5. Statement by the Minister for Economy and Transport: Concessionary Travel

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:14 pm on 8 October 2019.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 5:14, 8 October 2019

Can I thank Jenny Rathbone for her questions? Clearly, the huge demand for access to the Transport for Wales website and particularly the page concerning the replacement of the card, posed difficulties. Transport for Wales have been offering drop-in sessions here in the National Assembly for Wales, and I can assure the Member that I wrote to all Assembly Members on 5 June of this year, pointing them to the fact that we would be embarking on a replacement scheme in the autumn, and it detailed the criteria would be remaining the same for all renewals and that people who may find it difficult to go through the online process would be able to get help from their local authorities and, in particular, from libraries.

I think Jenny Rathbone really hits the nail on the head in that, if you're not offering an enticing means of travelling over a shorter period by bus than you are by car, then you're not going to switch. You're just simply not going to choose to go by bus. So, in order to reduce journey times by bus, what we are doing at the moment is investing through the local transport fund and through other means in bus lanes; we're looking at the development of bus rapid transport as well, as a particular metro solution in some communities; we're looking at enforcement as well—better enforcement where irresponsible motorists park in bus lanes. This is something that my colleague Lee Waters is looking at with regard to pavement parking as well, which can disrupt bus journeys, where people park irresponsibly on pavements where they shouldn't and block roadways. So, there are multiple interventions that we are making to make bus journeys shorter in their time and also more reliable.