A well-loved minibus service that once brought public transport to new parts of the city is back on the road.
Newport Transport has revived the Newport Nipper as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.
The Nipper first entered service in the 1980s and quickly became an important part of Newport’s transport network.
A spokesman for Newport Transport said: "As part of the celebrations, we’ve repainted one of our minibuses in full Newport Nipper livery.
"The minibus is an EVM-bodied Mercedes Sprinter.
"Introduced to Newport in 2021, the Sprinter has reignited the trend for minibuses across the country.
"Although this time, the buses are more comfortable and accessible to everyone.
"You’ll find it most days travelling around Goldcliff, Nash, Redwick and Llanwern on our demand responsive routes DRT62 & DRT63".
The Nipper service began in 1987 with a fleet of East Lancs bodied Dodge S56s, each with 24 coach-style seats.
These replaced larger buses on routes to Allt-yr-yn, Brynglas, Christchurch, Gibbs Road and Rogerstone.
The smaller vehicles allowed Newport Transport to serve areas that had never had a bus service before.
Although the Nippers were popular with passengers, they were less liked by drivers and engineers due to being uncomfortable to drive and a tendency to overheat.
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In 1987, the company chose Reeve Burgess-bodied vehicles, and in June 1988 the MCW Metrorider, a purpose-built minibus with a more modern design and improved comfort.
The Nippers helped boost passenger numbers and made it possible to introduce new routes to under-served communities.
However, accessibility remained an issue.
The original Nippers had steep steps and narrow doorways, making them difficult to use for people with mobility problems, buggies or heavy shopping.
They were also not accessible for wheelchair users.
Changes in legislation in the late 1990s required buses to be accessible to all passengers, leading to the introduction of low-floor vehicles.
In 2000, Newport Transport introduced five new Dennis Darts with low floors and space for wheelchairs.
The Nipper branding was eventually phased out and by 2004 had disappeared from the network.
The revived Nipper is now in service on demand-responsive routes, serving the communities of Goldcliff, Nash, Redwick and Llanwern.
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