Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:53 pm on 8 October 2019.
Well, can I thank David Rowlands for his qualified support for what we are seeking to achieve? I think he makes a very important point that we have to act responsibly in order to prepare the public purse for an ageing society and also for an increasingly active ageing society as well.
Let me be absolutely crystal clear that, if you have a bus pass now, you will keep your bus pass in the future. There is no doubt at all. If you reach the age of 60 before 2022, you will have a concessionary fare pass at the age of 60. I'm going to provide Members, following this statement, with a table that demonstrates at what point in the next 19 to 20 years people will become eligible for the free bus pass, because we're not going to be introducing this in a very short period of time, we're going to stagger this over a significant period of time so that people aren't adversely affected in the way that some fear they will be.
I have to say, if there was more money now, there would be very difficult decisions for people to make about how to spend it on bus services. Would you maintain the system as it is today, with increasing costs year on year; would you extend concessionary travel to others, such as young people, as Russell George has said; would you increase the bus services support grant, which essentially pays for bus services that are not commercially viable; would you introduce lower fares, possibly a flat-fare scheme, as I've talked about; or would you invest in the infrastructure that makes bus travel more desirable and attractive? Personally, I think the latter four are probably the most effective means of driving modal shift and achieving an equitable, fair bus system in Wales.