2. What actions is the Welsh Government taking to improve public transport opportunities in the south Wales valleys? OAQ53886

I thank Vikki Howells for that. Amongst the actions being taken to improve public transport are the White Paper proposals, 'Improving public transport', which will provide the legislative framework to facilitate a better integrated transport system here in Wales. We have our long-term investment in public transport that begins with the south Wales metro, and specifically in the south Wales Valleys, of course, we have the work of the Valleys taskforce.

Thank you, First Minister. I was very interested to see the announcement on the out-of-hours bus service pilot from the Rhondda valley as part of the Valleys taskforce initiative, and I know lots of my fellow AMs from the Valleys were equally enthused to read about that. We know that current timetables don't meet shift workers' needs, which can be so important for tackling poverty, and in communities furthest from the railways, bus provision really is the key public transport lever. This initiative could make such a difference to communities like mine. Are there any plans to broaden out this pilot? 

Llywydd, thanks to Vikki Howells for that further question. I absolutely agree with her that what we are trying to do here is to provide more flexible and demand-led transport, particularly in those places where the bus network is the key provider of public transport and where there are shift work needs that the main timetable often doesn't supply. Vikki Howells is right to say that the first year of the pilot will operate in the Rhondda valley—towns such as Maerdy, Ferndale and Blaenllechau. And there, there will be links through this new service either east to Treforest and Nantgarw or west towards Pontyclun and Llantrisant. That pilot will run for one year, but there is an option for a second year, and I know that my colleague Ken Skates will be very pleased to discuss with you what possibilities there might be for including a wider geographical area as that first year experience becomes known to us. 

As a regular user of the Valleys lines from the Rhondda, I'm one of the many thousands of passengers left dismayed, frustrated, squashed and feeling short-changed on a regular basis. Overcrowding has become a major safety issue not just for commuters, but also for staff who bear the brunt of passengers' anger, especially when people are forced to endure cramped conditions. On behalf of staff, who I've received representations from, and on behalf of the many people who use the trains every day, I want to know when we can expect to see more rolling stock—new rolling stock—on the Treherbert line? And I also want to know if there's any truth in what was told to me by a member of Transport for Wales staff that new carriages will not feature toilets?

Well, Llywydd, it is because we recognise the points that the Member has made that the new franchise will provide an extra 285 services across Wales every weekday and on Sundays by December 2023, and an extra 294 services across Wales by December 2019. As far as I am aware, the new rolling stock that we are acquiring will, of course, have modern and up-to-date facilities including toilet facilities, but also Wi-Fi and other things that people travelling in a modern railway system have a right to expect.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary

You will agree with me, no doubt, that the south Wales metro scheme is absolutely vital to connect our communities in the south Wales Valleys with the jobs and growth opportunities of the wider Cardiff capital region. Can you, First Minister, therefore tell us how the delivery of these two important projects are being co-ordinated, especially in relation to the development of the metro project going forward? 

Well, Llywydd, I certainly do agree with what Russell George has said. The whole purpose of the metro and the improvements that we look to make in public services is that it will allow people to move freely across the economy of south Wales, allowing businesses to move where there are skilled populations that can allow them to thrive and allowing people to move easily to where employment can be found. The purpose of our White Paper is to set out a form of being able to regulate bus services in the future that means they can be run in the public interest, and in that way we will be able to bring those two threads together: the public investment that we are making in the metro—a major investment—but also a way of planning and delivering bus services that means we have a genuinely integrated transport system across south Wales.