Uncertainty still surrounds the future of bus routes which run through Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley following the closure of GHA Coaches.

The Ruabon-based coach company went into administration last month resulting in the loss of 320 jobs and many scheduled bus routes within Wrexham County Borough.

Some rural areas are still without a regular bus service as transport officials seek an alternative provider.

Wrexham Council says it will examine other options for transport provision after a poor response to a procurement exercise seeking other providers to service existing bus routes which were formerly run by GHA.

Tenders for services on eight existing routes went out to the market last week, asking providers for priced emergency timetables to cover gaps in service provision since the loss of GHA Coaches.

The procurement exercise closed with only a few commercial transport operators responding to the tender, and those responses will be examined as a way of getting buses back onto unserviced routes.

Councillor David A. Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are disappointed in the number of returns received and officers will also explore all further options to mitigate services lost.”

He added: “I met Ken Skates AM, the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, last week and we had a very positive meeting. I also subsequently wrote again to Mr Skates on Friday, giving full details of the implications both in terms of lost services and the financial position.

Cllr Bithell added: “The loss of a major transport provider has significantly impacted on the availability of a bus fleet in the region and there are also concerns that alternative providers may not be able to meet the shortfall.”

The council says that filling the gaps left by the liquidation of GHA Coaches is ‘a priority’ and that it intends to subsidise the previously run commercial services to make sure areas currently without a bus service do not remain isolated.

Cllr Bithell said: “We recognise that there are still some areas without a bus service and other operators have been unable to pick up these routes.

“By going out to tender and subsidising the cost we are hopeful that services will soon return to those areas. The loss of GHA services was a huge blow to the transport services across Wrexham and the region and it will be felt for a very long time. While we will do everything we can to subsidise services to mitigate for this loss, it is unlikely that alternative providers will be found to replace all the services lost.”