By the time these buses were bought, most AEC Reliance production was for coach chassis but there were several loyal customers and notably most of them preferred the constant-mesh gearbox chosen by Pontypridd.
There were three of these vehicles numbered 9-11 (GTG 91-93L) which had AEC Reliance 6MU4R chassis with Willowbrook B45F bodies, but these featured wrap-round windscreens and longer windows and looked much more modern than Pontypridd’s earlier Reliances. They had air brakes, however the A letter at the end of the chassis designation had been dropped by AEC as they had stopped offering vacuum-braked chassis some years earlier.
In 1981 10 and 11 were reseated to DP43F, but this only lasted until 1983 when they were restored to their original layout. Withdrawal came in 1984 for 10 and 11, with 9 hanging on until the end of 1985.
© David Beilby
