Pennod 1 Ar y Bysus

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-The wild west is home

-to several family-run bus companies.

-In this series,

-we follow three of them.

-Taf Valley Coaches, Whitland.

-Someone's sure to complain.

-Richards Bros, Cardigan.

-We talk on the phone, mostly.

-We talk on the phone, mostly.

-

-Then we can't hit each other!

-And Midway Motors, Crymych.

-The bus is coming!

-They link rural communities...

-I used to follow

-a herd of cows down here.

-The drawbacks of country life.

-..with nearby towns...

-How are you, Tom? OK?

-..and run trips

-with some colourful characters.

-We're what's termed merry widows.

-We're the carers,

-they're from the care home.

-We won't get invited

-back to Newport for a while.

-Yes, there's lots of fun

-and laughter on the buses.

-Richards Bros' Cardigan HQ, 5.30am.

-The working day has begun.

-One of the owners

-is Marteine Richards.

-He and his staff

-are preparing for another busy day.

-I'm in at about 5.20am...

-..to open up

-and bring the books out.

-That's a ten-minute job.

-I check if the drivers are in.

-They're good, fair play.

-We don't have to chase them.

-They've all gone out

-by about 7.30am.

-No wonder it's such an early start.

-They run almost 100 vehicles.

-The services linking villages

-and towns is their bread and butter.

-We serve Pembrokeshire,

-Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

-We try to do our best for them.

-One of the daily services

-is the Cardi Bach.

-It links towns and villages

-between Cardigan and New Quay.

-On Cardigan's Finch Square,

-Maldwyn is ready for the off.

-It's busy between eight and nine,

-schools, colleges, the lot.

-This is my main route,

-seven days a week.

-It's ten, eleven hours a day.

-You know, it's a long day.

-It might be a long day...

-..but passengers would be lost

-without the Cardi Bach.

-Maldwyn is as important as his bus.

-How are you, Tom? OK?

-Where to? New Quay?

-New Quay it is then.

-A trip to the seaside.

-Whitland in Carmarthenshire

-is the home of Taf Valley Coaches.

-The wheels are also turning there.

-Clive Edwards owns the company.

-He has a packed rota to oversee.

-He has a packed rota to oversee.

-

-How are you?

-Yes.

-When can you get it?

-32. OK, thanks. Ta-ra. Ta-ra.

-Here, Mal.

-This is the daily running board.

-Service buses, and schools here.

-The school wants an extra bus

-for Thursday afternoon.

-We'll have to try to juggle things

-to get that done.

-Taf Valley Coaches has 30 buses,

-but they don't all go out at once...

-..because Clive's a firm believer

-in forward planning!

-We always have two or three spares.

-For the service,

-we have two spare buses.

-If something goes wrong,

-or the ticket machine goes down...

-..or if a bus

-has been delayed on the road...

-Sometimes, they're all out.

-Your backside's winking then,

-that's for sure...

-..hoping nothing goes wrong!

-Crymych is the home

-of the family-run Midway Motors.

-While the other buses in the west

-are flat out, this yard is quiet.

-To be honest,

-things seem to have come to a stop.

-Mam, the saviour!

-Hello, Midway Motors.

-It's lunchtime

-and everyone's at the table.

-No wonder the buses are quiet.

-Mother is the boss,

-and she has three sons.

-Iwan, the eldest, likes order.

-Mechanic Aled

-keeps things ticking over.

-Shon, the cheeky one,

-is in charge of the trips.

-If you can leave it with me

-until Friday.

-By Friday, I'll have sorted

-which trip goes everywhere...

-..then I can finalize them

-and get back to you.

-We all happen to be here today,

-so we can have a chat.

-Sometimes,

-it's me and Shon, or just me.

-There are different parts

-of the business on the one site.

-We're all in different places.

-Iwan might be busy

-with MOTs all morning...

-..while Aled's in the garage.

-Lunchtime is the only time

-we're together, so it's nice.

-And there's food on the cards,

-which helps.

-Every member of the family

-has their own role in the business.

-..and it's crucial

-that everyone agrees and gets along.

-But every family argues sometimes.

-Every family has its moments!

-Then they pass, and that's that.

-We live too close to fall out!

-You need babysitters!

-You need babysitters!

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-And there's nowhere to hide!

-There's nowhere to hide in Crymych.

-That's also true

-at Richards Bros' yard in Cardigan.

-While Marteine Richards watches...

-..Nigel Richards is tracking.

-If anyone complains

-that a service bus is late...

-..we can check

-and tell them it's on time.

-It's showing Haverfordwest station.

-This shows all the service buses.

-It's the best thing

-we've had in years.

-The company is owned by brothers

-Marteine, Malcolm and Nigel.

-It's very clear

-which one is the boss.

-I'm the eldest.

-We delegate to him.

-It's because I'm the eldest.

-We talk on the phone, mostly.

-Then we can't hit each other!

-The company has two main depots.

-The Newport yard

-is run by Nigel and Malcolm...

-..while the Cardigan HQ

-is in Marteine's capable hands.

-I've been in the job for 56 years.

-I must enjoy it

-or I wouldn't have stuck it!

-I'm in charge of general pricing.

-Tailor-made, as they say.

-That's what we try to do.

-We find out what people want...

-..and try to please them

-as best we can.

-But does the money man know

-how his brothers spend it?

-Oh, good. Tea's arrived!

-Good boy, Twig.

-What have you got for us?

-A variety!

-Oh, that's nice, boys.

-Here's the box, nice but naughty.

-This only happens

-on a Tuesday, mind!

-Lloyd only brings us

-a treat on a Tuesday.

-We all look forward to Tuesdays.

-We cancel any Tuesday meetings

-because the cakes come.

-A rather bigger treat has arrived

-at Taf Valley Coaches' yard.

-Owner Clive is delighted.

-This is our new bus,

-which we bought from Plaxton.

-That's now the only company

-in the UK that builds coaches.

-All the others have finished.

-This is a Volvo bus, the B8 model.

-It has 59 seats,

-three-point belts...

-..and air conditioning.

-There's no toilet,

-it's just a bus...

-I'd call it a people shifter.

-Children and adults on trips

-to Cardiff and back, say, or London.

-It has a capacity of 59.

-It cost, say it quickly, 218,000.

-But money doesn't have the value

-that it had years ago.

-I remember

-when I bought my first bus.

-We bought this place years ago,

-Penrheol, for 75,000.

-The first bus we bought

-cost 124,000.

-So, something with four wheels...

-..cost much more

-than the house and the yard.

-It didn't make sense, did it?

-But that 124,000 has gone up,

-for what is an ordinary bus.

-It's nice, don't get me wrong...

-..but for a new bus

-with all the equipment today...

-..you'd be talking

-more like 266,000.

-That's a lot of pennies...

-..but Midway Motors in Crymych

-clearly aren't short of cash.

-Or are they?

-If we're buying those six buses,

-we need the deposit down today!

-How much is in your pocket?

-How much is in your pocket?

-

-Eat your sandwich first!

-If we get six,

-we might as well buy twelve.

-You might be right.

-Mam, can we have six buses?

-What with? Buttons?

-We could sell the sandwiches.

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-The Pembrokeshire Show, August 2016.

-The weather's scorching.

-Local companies Midway Motors

-and Taf Valley Coaches...

-..battle to sell holidays

-for the year to come.

-Battle is the operative word.

-Come on now, boys.

-Come on!

-Come on!

-

-Behave now!

-Where's Pavarotti?

-He's gone home.

-Is he around here?

-Shon Midway has called

-at the Taf Valley Coaches stand.

-As usual, he's full of mischief.

-He only wants to see one man.

-Hello?

-He's too big

-to hide between the seats.

-Hey!

-Where did you get this? Blackpool?

-When you don't have much hair,

-you fry like an egg.

-The bus business

-may be competitive...

-..but neither misses a chance

-to pull the other's leg.

-This is Midway's new bus.

-It carries twelve passengers...

-..and 18 bins.

-Mam's in the back, making tea!

-In marketing, image is everything.

-Shon quickly spots

-something wrong with Clive's stand.

-Can I ask

-what happened to the flowers?

-Look at the state of them!

-Look at the state of them!

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-Midway have poisoned our flowers!

-The public toilets

-weren't open last night.

-This morning, we had Midway stickers

-everywhere and dead flowers.

-This is serious, boys.

-Do you know what happened?

-AdBlue in the water.

-AdBlue in the water.

-

-No!

-Did you?

-It doesn't work

-if you want to keep them alive.

-It beats weedkiller, it's cheaper.

-It beats weedkiller, it's cheaper.

-

-Maybe not cheaper, but it's faster.

-While the AdBlue damages Clive's

-flowers in Pembrokeshire...

-..the roads are busy in Ceredigion.

-Maldwyn and the Cardi Bach

-are ferrying locals to Aberporth...

-..and he's having a good day.

-It's all I've ever done.

-I got my licence at 17,

-and I'm not far off 70 now.

-I've driven for over 50 years,

-and I've been lucky.

-Touch wood, I've been lucky.

-Maybe today's the day.

-I've had scratches,

-but no convictions.

-I've done a fair mileage,

-a thousand miles a week.

-A thousand miles a week

-is 52,000 a year.

-Multiply by 50 years.

-How much is that?

-There's a sum for you.

-There's a sum for you.

-Yes, it is quite a sum.

-But people like Maldwyn

-are scarce these days.

-At one time, we'd get

-ten good drivers trying for a job.

-Now, it's hard

-to get ten bad drivers.

-You can advertise in the paper

-for a driver and get nobody.

-It's a job to train them.

-It takes three or four months

-to get everything done.

-A medical, going through

-the theory, then another one...

-..the practical, the CPC.

-It takes three or four months

-to train a driver.

-Even then,

-you don't know if they're any good.

-They have to sign now.

-We've had some try the test

-and leave straight afterwards.

-"I don't think I want this job."

-It costs over 1,000 to train them.

-But Midway and Taf Valley aren't

-looking for drivers at the show.

-They want holidaymakers

-to fill those buses.

-Yes, the Pembrokeshire Show

-is very important for us...

-..as a rural family company.

-We've been coming here

-for eight, nine, ten years maybe.

-There's a crowd here today,

-and the first day is the best day.

-It helps us a lot

-for the year ahead.

-They have to see

-what they'll be travelling in.

-They can pick a seat.

-We keep a list

-of the available seats for any trip.

-They can come here

-and name their destination.

-Torquay, say.

-We can tell them that seats

-one to five have been booked...

-..but seven and eight are available.

-Maybe seven and eight

-are by the curtains...

-..and they prefer nine and ten.

-Four have just booked

-for next year's Rhine trip.

-They were with us

-out in Austria recently.

-There's four of them,

-two couples who became friends.

-People on trips become friends,

-and they come back to us.

-"If you're going, we'll go too."

-We've had several bookings

-this morning.

-Back on the Midway stand,

-Shon has his own marketing ploy.

-Come out, we'll sell a trip now.

-His tactics are much more inventive

-than Clive's.

-Are you well?

-Are you well?

-

-Very good. Looking good?

-Yes, I think so.

-Yes, I think so.

-

-Thanks very much, sir.

-I've got my boys with me as well.

-I've got my boys with me as well.

-

-Good job!

-And it works!

-It's a family business.

-We're all in it.

-The children all enjoy it.

-It's a couple of good days out.

-This is our show.

-We know so many who come here.

-It's nice to have a cuppa

-and a chat.

-We're launching

-the 2017 brochure today.

-This will be our sixtieth year...

-Well, not mine!

-In the bus business, you know.

-It's a big day

-for us to be here celebrating.

-Celebrating, and seizing every

-chance to promote the business.

-Good PR!

-While some have fun at the show,

-Richards Bros are busy in Cardigan.

-They have dozens of buses

-out on the road every day.

-That entails a lot of maintenance.

-Each bus is maintained

-every four weeks.

-If a bus is going abroad,

-we bring it in anyway.

-The service buses

-do about 80,000 miles a year.

-The coaches a little bit less.

-Behind every bus

-that runs like a watch...

-..are mechanics with dirty hands.

-Tyres, brake pads and pins

-all need to be checked...

-..before any bus leaves the depot...

-..not to mention changing the oil

-and the odd filter.

-As well as the maintenance,

-there's also lots of cleaning to do.

-The council demands

-that they're clean going out.

-When the boys come back in the

-evening, they sweep them out.

-Every bus is washed in the morning,

-unless there's something wrong.

-They might even get washed again

-during the day.

-Back at the Pembrokeshire Show,

-Shon is making the tea.

-It's a useful trick

-to keep customers happy.

-Light refreshments

-make a big difference.

-They leave here

-feeling like new people.

-Energized, ready to go.

-It's a nice touch.

-OK, it costs us...

-..but it's a bit extra

-to say thanks to them.

-Where's your tea, Clive?

-Where is it?!

-You don't have any, do you? No.

-And where are the flowers?!

-Finished!

-Yes, they are finished.

-But Clive won't let things go.

-We had beautiful flowers earlier.

-They're throwaway.

-We had shiny new buckets as well.

-Everything looked great.

-When I came back earlier,

-I looked at the flowers.

-What's gone wrong here then?

-I looked at the others.

-I looked at the others.

-

-It's strong sunshine!

-The wind didn't do this, I thought.

-Then I found out

-that instead of water...

-We have cans in there...

-As it's an Euro 6 bus...

-..we have to put this stuff

-into the exhaust system.

-It's Euro Sick now.

-It's Euro Sick now.

-

-These are Euro Sick, yes.

-The gardener of the year here...

-..what's his name,

-Alan Titchmarsh...

-..put our flowers in acid,

-to all intents, instead of water.

-There's no hope. No hope.

-Can't get the staff these days,

-as they say.

-Say no more.

-Is that it with the flowers now?

-I doubt it.

-The Midway boys

-have something else in mind.

-That's nice.

-Look at that quality!

-Three buses of quality.

-Here he is, never missing a chance

-to rub salt into the wound.

-Alright, Clive?

-Now then.

-I felt such pity for you.

-This is plastic,

-so it doesn't need water or AdBlue.

-Where's Tudur?

-Where's Tudur?

-

-I'll present it to him.

-This has taken over three years

-to get to this stage.

-Do you want some AdBlue?

-On behalf of Midway Motors, Crymych,

-I'd like to give you this.

-It's plastic, and doesn't need rain.

-I'll start to breed my own!

-When does the show end?

-This is the only one

-that didn't get water, or AdBlue.

-I'm a bit disappointed

-that they're not out on display!

-They're all dead.

-They're all dead.

-

-We've sold them!

-They're collector's items.

-Put that in the middle

-and it'll look nice.

-Make sure it faces the right way!

-We won't be awkward.

-We'll put Midway facing front.

-Does it need water at all?

-Does it need water at all?

-

-Nothing at all.

-Look at it.

-That's nice, boys.

-The bus looks better already!

-I'm very grateful.

-You'll learn sometime,

-as Mam used to tell me!

-Has this story finished now?

-Has this story finished now?

-

-No!

-This won't be over for a while!

-We'll see.

-Next time...

-A three and a half hour crossing.

-My first visit to the Isle of Man.

-Clive crosses the water

-for a special trip.

-We have three different medicines,

-and this one makes four...

-Glenys from Richards Bros...

-..has to get everyone

-to school on time.

-I used to have to follow

-a herd of cows down here.

-Some farms have over 100 cows,

-so it took a long time.

-And Shon from Midway Motors

-swaps driving for entertaining.

-Nothing's worse than standing

-on stage and no-one laughing.

-Come with us on the buses.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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