5. 5. Statement: The Future of Local Bus Services

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:06 pm on 28 February 2017.

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Photo of David Rowlands David Rowlands UKIP 4:06, 28 February 2017

Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we all welcome your statement this afternoon, but would you not agree that the whole strategy of delivering bus services needs a new and, perhaps, radical approach? Surely, the sight of 50-plus passenger buses often running empty and very often in tandem does not seem economically or environmentally acceptable. We are seeing the rise in community buses, which provide an excellent service where available, and which appear to be far more cost-effective as they often use smaller buses with more targeted objectives. Would the Cabinet Secretary consider that he would be expanding these types of operations? Is it time to look at the possibility of using smaller buses on many more routes within Wales, even combined with on-call taxi operations? These taxi operations would be far more acceptable and available to people with disabilities, et cetera. These vehicles could actually be using cleaner engine options, even providing the possibility of electric buses on more local runs. This would, of course, confine the 50-plus buses and their gas-guzzling operations to just long-haul services. Do you not agree that these are options that you should, in fact, be looking at?