Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:37 pm on 2 October 2018.
Well, one of the difficulties, of course, is that we have seen bus companies collapse and, as a result, services see a break. Quite often, of course, they are reprovided by another provider. We have seen Arriva, for example, pull out of all of Ceredigion, in effect, despite the fact they operated the bus services there and, of course, new companies did come forward. But, again, there was uncertainty and, again, there was a potential gap in service. Now, we consulted, as he will know, last year on proposals that would strengthen the arrangements for the planning and delivery of local bus services in the future and, of course, we will need to look over the next few years at how we are able to ensure a continuity of service where that service is not subsidised and where, of course, the private operator can do however they want. Now, that clearly is not a sustainable model for the future, but now that we have the powers that we've asked for for so long over the bus network, there's an exciting opportunity to craft a more integrated and sustainable network in the future.