A TUMBLE coach firm – one of Carmarthenshire county council’s school bus operators – has announced it has ceased operations.

Well-known local firm Gwyn Williams Coaches were previously operating six school or college bus runs on behalf of Carmarthenshire county council in addition to three commercial bus services carrying fare-paying children to Ysgol Maes-y-Gwendraeth.

A county council spokesman said the county’s Passenger Transport Unit has acted quickly to respond to ease the effect on more than one hundred pupils and students.

Cllr Colin Evans, county executive board member for transport services, said: “I think it has been a remarkable achievement by the officers concerned to ensure replacements were found for the school and college bus runs.

“These have to be provided as the authority has a statutory duty to provide certain services, and also the fare-paying bus services to Ysgol Maes-y-Gwendraeth.”

The council spokesman added that the unit was particularly concerned that no operators would be able to take on the three fare paying services to Ysgol Maes-y-Gwendraeth, numbered 107, 108 and 109.

Cllr Evans said these runs were not funded by the authority and were outside of the council’s statutory obligations but a solution had been found.

“We are very glad that Brodyr Williams, of Upper Tumble, has been able to step in at such short notice and find the resources available to continue these runs, for the convenience of not only pupils, but also parents,” he added.