One of the coach sector’s perks is its unpredictability. When the phone rings, an operator has no idea where a coach might end up. That same sentiment can extend to an entire business. With a flexible mindset, a company can remain as localised, or go as far afield, as the owner is willing.
Flexibility and an open mind has stood Windy Corner Coaches in good stead. Being based in Pencader, a small Carmarthenshire village, flexing to rural demands (and the needs of two neighbouring local authorities) has shaped the business. Owner Rhydian Thomas says maintaining that mindset of resourcefulness serves him particularly well in the modern day.
“That means extending flexibility for both customers and staff,” he notes. “For example, hiring our staff on a pro-rata basis to allow them to work the days they are comfortable working. That works great with staff members who have kids, or who can’t work full time owing to health or business. That’s just one example of how we can find a solution around most things.”
From tyres to taxis to coaches
Windy Corner has its roots in vehicle tyres. Rhydian’s father, Huw Thomas, a tyre fitter, set up his own wholesale and retail tyre business in the 1980s, using the present garage — not named for the Welsh weather as you might imagine, but for Windy Corner on the Isle of Man TT circuit, by a previous owner (a Honda salesman and motorcycle fan). Through gradual expansion, Huw expanded into trailers, MoTs, and even running a village post office. The move into passenger transport came almost by accent.
“He didn’t do any repairs, but dad was always quite open minded about stuff,” says Rhydian. “As in, he had a lot of contacts in the tyre trade, and he started buying old tyre fitting machines, doing them up and selling them on. I visited a friend’s farm five or six years ago and they still had a tyre machine there with a Thomas Tyres sticker on it — that blew my mind that they were still around!”
The idea of a coach operator also operating a petrol station is not unusual. But Rhydian admits tyre fitting machines and trailers are left-of-field. In rural locations, needs must. “You look at traditional operators in rural areas, and there’s a long tradition in which some of them have (or had) a hearse to do funerals. Some sold coal. When you’re in an area like this, you do many different things. Dad was always open minded about that stuff.
“A problem you do see sometimes in family businesses is an attitude of ‘that’s the way my grandfather did it; this is the way my father did it. So this is the way I’m going to do it’. My father never had that mindset.”
From those early ventures, Rhydian’s parents first started with taxis before moving onto coaches. That began when Huw bought Rhydian’s mother Nesta a number plate for her birthday in the mid-1990s and realised the car they had at the time (a Mazda 626 estate) was too old for the new number. Huw ended up buying her a new people carrier as well.
“Nesta was a nurse, and I found out a few years ago that there was a local tour operator called Eden Travel, owned by Vicky Knight,” Rhydian recalls. “My mother nursed her mother, so our families were close. It became apparent that Nesta could put taxi plates on the new people carrier to take up feeder work for the coach holiday company. It all escalated from there.”
More taxis followed as the company began regular work transporting local groups such as darts teams. Rhydian supposes that his mother took the lead on the move into PSVs, as he came home from school one day in the late 1990s to find his mother missing — she was out learning how to drive a bus. Years later, he would discover it had been a longtime ambition of hers to do so. Both Nesta and Huw gained their driving qualifications and started their coach business with a restricted O-Licence.
In 1999, long-established local family coach operator Davies Bros (Pencader) went into liquidation, spreading its contracts out among other local operators. The Windy Corner business took the opportunity to take on a vehicle and contract that was handed back to the local authority in 2001, giving the company its first large PSV. Things snowballed from there.
Restructuring and restoration
Nesta passed away in 2008, leaving Rhydian and Huw to run the business. Rhydian had finished university in 2005 and started working for the business full-time later that year, setting up the office and assisting with the on-site shop. But sometime in 2010, his father began to lose his interest in coaches. “I don’t know why,” Rhydian says. “That same year we refurbished the premises. Then, in 2015, dad had a heart scare.”
That forced the family, which included Rhydian’s sister, to make a decision. “Dad sat us down and gave us three options,” Rhydian says. “Sell up, run together, or split it. My sister wanted nothing to do with buses — she had driven service buses in Scotland after moving there with her partner. I had no real interest in the shop. So we took the decision to split.”
That division allowed both siblings to focus on what they wanted. For Rhydian it meant doubling down on the coach business. The two sides of Windy Corner co-exist on the same land, with the coach venture separate to the shop and petrol station, the former’s offices housed in separate accommodation behind the main buildings.
In 2019 Rhydian found himself back in taxis, too. “I had an email come through about temporary contracts and unfortunately Vicky Knight of Eden Travel had now gone bust. Three contracts were on my doorstep, one of them a PSV minibus, and the other two were taxi. By the end of that week I tendered for the lot, got the lot, all three vehicles, and took on five members of staff. My parents started with taxis, went on to coaches. I started with coaches, went to taxis.” Full circle.
Watershed moment
Just as it had been for many operators, Covid was a watershed for Windy Corner. “A reset button for a lot of people,” Rhydian says. During the pandemic he acquired three Mercedes-Benz Tourismos at knockdown prices, an investment in fleet renewal with a long-term eye on school contracts. The pandemic was both a test and an opportunity as many Welsh operators received 75% of their contracted daily rate for school work.
The business now runs six vehicles: three Mercedes-Benz Tourismos, all Euro VI with two ex-National Holidays vehicles and one ex-Carol Peters, two Setras, and a 16-seater minibus. “I set myself a goal of an all-Daimler fleet,” says Rhydian. “We have managed that with the three Tourismos, which are recognised and respected by parents and schools alike.”
That 80% of Windy Corner’s work is school contracts is a deliberate strategy. Carmarthenshire’s system allows operators to secure up to 10-year contracts with newer vehicles. That gives the company security and the confidence to invest in the long-term. The other 20% of work comes from private hires and trips. Ski trips undertaken on behalf of tour operators were once a staple, but were curtailed after Covid.
The pandemic also sharpened Rhydian’s existing philosophy to accept that things can and will go wrong, and that strength comes from being able to plan around that. “You have to accept breakdowns, for example,” he says. “The key is how you set yourself up to work around them.” A longstanding partnership with a trusted local mechanic and ties to the Independent Tyre Dealer Network have helped keep Windy Corner’s fleet operating smoothly even when vehicles are far from base, such as on ski trips in Austria.
The business has five drivers, with Paul James Commercial Vehicle Repairs as mechanical support. Paul James has served the business for some 20 years and according to Rhydian “does not suffer fools” — exactly the kind of mechanic a school contract operator needs. “Never compromise on your parts bill,” he emphasises. “Having that kind of feedback from the industry standard bearers is good because we went through a phase a couple of years ago where every school was getting targeted with an inspector, with DVSA checking school buses in the mornings. Over a period of three weeks, our vehicles were inspected seven or eight times, with not a single problem found.”
And flexibility remains the watchword after all these years. That applies as much to people as it does to vehicles. Being in rural West Wales, recruiting and retaining drivers is one of the biggest challenges. But Rhydian says the solution is to be clear about what the industry offers.
“The way I look at it, this industry pays you to go places. In 2019 I was paid to go to Disneyland Paris for the day — yes, I had to take 50 kids — but you get to see things you wouldn’t otherwise. People can often look down on the idea of being a driver, but it takes you to events and places you would never normally go.”
Another message to recruits is that mindset matters more than mileage. Having the right mindset is what will allow any new joiner to flourish in the job.
“It’s an unofficial apprenticeship,” Rhydian notes. “There are some who attend the steering wheel, some who have a carefree attitude, some who like to explore and see people. There are jobs to suit everyone. A lot of people are put off, whether by snobbery or not wanting to deal with school work. Many expect to be put in a brand-new coach on a 24-hour away trip, not understanding that there is a lot of stuff that needs to fall in place before they’re ready for that.
“The best thing I’ve found is to be open and honest with the type of work you do, and recognise that there is work some drivers can’t or don’t want to do. As an operator, it takes a while to realise that. I used to think a job is a job. But I see what drivers see now.”
Diversifying for the future?
While serving schools has become Windy Corner’s mainstay, Rhydian sees potential in franchised bus work as Transport for Wales (TfW) works on reshaping the market, with vocal emphasis on SMEs being included in contract awards. “I’ve had conversations with TfW about franchising. It has asked what I’d need to get involved, which was encouraging. I’m open minded. What works for one operator doesn’t always work for another, but if the right opportunity drops in, I’ll take full advantage.”
Windy Corner is also a recent member of the UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA), in addition to RHA. Rhydian was encouraged to join by fellow Welsh operator Clive Edwards of Taf Valley Coaches. Rhydian is already an advocate for additional membership. “You get an opportunity to be part of the conversation,” he says. “And being part of the conversation means a better perspective.
“There might be more of a connection through someone from UKCOA than simply reaching out to those in power. It’s also good to be part of that broader network of coach operators. You might not know all members by name but it’s always handy to know I can call Stephen Spendley and ask a favour, pick someone’s brains about parking at a point of interest, or pitfalls when journeying to a certain region. Google is great — but having that combined knowledge is invaluable.”
