North Wales operator Llew Jones and its battery-electric buses are at the centre of a new National Grid advert that majors on the growing role of electric transport across the UK.
The segment was filmed in late-2025. It is part of The Great Grid Upgrade series to highlight investment being made to up capacity, and is titled More Electric Buses Need More Energy. Llew Jones was selected to be part of the exercise thanks to around 50% of its bus fleet being battery-electric.
That serves as an example of how rural operators can provide greener travel options while continuing to connect local communities, the Llanrwst business notes. It runs the battery-electrics on the 19 and TrawsCymru T22 services.
Besides providing the necessary vehicle resource and driver Gwerfyl Roberts to do the honours, Llew Jones contributed to coordination of the filming.
Business Manager James Hadley worked closely with the production team in suggesting locations to demonstrate the landscape in which the operator is active, including Yr Wyddfa in Eryri National Park. He also arranged transport between locations, coordinated activity at the depot, and supported the sourcing of extras.
That call for participants generated hundreds of applications and created what the firm says was “significant excitement across the local community.”
Filming took place at the Llew Jones depot, yard and offices in Llanrwst as well as several locations across the Conwy and Ogwen Valleys. Everyone in the advert is either an employee of the operator or from the local area.
The firm says that it was keen to play a part in highlighting the importance of sustainable travel within the bus industry, particularly in rural communities.
Adds Mr Hadley: “Being part of the National Grid advert was incredibly exciting for everyone at Llew Jones. We are always looking at ways to operate more sustainably while continuing to provide essential transport links for the communities we serve, so to be asked to take part was a real privilege.
“What was particularly nice was seeing the reaction from local people. We had hundreds of applications from those wanting to be involved, and there was a real buzz around the project from start to finish.
“As a rural operator, we know how important bus services are in connecting people to work, education and everyday opportunities, so it was great to see sustainable public transport recognised in a national campaign. We are really proud to have represented North Wales and the wider bus industry, and we are delighted with the finished advert.”
Ms Roberts describes being in front of the camera as “definitely outside my comfort zone” but adds that the experience was memorable for the right reasons.
“There was such a good buzz around the filming,” she says. “I loved being part of it. It was really interesting having the camera crews, stylists and production team at the depot and seeing everything that goes into making an advert.”
