bodied
Volvo B10M in
Cardiff Central bus station in June 1996 In January 1991,
Cheltenham-based
Western Travel purchased the eastern division of former
National Bus Company (NBC) subsidiary
National Welsh Omnibus Services, which consisted of 180 buses based from depots in
Brynmawr,
Chepstow,
Crosskeys,
Cwmbran and
Ross on Wye. The purchased division was renamed Red & White, with the area's services having been operated by
Red & White Services until being merged into
Western Welsh by the NBC in 1978. In February 1992, a 10% shareholding in
Rhondda Buses, formed following the December 1991 collapse of National Welsh to purchase the
Caerphilly and
Porth depots from
administrators, was acquired, quelling potential competition between Rhondda Buses and Red & White. Rhondda Buses was owned by a consortium of bus operators, which included
British Bus,
Potteries Motor Traction,
Stevensons of Uttoxeter and
Julian Peddle. Red & White subsequently purchased
municipal bus company Cynon Valley Transport from
Cynon Valley Council in August 1992 after the company had fallen into
receivership, expanding operations into the
Aberdare and
Merthyr Tydfil areas. In November 1993, Red & White's parent Western Travel was sold to
Stagecoach Holdings, subsequently resulting in Red & White being rebranded as Stagecoach Red & White. Stagecoach later purchased the shares of the Rhondda Buses consortium members, which now consisted of
Arriva,
FirstBus and Julian Peddle, in December 1997, taking full ownership of Rhondda bus services. While the company was rebranded to Stagecoach Rhondda, the former operator's Caerphilly and Rhymney Valley services were incorporated into Stagecoach Red & White. In February 2000, all Stagecoach operations in the South Wales area were rebranded as Stagecoach in South Wales as part of the group's national rebrand; Ross on Wye depot's services were rebranded as Stagecoach in Wye & Dean and transferred to neighbouring
Stagecoach West. In September 2000, local independent Phil Anslow Travel's bus services were purchased, further expanding Stagecoach's presence in South East Wales. In November 2004, Stagecoach purchased the remaining operations of Phil Anslow Travel, consisting of six minibuses and 15 coaches. Phil Anslow Travel's bus services were integrated into Stagecoach in South Wales, whilst the coaching business became Red & White Coaches, which failed to remain profitable and ceased operations in April 2006. Phil Anslow has since resumed the operation of bus services. In February 2006, Stagecoach purchased Eastern Valleys independent operator Crosskeys Coach Hire, who traded as Glyn Williams Travel, following the owner's retirement. Glyn Williams' operating area was within that of Stagecoach in South Wales' and many of their trunk services had been operated jointly with Stagecoach. In January 2010,
Caerphilly County Borough Council sold
Islwyn Borough Transport, the smallest remaining municipal bus operator in the United Kingdom following
deregulation, to Stagecoach South Wales. The sale attracted some controversy after it was found the council had consulted only Stagecoach instead of putting the company's sale up to
public tender, with Caerphilly County Borough Council also accused of selling Islwyn Borough Transport in order to recoup £15 million lost when an Icelandic bank the council invested in collapsed during the
2008 financial crisis. In late 2025, Stagecoach West's operations in
Bristol, based from a single depot in
Patchway,
South Gloucestershire and mainly operating routes under contract to the
West of England Combined Authority, were moved to Stagecoach South Wales. ==Services==