Plaid MS backs campaign to reverse ‘disastrous’ cuts to North Wales’ bus services

An MS has backed a vigorous campaign to reverse “disastrous” cuts to bus services in North Wales. 

Llyr Gruffydd, of Plaid Cymru, who represents the region in the Senedd, has been inundated with letters from concerned constituents who strongly oppose the move by the Welsh Government. 

Mr Gruffydd, has warned that the decision by Lee Waters, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, to scrap the Bus Emergency Scheme will leave the poorest and most vulnerable people isolated. 

The bus scheme was put in place during the pandemic when passenger numbers plummeted and was recently extended on a temporary basis until June 2023. Passenger numbers still haven’t recovered to their pre-Covid levels, but the Welsh Government has decided to axe the scheme nonetheless.

 The move by the Welsh Government would see £2.2m cut from Arriva’s bus services in North Wales and it has been estimated that it will put 330 jobs at risk. 

 Mr Gruffydd said that pulling this “essential” funding would be “catastrophic” for people in North Wales who rely on bus services. He also argued that it “doesn’t make sense” to scrap road-building projects and cut funding for bus services at the same time. 

The Plaid Cymru MS is calling on the Government to extend the bus subsidy for at least 18 months, to provide certainty and give providers the time to plan ahead. It has been estimated that withdrawal of funding for the Bus Emergency Scheme could lead to the cancellation of between 35% and 45% of bus routes across Wales. 

 Llyr Gruffydd MS said: 

“It’s clear that from the hundreds of messages that I have received that people across
North Wales are very concerned about the Welsh Government’s decision scrap the Bus Emergency Scheme. “Residents are worried how it will impact them in their day-to day-lives. They rely on these services to travel around their communities, to get to work, to get to school and then to get back home again. 

 “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Climate Change needs to look again at this wrong-headed and short-sighted move. It’s bad the environment, bad for jobs and disastrous for public transport.

“These catastrophic cuts to bus services will decimate what is, for many people in north Wales, the only form of public transport they have. It will lead to a number of bus services being withdrawn, especially in rural areas, overcrowding on buses, longer waiting times, longer journey times, and more congestion on roads due to more people being forced to use cars. This would have a knock-on effect of increased pollution and further exacerbate climate change. Three quarters of all public transport journeys in Wales are made by bus, but buses get a fraction of the investment currently earmarked by the Government for rail. “Cutting that funding further at a time of falling passenger numbers and rising costs will decimate the bus network. 

“It will disproportionately disadvantage women, children and young people, the elderly, the disabled, workers on low incomes and rural communities. 

 “Cutting subsidy to bus transport in the middle of a full-blown cost-of-living crisis is among the most regressive acts this Labour Welsh Government has ever proposed. 

“In its roads review, the Welsh Government announced that it was scrapping a number of road-building projects, and apparently heralded its commitment to a historic shift in policy and priority from roads to public transport. 

 “Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for it to cut vital funding for bus services at this time. I urge them to protect the existing bus network while that better, fairer, greener transport network is built.” 

Mr Gruffydd thanked Unite the union for its campaign on the matter: 

“Bus drivers and their union, Unite, are at the forefront of the campaign to highlight the danger of scrapping the Bus Emergency Scheme. They’ve already raised awareness among passengers and it’s our job now as representatives of both bus users and drivers to support their campaign.”

The bus petition can be signed here:  Sign petition: Save Wrexham's bus services · GoPetition.com