| Founded | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Penygroes, Gwynedd |
| Service area | Gwynedd |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 14 |
| Web site | www.expressmotors.co.uk |
Express Motors is a bus and coach hire company based in Penygroes, Gwynedd. The company operates numerous public bus services in the Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Bangor and Llandudno areas, as well as the long-distance TrawsCambria service X32 between Bangor and Aberystwyth, though only on evenings and Sundays, alongside Lloyds Coaches of Machynlleth. On weekdays and Saturdays, the X32 is operated by Arriva Cymru.
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The company was established in 1908.[1] It remains a family-owned business and is managed by Eric Jones.[2] It operated a small number of local bus services alongside its main coach hire work until 1970, when the bus routes were sold to Silver Star.[3]
The run-up to bus deregulation in October 1986 provided the company with an opportunity to reenter the local serice market. A local route in Caernarfon was introduced in competition with National Bus Company subsidiary Crosville Cymru May. Contracted work on route 1 (Caernarfon-Blaenau Ffestiniog) was won at the same time as part of the Bws Gwynedd network. The operations of Maldwyn Jones were acquired in 1989. A competing route between Caernarfon and Bangor was introduced in 1991 but withdrawn after four years.[4]
In 2005 the company began a new route linking Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog. Two years later the Welsh Assembly Government granted free rail travel to pensioners on the parallel Conwy Valley Line, causing passenger numbers on the route to be lower than expected.[2]
The four bus services operated Silver Star were taken over by Express Motors in November 2010 in a move which reversed the events of 1970. Four vehicles and some Silver Star staff members also joined the company.[3]
The main services currently (November 2011) operated, Monday - Sunday, are as follows[5]:
The company has a range of public buses, including an Optare Tempo, numerous Optare Solos, a MAN Enviro 300 and a Plaxton Centro.[6]
Some buses are painted in a 'Countryside Code/Côd Cefn Gwlad' livery, as many of the services operated are in and around the Snowdonia National Park.
A range of coaches, including Neoplans, Van Hools, Bovas and Mercedes are available for hire, and the company also operates a number of tours each year.[7]
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