A ‘bridge to franchising’ approach to supported bus services in mid-Wales will be rolled out to test plans for country-wide reregulation of services that is slated to commence during 2027, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates has revealed.
The Welsh Government’s intention to franchise all bus services in the country is well known, and in late-2024 it said rollout of that would begin in South West Wales as the first of four franchising areas, completing with mid-Wales in 2030.
In a statement on 22 January, Mr Skates notes that parts of mid-Wales “are not well served by public transport” and that in Ceredigion and Powys, most of the existing bus network is already supported by local authorities.
“This is a similar model to bus franchising, so has provided an opportunity for us to test our plans and help boost bus provision in the region,” the minister says.
“The ‘bridge to bus franchising’, led collaboratively by Transport for Wales, the mid-Wales local authorities and the Corporate Joint Committee, has begun with a view to awarding contracts this year.”
What Mr Skates describes as “the Bridge Network” will seek to build on claimed successes with TrawsCymru provision and other recent improvements by delivering better connected bus and rail services in mid-Wales.
Via that work, the parties involved will trial very similar conditions to those that may be pursued across Wales via franchising. Affordable fares, minimum vehicle standards, and better reliability and customer service are among those cited.
In addition, Mr Skates says that the ‘bridge to franchising’ will look to maintain healthy competition by seeking to attract SME and community transport operators to bid as well as large groups.
A positive future for SME bus operators under a franchised landscape is seen as particularly critical in Wales because those businesses provide a significant portion of the country’s bus services, particularly in rural areas.
Under the transitional ‘bridge’ approach, consideration will also be given to how home-to-school and other ‘learner travel’ services can be integrated into the wider bus network. If delivered, that would minimise the requirement for closed-door home-to-school routes.
Mr Skates concludes by noting that the Bridge Network represents a good opportunity for the bus industry to prepare for the change that franchising will bring, and that it will see significant improvements in services for mid-Wales despite that being the last region in the country that is expected to see reregulation delivered.
