James of Ammanford

John James established a business in Ammanford in 1880, initially hiring out brakes and traps for the carriage of goods and passengers. In 1912 he became the first bus operator in the area, with a charabanc business initially operated between Ammanford and Brynamman, later to be extended to Ystalyfera and Swansea. In 1920 they began a motor repair business and later a car dealership, and by means of various mergers and takeovers became one of the largest operators in the Amman valley. Aggressive management caused a notable strike in 1935 which lasted six weeks and led to riots on Ammanford Square. At one time it was the county's largest public service vehicle operator, running 54 buses on 21 services to Neath, Swansea, Llanelli, Burry Port, Lampeter and Aberystwyth. James Buses were bought out by South Wales Transport in 1961. South Wales Transport were themselves bought out by First Cymru in the 1990s. 200 pages A5 softback with 112 black & white and colour photos.