TfW offers discounts for NHS staff

Transport for Wales (TfW) will now offer discounted fares for Hywel Dda staff on certain TrawsCymru bus services.

Following a three-month free travel pilot, TfW has teamed up with Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) to offer long term discounted bus travel for health board staff to encourage workers to travel more sustainably and to help reduce pressure on NHS car parks.

The discount will be available on five services. The new discounted fares will offer between 20% and 36% saving depending on the type of ticket purchased.

During the free bus trial between March and June, just under 3,000 journeys were made by health board, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust staff on these routes.

Work is on-going between TfW and the health board to extend the offer to other routes and to introduce long-term discounted fares throughout the region.

“I’d like to thank our operators at First Cymru and Lloyds Coaches for their support of this scheme” – Mark Jacobs, Contracts and Performance Manager for TrawsCymru

Mark Jacobs, Contracts and Performance Manager for TrawsCymru, said: “This is a fantastic example of where public transport can provide meaningful change in supporting the health board’s ambitions to reduce congestion in its car parks and encourage its staff to make more sustainable travel choices by giving the bus a go.

“I’d like to thank our operators at First Cymru and Lloyds Coaches for their support of this scheme and we look forward to continue working with Hywel Dda UHB and considering further opportunities to run similar pilots on TrawsCymru services in other parts of Wales.”

“We know this may not be an option for everyone, but choosing sustainable modes of transport, even if it is once or twice a week, can add up to a significant impact on an individual’s carbon footprint” – Gareth Rees, Deputy Director of Operations at Hywel Dda UHB

Gareth Rees, Deputy Director of Operations at Hywel Dda UHB, said: “As one of the largest employers in Wales, we are committed to supporting our staff to access sustainable modes of transport.

“We’d like to thank Transport for Wales for this offer and extending it to the T2 and T28 service as far as Bronglais Hospital following an enthusiastic response from our staff.

“We know this may not be an option for everyone, but choosing sustainable modes of transport, even if it is once or twice a week, can add up to a significant impact on an individual’s carbon footprint, save money and help alleviate parking pressures on busy hospital sites.”