The whole of the TrawsCymru network in Wales is planned to be converted to zero-emission “by the end of 2026” as part of targets that the Welsh Government hopes will see the nation’s bus fleet reach the same status in its entirety by 2035.
Under the wider Net Zero Wales plan, the most polluting 50% of buses in the country will be replaced by zero-emission models by 2028 ahead of the transition for all by 2035. That represents a rethink on the Welsh Government’s previous and highly ambitious target that all buses in the country would be zero-emission by 2028.
On the target to remove diesel buses from TrawsCymru routes – all of which are contracted – a spokesperson confirms that the Welsh Government is committed to funding the cost of that shift.
That TrawsCymru decarbonisation work has already begun. Eight Yutong E12 battery-electric models were recently ordered for route T1 between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. That service is currently operated by First Cymru although a new contract will begin on 1 September. Six similar buses were delivered in 2021 for use on two TrawsCymru routes in North Wales, although they have not yet entered service.
How the overall changeover will be funded is currently under examination, the Welsh Government says. “The task and finish group for bus fleet decarbonisation and demand aggregation will look at funding models for the conversion of the remainder of the bus fleet,” the spokesperson continues.
It has been suggested that the 2023/24 financial year onwards will see the Welsh Government make available funding to support the introduction of zero-emission buses.
How that would be delivered is currently unclear. Moves to re-regulate bus services in Wales are currently underway, with the first such networks possibly to be introduced in 2025/26.
That has left questions around how investments made by incumbent operators in the meantime will be protected, although the Confederation of Passenger Transport Cymru has already acknowledged that the Welsh Government is looking to address that issue.
