Almost a quarter of a million cheaper journeys made as £1 pilot scheme is extended to 5–15-year-olds
by WelshGovNews
Almost a quarter of a million cheaper journeys made as £1 pilot scheme is extended to 5–15-year-olds
by WelshGovNews
6 comments
**More young people will benefit from cheaper bus fares across Wales as the £1 bus fare pilot is extended to all 5–15-year-olds from today.**
The scheme, which was launched in September for 16–21-year-olds, is already proving to be a success with almost a quarter of a million journeys made by young people taking advantage of the cheaper fares.
The extended pilot will not only provide more children and young people with unlimited affordable bus travel to help them access education and leisure but also help support the Welsh Government’s efforts to encourage more people to use public transport, reduce carbon emissions and tackle poverty.
The pilot scheme, which offers single fares for just £1 and a £3 day ticket when travelling with any participating bus services, will run until August 2026. Unlike those in the 16–21-year-old age bracket, 5–15-year-olds do not need a mytravelpass to access the cheaper fares.
Speaking at Merthyr Tydfil Bus Interchange, ahead of a Cabinet meeting in the town later that day, First Minister, Eluned Morgan will say:
“We are delivering on our promise to cut the cost of travel to help break down barriers, because no young person in Wales should feel cut off or isolated due to the cost of transport.
“This investment is already making a real difference to communities all over Wales, but especially in rural areas.”
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates will say:
“I am delighted to be extending the pilot scheme to offer affordable bus travel to more young people across Wales.
“We’re already seeing an increased uptake in the number of young people taking advantage of the cheaper fares and I look forward to seeing this continue to rise now we’ve extended the scheme to 5–15-year-olds.”
Managing Director of Stagecoach South Wales, Martin Gibbon, will say:
“We’re delighted to see the positive response to this scheme. Stagecoach South Wales is committed to making travel as accessible and affordable as possible, and the scheme is already making a real difference to young people’s lives by connecting them with opportunities and friends.
“We look forward to welcoming younger passengers onto our services from today.”
Full details of the scheme and participating bus services are available on the TfW website.
The £1 bus fare scheme has been a boon for me. I don’t think I’d have seen a fair part of Wales if it weren’t for this scheme.
The article doesn’t say how this has affected passenger numbers.
Just saying almost 250k have used the new ticket doesn’t tell me whether this is a success as we don’t know whether they would have got a ticket previously. If they would have done all this policy has achieved is reducing the income from transport users and thereby increasing the bourdon on the taxpayer.
Great. Make it permanent and we’ll have something to discuss.
Would like to use this but service was stopped to our village, hope it leads to services being opened up again to cut off villages
Interesting numbers…£15m budget over 2 years, (£625kpm. 125k journeys per month so far since 1st Sept)
Wondering how the bus companies are being subsidised? Per passenger? A bit sparce on details to assess taxpayer value for money.
Looks like we’ve got the Liberal Democrats to thank for a policy that’s going to make a difference.
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