On May 30, Stagecoach South Wales moved to a brand-new bus depot in Cwmbran.

The new £7 million site will accommodate over 100 buses, and over 200 staff including bus drivers, maintenance staff as well as the Company Head Office.

Over two million miles will be covered annually by buses operating from the depot.  Services from the depot will cover cities, towns and villages including Abergavenny, Blaenavon, Cwmbran, Pontypool, Newport and Cardiff.

The engineering department of the depot is kitted out with nine new servicing lanes, each featuring emission testing and lubricant hoses, Hywema lifts to raise buses for maintenance, brake testing area and the latest equipment for vehicle maintenance.

The new depot also features a bus wash with a water recycling system, 10 electric vehicle charging bays, and infrastructure for future electric vehicles, intelligent heating, solar panels and an environmentally friendly grass roof for rainwater harvesting.  In addition, the depot insulation is over and above the recommended requirements and energy efficient Dextra lighting and sustainable materials have been fitted throughout.

The official depot open day took place on Saturday, August 27th with music, food, a balloon artist, face painting, promotional stalls, a recruitment stand, an array of vintage buses and special liveried buses, depot tours and open top double decker free bus tour around Cwmbran town.  Stagecoach raised almost £600 by selling merchandise and memorabilia, the amount collected will be match funded by the company and the grand total of £1200 will be donated to Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice.

Stagecoach South Wales Managing Director, Nigel Winter said: “We are delighted to celebrate the opening or our new Cwmbran depot, which will provide bus services across Torfaen and the surrounding areas for many years to come.”

“The new facility has been built to high environmental standards and provides much improved operation and engineering facilities for staff.”

“I should like to thank all of the friends of Stagecoach who helped organise and deliver such a successful day.”

Information Source: Stagecoach South Wales