Six industry and passenger groups including the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Cymru and Bus Users UK have called on the Welsh Government to increase funding for bus services in Wales.
Those organisations have written to Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language Mark Drakeford and Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport Ken Skates urging against below-inflationary increases for the mode.
They point to the recently published draft Welsh budget for FY2026/27 with a planned 1.9% increase in support for buses during that period. It sits against the current 3.8% rate of inflation and the 5.8% uplift in costs that the bus industry has reported.
Joint letters sent by the groups highlight the economic, social and environmental value of bus services and the damaging cuts that could result under the level of funding proposed in the draft budget for Wales.
Mr Skates told the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee on 26 November that the final Welsh budget will be different to the draft offering but noted that significant pressures are being experienced on revenue funding for bus services.
“Our objective is to maintain the bus network through to franchising,” he says. “Perhaps the greatest threat is to bus services such as [TrawsCymru] and Fflecsi. They are the ones that we are seeking to protect, but also most conscious are at risk.”
On capital funding, an additional £9m is provisionally allocated as part of the move to bus reregulation in Wales. Mr Skates adds how that money “is going to demonstrate our commitment to decarbonisation, improving depots, and preparing for bus franchising.”
He told the Committee that as franchising rolls out, it is likely that “a significant increase” in capital funding for buses will be required to modernise the fleet in Wales. In the longer-term, Mr Skates suggests that a move to zero-emission vehicles will see a large reduction in maintenance costs that could potentially release money for other purposes.
“If we can draw down funding for enhancing the fleet, modernising the fleet, from the local growth fund or any other source, then it certainly provides us with the potential to release revenue that could then be used to support the network itself.”
On the present, Bus Users UK Director for Wales Barclay Davies notes how in readying for franchising, “it is imperative that the existing core network of services [is] retained.” Properly funded bus services “have the power to improve physical and mental health, boost local economies, reduce congestion, and help to meet the country’s decarbonisation targets.”
CPT Cymru Director Aaron Hill adds that while the Bus Services (Wales) Bill is expected to pass into law imminently, it alone will not secure the mode’s future in Wales. Appropriate funding must be forthcoming to do that, including via measures to keep fares low, maintain services, and improve journey times.
“Operators need clarity over future funding for buses to be confident that they can provide the services that passengers deserve and identify opportunities for growth and decarbonisation,” Mr Hill continues.
