Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 5 March 2019.
Thank you, Minister. Bus services are an integral part of our national transport infrastructure. However, in Newport, recent news that the NAT service in Brynglas will finish operating later this month has caused concern amongst my constituents who rely on this service. Sadly, this is not an unusual situation. It's affected all operators across Newport, and I'm still being contacted by many constituents about the decline of the other bus services. For example, the X18 service from Maesglas to Pye Corner train station ended in 2017. No operator has taken over that service, meaning one of my constituents has a trip of over two hours to visit her mother in Ebbw Vale, and this isn't the integrated transport system that we are all trying to achieve. To encourage people to use public transport, it needs to be affordable, reliable and regular, so what is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that sustainable bus services are maintained in Wales?