TWO family-run bus companies which run services in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd have had their licences revoked after the Welsh Transport Commissioner heard that coach maintenance records had been faked.

An investigation was launched into Express Motors (Penygroes) after one of the company’s coaches overturned on a French motorway in July last year.

That investigation found discrepancies between mileage records and tachograph readings, as well as incomplete maintenance records.

This led to Nick Jones, the traffic commissioner, revoking licences granted to Express Motors (Penygroes) and Express Motors, two companies run by the Wyn Jones family.

The companies run a number of bus services and school bus services across Gwynedd.

While the two companies are both linked to the same family, the public hearing was told they are separate companies, but share maintenance facilities.

Eric Wyn Jones and his wife Jean run Express Motors, while Express Motors (Penygroes) is a limited company with Eric Wyn Jones’s son Kevin, a director of the registered company, acting as transport manager for both companies.

Eric Wyn Jones, Jean Jones and Ian Wyn Jones all resigned as directors of the limited company earlier this year.

The licence for both companies was revoked from the end of this year, while Kevin Wyn Jones was banned from holding a transport manager position until he has completed a training course.

Ian Wyn Jones, the workshop manager for Express Motors (Penygroes), was also banned from holding or applying for a transport manager licence for a year, after the hearing found that he had “falsified records”.

A report into the hearing said: “DVSA witnesses confirmed that the signature on the falsified records were of Ian Wyn Jones, who was responsible for running the workshop.

“This came to light after comparing the drivers’ hours records with maintenance records.”

While the traffic commissioner heard there were no problems with coaches operated by Express Motors, he revoked both licences from 31 December after ruling that the two companies didn’t have the financial standing to hold as many licences as they did.

But while the two companies had their licences revoked, a new company will be formed called Express Motors (Caernarfon) Ltd and will concentrate on bidding for public bus service and school bus routes.

Nick Jones said an application from a new company would be considered. The report said: “There was an acceptance that if the family business was to continue, a new entity needed to take over the registered services currently run by the partnership, this would be via a limited company and a new application is anticipated very soon.

“Revocation dates are relatively far ahead on the basis that the new entity will need a licence before it can apply to register services.”

The commissioner also urged Kevin Wyn Jones not to try and combine roles of transport manager and director as that had led to him being “stretched too far”.

Eric Wyn Jones told the hearing he was planning on retiring from the business now, but the commissioner said that he could still apply to be a transport manager in the future.