Today in the Senedd, Vale of Clwyd MS, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism, Sport, and North Wales – Gareth Davies, urged the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, to take immediate and practical action to reverse the decline in public bus usage across Wales before its proposed franchising model is introduced.
Speaking directly to the Cabinet, Gareth highlighted concerning figures that show bus usage in Wales remains at just 78.3% of pre-pandemic levels, significantly lagging behind recovery rates seen in England and Scotland.
Speaking on the Welsh Government’s Bus Services (Wales) Bill, Gareth argued that changing the ownership model of bus services won’t solve the problems if the services themselves don’t improve, arguing that steps need to be taken now to get people back on the bus.
He pointed to the success of the Sherpa’r Wyddfa network in northwest Wales as an example of what can work: more frequent services, better connectivity in rural areas, and eliminating inconvenient changeovers. He highlighted that the Sherpa’r Wyddfa network bucks the trend of decreasing passenger numbers in Wales and has seen an increase in users since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gareth also warned against the franchising model becoming “another money pit for the Welsh taxpayer” if it's not matched with a clear strategy to enhance service quality and accessibility, especially for isolated and underserved communities.
Following the exchange, Gareth said:
“The Welsh Government’s Bus Services Bill is simply rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic - we need to see a new model for how bus services in Wales operate, not more bureaucratic tinkering.
“If we don’t rapidly see passenger numbers increase, the new franchising model will become another money pit for the taxpayer.
“The Welsh Government should look to the success of the Sherpa’r Wyddfa network and focus on rural connectivity, eliminating inconvenient changeovers, and more frequent buses.”