Friday 1 April 2022

A national bus network needs careful thought

 My immediate reaction to the broadcast news item that the Welsh government was planning a virtual nationalisation of bus services in Wales was that resources would naturally flow to the area where government was based, Cardiff Bay.

I was somewhat relieved to see that the sponsor of the White Paper is Lee Waters MS, who has a consistent record of supporting public transport, not to mention cycling. This was even after joining the Labour party, which has not been a prominent supporter of matters green in the past. 

There are certainly advantages in having a consistent ticketing system across Wales and certainly in ensuring that connecting services mesh. However, the small print needs study.

There is also the danger of a doctrinaire Conservative government in Westminster being obstructive. Will they allow amendments to the Competition Act? One recalls Mrs Thatcher breaking up the previous model of semi-commercial long distance bus and coach combined with municipal and commercial local services. This worked well in my experience and Wales will do well to better it.


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