THE Traffic Commissioner for Wales has disqualified the bosses of a Pontypool bus company which transported pupils on an unsafe vehicle.

Nick Jones strongly criticised transport operator N J Y Travel for putting profit before safety, after learning that an unfit vehicle was regularly used for school services.

The industry regulator said that the failings of licence holder Nicola Yeates had led to an "appalling state of affairs".

Her licence was revoked indefinitely last month after a public inquiry at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.

She had applied for the licence soon after her partner Raymond Williams had a transport licence revoked in late 2002.

Mr Williams was the transport manager of N J Y Travel in Gladstone Terrace, Varteg.

The Commissioner said in his written decision the licence application had been made to “circumvent the revocation of Raymond William’s licence” who was, “in reality the operator at all time”.

He was disqualified from holding or applying for any position as a transport manager for an indefinite period.

Evidence from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency revealed that the vehicle had been stopped at a local primary school with multiple defects, including on one of the seat belts and for numerous brake items.

The vehicle was given an S marked prohibition - indicating one of the defects was “safety critical”.

Records revealed the vehicle had not had a routine safety check for 13 weeks, despite the operator committing to inspections every four weeks.

In his written decision issued on September 30, the Traffic Commissioner said: "Neither Nicola Yeates nor Raymond Williams have any place in the operator licensing system or indeed any regulatory regime where safety is a material consideration.

"I was shocked to hear the operator tell me that she did not think her previous transport manager was maintaining her vehicle, but she still allowed it to go out on the road and she collected monies from the school contracts.

“Parents of children carried by Nicola Yeates vehicles will be aghast at the lack of priority afforded to the safety of young children."

They have four weeks to launch an appeal.