The Welsh Government (WG) has announced a trial offering free travel for all passengers on its inter-urban TrawsCymru network at weekends until May 2018.
The WG said it will use the pilot to help gain a better understanding of how reductions of this nature affect the wider demand for public transport, before deciding on the initiative’s future.
Describing it as “ground-breaking,” Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates said it was hoped the project, which began on Saturday (July 8), will act as a catalyst for bus travel in Wales, boosting not only the number of passengers but also wider use of the TrawsCymru routes. A budget of up to £1m has been set aside for the initiative.
“From Bangor to Cardiff, Fishguard to Wrexham, I hope to see this scheme provide the perfect excuse for people from across Wales and beyond to jump on the bus and spend their weekends enjoying the diverse beauty of Wales,” Ken said.
“The free service is subject to availability, but we have also provided additional funding to local authorities to ensure operators are able to deploy more buses to meet increased demand if necessary,” Ken added.
The pilot applies to all buses on the TrawsCymru network:
- TrawsCymru T1 Aberystwyth – Lampeter – Carmarthen (operates seven days a week);
- TrawsCymru T1C Aberystwyth – Lampeter – Carmarthen – Swansea – Cardiff (daily except Sundays);
- TrawsCymru T2 Bangor – Porthmadog – Dolgellau – Aberystwyth (operates daily);
- TrawsCymru T3 Wrexham – Llangollen – Dolgellau – Barmouth (operates daily);
- TrawsCymru T4 Newtown – Brecon – Merthyr Tydfil – Pontypridd – Cardiff (operates daily);
- TrawsCymru T5 Aberystwyth – New Quay – Cardigan – Fishguard – Haverfordwest (operates daily, Sundays during summer only);
- TrawsCymru T6 Brecon – Ystradgynlais – Neath – Swansea (operates daily); and
- Cardiff Airport Express T9 services (operates throughout the day, seven days a week).
Announcing the plan, Economy Secretary Ken Skates said other bus operators would be reimbursed if their passenger numbers fell as a result, although the Welsh Government is ‘optimistic’ it will have the opposite effect.
However, Mel Evans, Director of Aberystwyth-based Mid Wales Travel, raised concerns about how the figure would be calculated.
He told BBC Wales: “It will be interesting to find out how much compensation there will be or how they are going to work it out. If you work it from a month ago, and in a month’s time when the holiday starts, there will be a big difference in the amount of people carried, especially in a holiday area like Aberystwyth.”
