After looking at some of the blunders and missed opportunities when it comes to transport, it’s time for the “good news” – strategies and policies that the Welsh and UK governments have successfully pursued over the years.
There’ll be a break of a few weeks before the next part, so you can go through the previous pieces to catch up here:
Although a Bus Bill was pulled during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s to be reintroduced in the Senedd in the current term.
While not re-nationalising bus services, the previous version of the Bill (and you assume the new Bill will be very similar) included re-regulation through local or regional franchising. That’s important because at the moment there are few minimum service standards.
Also, unless local authorities or the Welsh Government provide subsidies, “non-commercial bus routes” are often withdrawn or are run down to (functionally useless) skeleton services that get pulled due to lack of passengers. We’ve all seen that happen in our communities.
Re-regulation isn’t, by itself, going to save most bus routes – and the noises coming from the Welsh Government warn of that. There’s the issue of subsidy and to what level that’s needed in the future, as well as reversing passenger number declines to bring in more fare income.
The proposed rationalisation of bus routes based on local and regional demand and need rather than profitability should, on paper, put most bus services on a more secure footing and lead to the creation of a properly integrated public transport system (i.e. buses meeting trains and vice versa).
That’s essential because, as mentioned in Part III, buses aren’t being given their due at the heart of the public transport network because rail gets more attention. That has to change because buses can fill gaps that rail can’t for less money.
Creating bus networks that can be proven to be reliable, actually go where people need (or want) to go and have some level of consistency regardless of where you are in Wales would be good news even if routes are cut or redrafted.
