The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has called on the Welsh Government to provide detail on reimbursement for the newly launched reduced bus fare scheme for under-22s in Wales.
Note: this story has been updated.
The “mytravelpass” initiative will allow 16-21-year-olds to purchase a £1 single or £3 day ticket from September onwards.
Today, the pilot scheme, which was announced in February, went live with branding and the sign-up process. It was also announced that the offer would be extended to 5-15-year-olds from 3 November.
The Welsh Government’s budget allocated £15 million to fund the 16-21-year-old scheme for two years, and today confirmed an additional £7 million to extend the initiative to younger travellers.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, says at the launch: “I am delighted to be launching a scheme that offers affordable bus travel for young people to help them access education, training, employment, and leisure, as well as supporting our efforts to encourage more people to use public transport, reduce carbon emissions and tackle poverty.
“As we approach the summer holidays, I want to encourage all those who haven’t signed up for a free mytravelpass to do so from 21 July. This will mean they can take advantage of £1 bus fares from 1 September.”
However, CPT suggests detail on how operators would be reimbursed was lacking, and expressed concern over the strategy for ending the scheme.
Aaron Hill, Director of CPT Cymru, says in a statement: “Encouraging young people to catch the bus is the right choice for Wales.
“Lower fares will help a new generation pick up a habit of using public transport – which will trigger more investment in bus services, benefiting communities up and down the country.
“Buses account for two thirds of public transport journeys in Wales, so they are key to our national infrastructure.
“Investing in buses represents good value – every pound of public money spent on buses brings £4.55 of benefits to the environment, to public health and to communities.
“In order to roll out this scheme in the autumn, bus operators need clarity on exactly how lower bus fares will be funded, and on reimbursement for individual bus companies which will be cutting fares for passengers.
“It is also important that the Government considers how long the scheme will last, and how it can ultimately be ended without a ‘cliff edge’ that deters passengers.
“We want to work in partnership to deliver lower fares for young people successfully.
“We call on the Welsh Government and on Transport for Wales to act quickly to build confidence in the scheme ahead of its launch in September.”
