The sudden closure of D Jones & Son of Acrefair, near Llangollen, left passengers without scheduled bus services on Monday, and Wrexham and Denbighshire councils scrabbling over the weekend to cover schools contracts.
Some routes, such as the 146 Wrexham-Whitchurch, had no cover. It was previously worked by GHA Coaches of Wrexham and RJs of Wem, both of which went out of business last year.
The councils were told by the firm on Saturday (16 December) that it would stop all services at the end of that day.
No explanation has been provided. The firm’s website has not been updated and it is not answering enquires.
The councils moved quickly to find other operators to cover schools services.
The firm ran 13 public routes, plus eight schools services and an hourly Sundays route from Wrexham to HMP Berwyn.
It ran 22 buses, mainly Optare Solos and Versas, plus two coaches.
Wrexham Council Lead Member for Transport Cllr David Bithell said: “This news came without any prior warning, and the council’s immediate priority is to ensure that statutory contracted education transport is provided. Disruption to local bus services is inevitable.”
The firm was a partnership of David and Gary Jones, the son and grandson respectively of Elias Jones who started a bus business in 1968.
It expanded by taking over other operators, but in 1995 the original business of E Jones & Sons began a split, with D Jones & Son created.
E Jones & Sons, a partnership of John Barry Jones and Gwyn Jones, continues to trade from near Wrexham with a nine-vehicle O-Licence. Ironically, it has picked up one of the schools contracts on emergency from the failed business.
