Local Bus Services to the Afan Valley

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:08 pm on 16 January 2019.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 2:08, 16 January 2019

I think the Member makes a really important point. The system is broken, and that's why the reforms that we've outlined in the White Paper are so necessary. In brief—and, again, I would invite all Members to read the White Paper and to submit observations—the proposals include franchising powers, they include the power to be able create municipal bus companies, they include proposals for greater integration of different forms of transport, they include the creation of joint transport authorities to deliver and plan bus services on a regional basis, and they include proposals for Transport for Wales to take a more active role in delivering this vital service for the people of Wales.

Alongside this, there are potential changes that can be made in terms of the fare regime for passengers to make it more affordable, and more transparent as well, to integrate tickets. It's still a shocking fact that, in some parts of Wales, 20 per cent of unemployed young people can't afford, or can't get, a bus service to their interviews, never mind to jobs. They are locked out of employment because the system is broken, and that's why I believe that the proposals in the White Paper—that's why I believe that radical reform is so vital.