New Welsh grant to give greater public control of buses

Deputy Climate Change Minister, Lee Waters, has announced that support for the bus industry in Wales will continue, with £39m confirmed for the year ahead.

The funding is to be provided through a new ‘Bus Network Grant’. The grant will be made available to local authorities to secure services once the Welsh government’s Bus Transition Fund comes to an end on 31 March. The new Bus Network Grant will begin on 1 April and run for 12 months.

Local authorities will be required to meet specific conditions to receive funding. These include ensuring routes and timetables support improved journey times, deliver opportunities for greater connectivity where possible, and provide improved information about the times of bus services.

“The Bus Network Grant will bring stability to the industry as well as increased public control of bus services” – Lee Waters, Deputy Climate Change Minister

Lee Waters said: “The Bus Network Grant will bring stability to the industry as well as increased public control of bus services.

“It will also act as a bridge from the emergency funding that has been provided towards bus franchising.

“It will include specific conditions that will encourage improved regional co-ordination of bus services; network ticketing and the need to ensure accurate and up to date information about the bus services provided.

“For the last three years, the Welsh Government has been working on plans to reform the way buses in Wales are run.”

Welsh Government has also published the Learner Travel Recommendations Report 2023. This sets out a series of recommendations to help improve the consistency, quality and safety of learner travel provision across Wales.