JOHN ALFRED RICH

(1888 - 29 August 1941)

RHIWBINA-DERI OMNIBUS SERVICE

John Rich married Wilhelmina Isensee in Cardiff in the first quarter of 1887, having their son, John Alfred by the end of 1887. John’s parents lived in Castle Road, Roath, later named City Road and owned a second hand clothes shop from 1895. From the start a budding entrepreneur, by the age of 14 he was hiring out bikes from a back lane in City Road. By October 1906, John held a driving licence for a car and in February 1907 bought a motor cycle, BO187. In 1908, he married, in Cardiff, Ethel May Oram. Becoming a Hackney carriage driver by December 1908, he owned his own taxicab garage in Richmond Road by June 1912. In October 1912, he purchased a separate garage in Tavistock Road. John had a son Ivor L Rich in the first quarter of 1914. John started up his bus service in 1920 with £250 loaned to him by his mother. The Route ran from City Hall to Rhiwbina in terrific competition with the Cardiff Corporation. He started out running a couple of single-deckers, which he had built new straight-backed seats. Later he bought the faster Palladium buses, to out-race the Cardiff City Council Vehicles. 1923 saw John purchase a site for a garage at £750 in Birchgrove Road (formally 39 Philog Road). The service was named Red Rhiwbina Buses in 1924 attaining around 1,400 passengers a day. By 1926 John owned 6 buses (4 Palladiums & 2 Commers) but sold out to the Corporation in January 1927 for £19,000, £12,000 for the business and £1,000 each for his buses. Up until September 1924 the Rhiwbina terminal was in Beulah Road, close to what is now Snails, but the route was extended in that year to the Oak Tree, Wenallt Road.

SOUTH WALES NEWS Monday January 17th 1927

A BUS ON FIRE EXCITEMENT AT RHIWBINA No One Injured

No one injured as the last passenger had just left the bus. The fire was believed to have been caused by the careless discard of a cigarette into the street gutter, igniting a petrol leakage.

John then purchased Porthkerry House, Barry and with it suffered some domestic trouble. His wife and sons ended up with the Garage. Brooke Bond purchased the surrounding area as a Depot, eventually boxing the garage in. John died, according to his memorial, on 29th August 1941, at the age of 53. His wife Ethel May outlived him passing away on 6th January 1966, aged 75.

Source: Research by the Late Chris Taylor