Major changes to how bus services in Wales are run could see one network created to cover the whole country. New Welsh Government proposals would see a complete overhaul of the current system, including introducing a single ticketing model.
In announcing the plans, Wales' Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters said the current system is "broken and in need of much investment". The government say the changes would make it easier for people to travel by public transport.
Under the new proposals, private firms would have to bid to run services and Welsh Government ministers would have a bigger say in how the system works. The Welsh Government announced similar proposals two years ago, however today's white paper goes further by introducing plans for a single network. Read more: Major train delays in services in and out of Cardiff due to 'shortage of staff'
Under those plans a single ticketing model would have been used and powers would be granted for councils to franchise services - alongside partnerships where councils work with companies - but it was shelved during the first year of the pandemic.
Currently, bus firms are not allowed to cross-subsidise services. As a result, councils provide funds for routes which do not generate a profit. Under the new plans, councils would also be given the right to set up new local government-owned companies to run buses, or even run buses in-house.
Ministers said they would work with councils, the bus industry and passengers on what they called a franchising model with the eventual aim of having one Welsh network with multiple tickets no longer required. Contracts could be granted for individual routes or entire networks in an area.
Councils, or groups of them, would hand out franchises, but in a major departure from how services are run now, the Welsh government would have a big say. The proposals would see the responsibility for franchising sit with Welsh Ministers who will seek for Transport for Wales to act on their behalf and engage with Local Authorities to ensure that franchise contracts meet local needs and services.
A national plan would be agreed by the Welsh government and a supervisory board, including groups of local councils and the government, would provide a "guiding mind" to co-ordinate the network.
A 12 week public consultation opens today for people across Wales to have their say on how the new system is designed.
In announcing the plans, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said: "For too many years we have created a culture of car dependency which has allowed individual freedoms and flexibilities that we all value, but it has also locked in deep inequalities and environmental harms.
"As we look to recover from the pandemic and take action to tackle the climate emergency buses will play a critical role in keeping our communities connected and offering people a sustainable transport alternative to the private car.
"We’ve seen a gradual decline in the bus industry in Wales over the years and, as a result, we’ve been left with an industry that is broken and in need of much investment.
"But, I am confident that the plans we have announced today will help pave the way to a healthy recovery.
“We’re going to be putting people before profit and providing passengers with a well-planned, easy to understand and connected bus network that makes the right thing to do the easy thing to do."
He also said: “For more than 70 years we have made it easy to travel by car and harder to travel by public transport, that has to change.”
Transport Action Network Cymru (TAN Cymru) said it is welcoming today's publication to re-regulate buses by the Welsh Government, saying it offers an opportunity to provide 'cheaper, better coordinated services, better serving the needs of the many rural communities as well as larger towns and cities.'.
Paula Renzel, Welsh roads and climate campaigner for Transport Action Network Cymru said: "We strongly welcome today’s announcement. It’s a long overdue step to providing bus services that are fit for purpose. 80% of bus users do not own a car and are almost totally reliant on buses to get to work, see friends and lead fulfilling lives. Yet the bus network has been letting them down for far too long, leaving many people stranded.
“It’s good to see the Welsh Government being ambitious while learning from the complex systems set up in England and Scotland. This should hopefully allow them to deliver improvements more quickly than in England. There, 5 years after the legislation was passed no new franchising has yet taken place.
“We look forward to the day when a reliable and accessible bus network will form the backbone of an affordable and sustainable transport network. This will be essential if we are going to put people before profit. We need to make it easy for everyone to do the right thing to reduce transport emissions quickly enough [3].
"This will require the Welsh Government to deliver these changes without delay. They also need to back them with the necessary funding to provide the services that are desperately needed”
