The instantly recognisable bus is definitely one for the collector (with a pot of spare cash)
17:25, 09 Dec 2025
The bus is as famous a character as its driver(Image: BBC/Toffee International Ltd./Tom Jackson)
If you can tolerate “fags and weed” but draw the line at harder stuff while you are driving then a) you’re a massive Gavin & Stacey fan and b) you might be interested in some top class memorabilia that has just come on the market.
Mind you, you might need to curb your time at Nessa’s Slots down Barry Island and save some cash because this pretty piece of the BBC show’s history will set you back a cool £200,000.
That’s right, the iconic maroon Dave’s Coaches bus is up for sale. The 33-seater is instantly recognisable from its on-screen journeys from Barry to Essex and remains in remarkable condition with a strong mileage of nearly 450,000km.
Still sporting its classic Dave’s Coaches livery, the vehicle is being billed as a once-in-a-lifetime collectible for fans of the series. The model of the bus itself, seen driven by the man himself aka Steffan Rhodri, is a 1990 plate, Mercedes-Benz Vario 814D and is being sold on Autotrader.
(Image: Teulu-Travel)
The bus became a key player in the series, which aired its final ever episode on Christmas day 2024, as it ferried Stacey and Nessa up to London in episode one back in 2007, took the characters to Billericay and back throughout the series and of course came to Smithy’s rescue in the finale to stop Nessa leaving and so he could declare his love and sometimes, disdain for her and vice versa.
(Image: Teulu-Travel)
Erin Baker, editorial director at Autotrader, says: “This listing is one of the most iconic vehicles we’ve seen on the Autotrader platform, and is akin to a historic artefact to members of the British public who are super fans of the series. The coach is in brilliant condition with strong mileage and would certainly be great for family use.”
Dave’s Coaches has also been used off screen to ferry around Gavin & Stacey fans on the locations tour. It’s not clear if the tour will use another vehicle but we have approached the tour operator about this matter.
We caught up with Dave Coaches’ off-screen alter-ego, Steffan earlier this autumn where the actor made a hugely memorable return in the finale at Christmas, 2024 after being absent from the 2019 special.
Steffan, whose character Dave was paired up romantically with Gwen (Melanie Walters) to the shock of all the characters and audiences at home, said it was “a delight to be back in it, to be honest.”
But the actor had one hope for the role of be-vested bus driver Dave. “When I agreed to do it, I was hoping that it would be significant and have an impact.
“When I saw the script, I couldn’t have hoped for better, really, because they managed to get that and make it an important contribution rather than just a token gesture.
“And I was really pleased to be a part of it as it all came to an end, you know, it was great.”
Read our full interview with Steffan, here. And to check out the bus on Autotrader, click here.
