Local bus travel within the Swansea Council area will be free for four days across each weekend between Friday 30 July and Monday 30 August inclusive. The project will be funded by the local authority, which says it will look to repeat the offer during school holidays throughout the year should it prove a success.
The initiative is intended to encourage people to use buses now that pandemic restrictions are easing, to support Swansea’s leisure, retail and tourism sectors as the city emerges from lockdown, and to help reduce emissions and congestion.
Services operated by Adventure Travel, Briggs Coaches, DANSA, First Cymru, South Wales Transport and Stagecoach South Wales are part of the scheme. It is part of a £20m recovery plan for Swansea and includes a Sunday service to and from Gower that was announced recently.
Free travel applies to all passenger trips that both start and finish within the Swansea Council area, that are taken on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday during the period concerned, and which commence before 2300hrs. Travel from and to park-and-ride sites, and on an express route that runs ultimately to Cardiff, is excluded.
Says Swansea Council Cabinet Member for Environment Enhancement and Infrastructure Management Cllr Mark Thomas: “We are delighted to offer this free bus travel for long weekends during the summer. The recent easing of COVID-19 restrictions means that this is the right time to launch this offer, but we will still work with bus operators to ensure that travel is COVID-safe.
“By encouraging people to travel by bus, we can also reduce emissions and congestion, which will contribute to the council’s commitment to tackling climate change.”
Face coverings remain required on buses in Wales in line with Welsh Government guidance, but the use of all forward-facing seats has been permitted since 21 June.
