fitted with tables and used as a crew room in Caerphilly bus station, being replaced by March 1996.
21 was withdrawn and sold by October 1993, passing to Huntley, Dover. Sold in September 1997 it was noted with Dolphin, Norwich by February 1998 where it was disposed of by 2001.
22 was withdrawn in February 1994 with no noted disposal.
23 and 24 were re-instated to work the Treorchy to Cwmparc service, the tender for which was won from Shamrock in late 1994. 23 didn't last long and passed very briefly to Southern National in Weymouth from March to April 1995 before moving to Hill, Hersham in May 1995. In February 1997 it moved again, to Ryan (Wightline) of Newport IoW.
24 was initially withdrawn in February 1994 then re-instated in the following May. It acted as a temporary crew room at Caerphilly bus station between the disposal of 20 and arrival of 1063. Withdrawn by May 1996 it passed to T J Walsh of Halifax. It was re-registered B15 TJW and given the fleet number TJ15 by April 1997. It was named "Shayman" originally and then later "Babs". It was scrapped by May 2001.
Arriving that little bit later than the others, 25 entered service in Caerphilly Busways livery. It passed to Brown of East Kilbride in March 1995 and then moved to T J Walsh of Halifax, in which fleet it became TJ11, re-registered to B11 TJW. It was also scrapped by May 2001.
Finally, 1063 was a much later purchase. Registered C97 AUB it was from the same batch as 19/20, new as West Yorkshire 119 in January 1986, later becoming Yorkshire Rider 197 via York City and District. This passed to Stevenson's of Uttoxeter in August 1992 and in this instance was used by them in service, still in Yorkshire Rider livery, numbered 276. It passed to Tellings-Golden Miller in October 1994 and seems to have been based in Cardiff until withdrawal in February 1996. It passed to Rhondda Buses in April 1996 and was bought as a replacement for 24 as crew bus at Caerphilly and given the number 1063 which was in the service stock series - it didn't operate in passenger service. Alone amongst these Transits it passed to Stagecoach but was sold by May 1998.
The remaining Ford Transit had been acquired along with the services of Cyril Evans in May 1993. It was 26 (C503 NOE) which had been N4 in the Evans fleet but was new as London Buses FS28. It joined Cyril Evans in 1992 and didn't remain long with Rhondda before disposal being withdrawn by the end of 1993 and passing to Phil Henderson Private Hire of Tonypandy.
