Starting this thread for GHA of Wrexham because from the 19th July GHA take over the 436 between Bridgnorth and Shrewbury. GHA are also opening a depot in Shrewbury this month as well so they can bid for more routes in the area. Also GHA in Shrewbury is no longer called Bryn Melyn this is now known as GHA now despite a lot of the buses still have got the old Bryn Melyn branding.
They recently took over the operations of Shropshire Bus and Coach. Shrewsbury garage also has a couple of other college contracts plus the 96. GHA are I believe planning to bid for the Shrewsbury park and ride contract which is up for renewal this year.
I was at their Wrexham garage last Tuesday. I bought a car they were selling from them! Seem like a decent company
Quote from: Trident 4194 on July 02, 2015, 08:00:58 AM
It will probably be August, how much do Gha charge for the full route?
@Trident 4194 Hi mate the closest ticket I can find to a return ticket on the 436 to Shrewsbury is a GHA Shropshire Day Ticket...
Adult = £6
Child = £5
GHA run the Trams Cymru T3 (previously the X94) Wrexham - Barmouth
Among the buses they have branded for the route is an Omnilink.
You have not experienced hell until when you're ill and this is your ride for the twisting country roads between Llangollen and Bala, knowing full well you can't get off for rest cause the next one is two hours
Quote from: Kevin on August 07, 2015, 04:08:36 PM
GHA run the Trams Cymru T3 (previously the X94) Wrexham - Barmouth
Among the buses they have branded for the route is an Omnilink.
You have not experienced hell until when you're ill and this is your ride for the twisting country roads between Llangollen and Bala, knowing full well you can't get off for rest cause the next one is two hours
Quite strange that here are so many different branded for the T3. Enviro200, Enviro400, now an OmniLink, plus when I went to Wrexham, a Bee Solo was on there too
Things appear to have kicked off on the 84/C84 with Arriva, GHA and Routemaster competing, GHA registering due to Routemaster supposedly being in front of their 82, Routemaster will soon be on the 82! That's after D and G ran the service for the notice period! Exciting times up there!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ron-hughes/24567562143/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ron-hughes/24567567263/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ron-hughes/25168054966/in/photostream/
Some GHA cancellations in the Chester/Warrington area:
PC1098981/12 - G H A COACHES LTD, UNIT 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Chester Bus Exc and Frodsham given service number 21E effective from 18-Apr-2016.
PC1098981/20 - G H A COACHES LTD, UNIT 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Chester Bus Exchange and Chester us Exchange given service number 8 effective from 18-Apr-2016.
PC1098981/35 - G H A COACHES LTD, UNIT 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Crewe Bus Station and Sandbach, The Commons given service number 36 effective from 18-Apr-2016.
PC1098981/37 - G H A COACHES LTD, UNIT 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Warrington Interchange and Dallam, Harrison Square given service number 16 effective from 18-Apr-2016.
PC1098981/42 - G H A COACHES LTD, UNIT 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Northwich, Watling Street and Warrington, Europa Way given service number 46 effective from 18-Apr-2016.
Read yesterday that GHA are taking over the 21, 23 and 26 Shrewsbury Town services and the 511. June 1st
They also tried to bid for the P&R but Arriva retained it
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2016/04/16/jobs-created-as-shropshire-bus-firm-lands-new-contracts/#HMi6QrqWEz1bimqh.01
GHA have entered administration with immediate effect.
http://www.wrexham.com/news/gha-coaches-enter-administration-with-immediate-effect-116090.html
Quote from: Nathan on July 13, 2016, 07:55:29 PM
GHA have entered administration with immediate effect.
http://www.wrexham.com/news/gha-coaches-enter-administration-with-immediate-effect-116090.html
It will be interesting to see who will/has the resources to takeover GHA services in the coming days, especially at such short notice, as that's some hole to fill....
A lesson to anyone really about growing a business too fast over too wide an area.
I imagine drivers should be ok with the national shortage, D and G, Arriva and others will no doubt step in to cover the work. I can't see anyone rescuing out of administration due to scale of investment required to bring it up to scratch.
If only they'd sold out to Stagecoach a couple of years back when the offer was on the table.
Wonder who's next...
Quote from: DiamondDart on July 13, 2016, 08:54:14 PM
A lesson to anyone really about growing a business too fast over too wide an area.
I imagine drivers should be ok with the national shortage, D and G, Arriva and others will no doubt step in to cover the work. I can't see anyone rescuing out of administration due to scale of investment required to bring it up to scratch.
If only they'd sold out to Stagecoach a couple of years back when the offer was on the table.
Wonder who's next...
The fact they've gone in to adminstration & have ceased trading with immediate effect means it's unlikely anyone will buy all or part of the business from the adminstrators as per Silcox. As surrounding operators will simply step in to takeveor their most lucrative routes and GHA drivers will be long gone
When put like that, a last min rescue looks unlikely.
Hopefully the collapse will benefit D and G and help Arriva and Stagecoach strengthen their operations.
It's a pity it had to happen in this way, bit like Western Greyhound towards the end with buses not operating as they should. Flickr photos show the pretty poor standard of the appearance of the fleet, gold 'E200's' with tape on accident damage plus the multiple liveries and vehicles in use well past their best.
Most of that will probably end up on the scrapheap but the newer Solos, E200s, the batch of E300s, Cadets and B7RLEs should find ready buyers.
I have put 34 photos of their fleet on the main website in the last couple of weeks. Operating ex NXWM solos in all day service is not a good sign
You'd have thought that it would have been kept going to see if it could have been salvaged or parts of it sold off, it seems like Hendersons / Webber Bus / Western Greyhound / Silcox etc that it will just get absorbed by other operators. I assume this will take longer to cover due to GHA's size & area of operations
Quote from: Tony on July 13, 2016, 09:37:33 PM
I have put 34 photos of their fleet on the main website in the last couple of weeks. Operating ex NXWM solos in all day service is not a good sign
They've been buying late 1990's ex Go-Ahead B10BLE/Wright Renown's in numbers as well that are approaching 20 years old
Presumably, they can't afford the fine!
http://www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/hsw/LOLER/GHA-coaches-resentencing
One post on this thread from another forum suggests that GHA had massive debts, and that a rescue package is currently being formulated???
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=132786
There was a list on Cheshire East Council's website last week of the tendered journeys on the 38 and 78 etc which GHA would not be operating due to one assumes a lack of drivers - sure I saw somewhere recently that there were looking for around 100 drivers. Seems they took on far too much work across such a wide area and then couldn't run the services.
When I went for a ride on Routemaster Buses on the 84 from Crewe to Chester, whilst Routemaster were running all their journeys, GHA only had 2 buses out instead of the 3 or 4 it should have been, and one of them seemed only to be running between Chester and Tarvin. The whole fleet is looking down at heel, even the new Solo SRs I saw in Nantwich were already looking down at heel, and as for some of the older 52-plate Solos in Cheshire livery, they were in a proper state inside and out.
GHA have had to pull off a number of routes, particulalry tendered routes plus their Warrington competiting services were pulled having overstretched themselves and being unable to provide the service. I also saw something online that GHA were after 100 bus drivers.
GHA forced the closure of Routemaser Buses, then promptly withdrew from the C84 themselves....
Stagecoach are reported to be taking on the 55 from Denbigh to Wrexham amongst others.
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http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/how-wrexhams-gha-coaches-closure-11611895
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Quote from: mikestone on July 13, 2016, 10:38:56 PM
Stagecoach are reported to be taking on the 55 from Denbigh to Wrexham amongst others.
;
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/how-wrexhams-gha-coaches-closure-11611895
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I expect Stagecoach will also pick up some of their Chester based services
GHA now confirmed as closed down & all staff have been made redundant:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-36793520
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/gha-coaches-reason-wrexham-bus-11613569
Came a shock as a thought they were doing ok at least the other bus firms have said apply for the jobs but what about the admin staff &cleaners
Quote from: Solo1 on July 14, 2016, 01:34:03 PM
Came a shock as a thought they were doing ok at least the other bus firms have said apply for the jobs but what about the admin staff &cleaners
Wasn't surprised at all, been pretty obvious for a while that this could happen, a very abrupt ending though.
The winding up order came with from HMRC for failure to pay taxs
GHA Gold - quality accident repairs, shame they don't duct tape to match:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/doncasterbusphotos/27675234623
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76257710@N03/28254817166
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76257710@N03/28007517360
1405 appears to have been like that for at least a couple of months:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/east_lancs/26644173410
Quote from: Steveminor on July 14, 2016, 07:24:08 PM
The winding up order came with from HMRC for failure to pay taxs
GHA owed HMRC £700k in unpaid tax
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/gha-coaches-wrexham-bus-firm-11618998
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/former-bosses-collapsed-gha-coaches-11758297
There is presumably the possibility that these companies have been sold on by the administrators. Neither company has a transport manager according to vosa.
A number of GHA's buses and a coach heading down the m54 towards the midlands today, around 1pm. Presumley to a new home....
Quote from: j_rp_wright on September 01, 2016, 06:48:04 PM
A number of GHA's buses and a coach heading down the m54 towards the midlands today, around 1pm. Presumley to a new home....
Possibly, depends what they were.
Ensign have taken quite a bit of the newer stuff in to stock that wasn't returned to finance companies including some coaches
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/brothers-behind-collapsed-gha-coaches-11836782
PD1049793/1 - RJ'S OF WEM LTD T/A SHROPSHIRE BUS & COACH, UNIT 10 & 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Wrexham Bus Station
Finish Point: Lodge
Via: Moss, Pentre Broughton
Service Number: 17
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 06-SEP-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday except public holidays
PD1049793/2 - RJ'S OF WEM LTD T/A SHROPSHIRE BUS & COACH, UNIT 10 & 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Wrexham Bus Station
Finish Point: Ruabon,Pont Adam
Via:
Service Number: 6
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 06-SEP-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday excluding public holidays
PD1049793/3 - RJ'S OF WEM LTD T/A SHROPSHIRE BUS & COACH, UNIT 10 & 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Wrexham Bus Station
Finish Point: Travalyn
Via:
Service Number: 34
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 06-SEP-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays
PD1049793/4 - RJ'S OF WEM LTD T/A SHROPSHIRE BUS & COACH, UNIT 10 & 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Wrexham Bus Station
Finish Point: Whitchurch Bus Station
Via:
Service Number: 146
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 06-SEP-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday, except public holidays
PD1049793/5 - RJ'S OF WEM LTD T/A SHROPSHIRE BUS & COACH, UNIT 10 & 11, VAUXHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM, LL14 6UY
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Llangollen Health Centre
Finish Point: Llanarmon D C
Via:
Service Number: 64
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 06-SEP-2016
Other Details: Monday to Saturday except public holidays
This is interesting because it would appear that the two brothers involved with GHA and RJ's have been banned by the traffic commissioners yesterday from holding operators licences. Information from www.ronsbusesandcoaches.com - an excellent site for info on North Wales operators. It has also come to light through the administrators that "some" vehicles are/were owned by the two brothers, not GHA - the plot thickens [if there is/was a plot of course]. :-\ ;)
More detailed report here;-
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http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/166937/brothers-behind-collapsed-gha-coaches-risked-lives-to-keep-bus-firm-afloat.aspx
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What I cannot understand is why the T.C.s accepted the RJ's registrations at short notice when according to the vosa website they were listed as directors, had no TM in place and were still showing the Ruabon and Shrewsbury adresses.
Update on www.ronsbusesandcoaches.com on T C decision concerning RJ and RML2418. :-[