Barry Heritage Bus Group's bank holiday event delights

Despite forecasts of rainfall, the event saw the number of visitors increase from last year.

The event, orchestrated by the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group, celebrated transport history, integrating classic buses from the 1950s to the 1990s.

The theme of the day honoured the centennial of Merthyr Tydfil Council's first bus operation in 1924.

Residents from diverse parts of south Wales, including Merthyr Tydfil, attended the day in Barry, participating in five unique courses, with buses departing every 20 minutes along with extras for part of the day.

A key attraction for many spectators was a complimentary ride in a 51-year-old Merthyr Tydfil Bristol RE type bus.

Other regional service buses included a vintage Bristol RE type Red & White bus from 1967 and a 26-year-old Stagecoach Red & White Volvo B10M from 1998, supported by others such as a 1952 Leyland from Caerphilly and open-top buses from Cardiff and Newport.

The preservation group maintains a collection of heritage buses from across south east Wales, utilising these events to raise funds for restoration projects.

Two of the vehicles in need of restoration are a 71-year-old Tredegar Red & White bus and an 80-year-old war-time Pontypridd Council bus.

Tudor Thomas, a spokesperson for the group, said: "We were busy even before we officially opened – the first bus was full before time, so we let it go early only to see all our buses run with full loads for the rest of the day.

"We had a lot of families and as there was no limit on how many buses they could travel on, many stayed all day."

Mr Thomas noted that despite heavy rain in the mid-afternoon, forcing the open-top buses to retire early, visitors simply boarded other buses to avoid getting wet, allowing them to explore more of Barry than they may have anticipated.

The Barry Heritage Bus Group plans to host its annual Barry Island Festival of Transport on Sunday, June 9, where heritage buses will be offering free trips once again.