The Coach and Bus Association Cymru (CaBAC) is “deeply concerned” at the lack of clarity on future bus service provision in Wales beyond the recently announced three-month extension to the Bus Emergency Scheme (BES) and the resulting prospect of a “skeleton” service level.
Its worries centre on both that lack of long-term outlook and what the trade body says is a potentially disastrous round of service cuts from July if no further support is forthcoming at that point.
Those concerns were furthered on 15 February by Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters. In well-publicised remarks, Mr Waters told the Senedd that beyond the planned end of BES on 30 June, there could be a “skeleton” level of bus service provision that will lead up to planned reregulation in Wales, which is expected to begin no earlier than 2025.
That leaves what Mr Waters describes as “a bridging problem.” He adds that the Welsh Government would “desperately” like to fund buses “properly” during that period, but that options for doing so are currently limited.
It is not clear how delivery of franchising will be financially possible against that landscape. Mr Waters adds a hope that the UK government will allocate more funding to transport, which would bring with it a consequential increase in budgets for the devolved nations.
CaBAC Chair Scott Pearson, who is also Managing Director of Newport Transport, says that while bus operators welcome the three-month extension of BES, the trade body is “disappointed” in the length of that term. The industry in Wales accepts the financial challenges in play and that some services need to change, but the short-term approach stands to have a severe socioeconomic impact if widespread provision is lost, he adds.
Mr Pearson notes that SME operators in Wales face particular challenges under the current landscape. CaBAC suggests that some such businesses that also have interests in coach operation may elect to withdraw from bus services entirely, which will cause additional difficulties in the provision of home-to-school services.
CaBAC now wants ministers to “work intensively” with operators, local authorities and other partners to develop a long-term and sustainable funding package for the bus industry in Wales.
Adds Mr Pearson: “CaBAC looks forward to playing a full part in any discussions that can lead to a properly financed, long-term scheme to fund bus services in Wales, giving certainty to operators, staff and, of course, passengers – who are at the heart of everything that we provide.”
Read more about CaBAC’s policy on what the long-term approach to bus services in Wales should be in the March 2023 issue of routeone, which will be published on 8 March.
