Bet It's Better at Bettws (1)

Bettws (pronounced Bettus) was once a hamlet in the middle of open country to the north west of Newport (South Wales).

In the 1960s it became the site of a large Council housing development ...

... built round a large loop named Monnow Way. (click on the aerial view to enlarge it)

The wooded streak is vegetation on the banks of the Malpas Brook and the original road through the hamlet runs roughly east-west on the southern edge of the estate. Bang in the centre of Bettws Hill ...

... is what remains of this tiny settlement.

From the road, you can spot a couple of modernised but obviously ancient cottage ...

... and in the trees is the delightful St David's Church.

It is part of an active group in North Newport.

It "officially" sits at the end of Yeo Close as well as being accessed by foot from Bettws Hill.

Traditionally the estate has been served by Newport Corporation Transport as exemplified by this preserved double decker.

Newport Corporation 

1958 

Leyland Titan PD2/40 H30/28R

I don’t recall seeing any example of Longwell Green bodywork on here, so here it is. This Leyland Titan PD2/40, with Longwell Green body, was new to Newport as their number 178 in 1958. Seating arrangement is H30/28R. An unusual feature is the upward bow of the canopy line. This picture was taken at Bus & Coach Wales, in Merthyr Tydfil, 14/09/2014. In 2019 she looks good for over 60 years old!

fbb has visited Newport and stood at the bus station (in the rain) watching things happen, but is not familiar with its route history. But the impression gained is that routes to Bettws have not changed much over the years.

Currently the estate is served by routes 15 and 16, gyrating round the Monnow Way loop in opposite directions. The company map is adequate but crudely diagrammatic ...

... and the route map accompanying the timetable is not much better.

But you will get the idea.

Each route runs every 20 minutes (Monday to Friday) giving (if you can cope with the maths) a bus round the loop every ten; this reduces to every 15 (30 each way) on Saturdays. On Sundays the service is hourly on each.

The general opinion of bus watchers of the South Walian scene is that the Newport operation is typically "municipal" in style buy rather lack-lustre in presentation.

One somewhat esoteric feature of interest, however, is service 30 which for many years (with the odd interruption when the two contenders started something of a competitive punch-up) has been joint with Cardiff Bus.

This has brought the Capital's various liveries ...

... into the varied application of green in Newport.

So what, fbb wondered, was behind this 2016 poster, discovered on-line.

A doubling of the frequency seems a very "courageous" increase from a more "traditional" operator. 

And there was a very good reason.

NAT arrived on the scene in September 2015 with its competitive Newport network.

N4 ran to Bettws, this vehicle being branded for the N1. Whether as a result of the increased frequency from the incumbent, or for other undisclosed reasons, the N4 did not survive. Indeed the only "N" routes shown today on the NAT website are the N2 and N3.

They do not compete with Newport Transport ...

 

... and fbb assumes that they are tendered services. You will know where the N2 goes, as it wiggles around on top of the Brynglas tunnel on the M4 ...

... where homes were shored up just in case the excavation excavated Dai Jones'precious semi!

So, after the departure of NAT from Bettws all remained quiet on Monnow Way ...

... until December 2018.

 Next Better at Bettws blog : Thursday 11th April