Clearly, the Welsh public transport landscape has changed dramatically this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and, before I go on to make my comments, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those workers across Wales who have continued working and kept essential travel routes open to key workers across the country. Public transport prior to and certainly during the lockdown has provided a lifeline to key workers, and we all owe them a great deal of gratitude for their commitment and hard work throughout this crisis.

Now, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I took the opportunity to question the First Minister on protocols for public transport to ensure that measures were put in place to protect commuter safety and to maintain the highest possible hygiene standards, because it was very clear from the outset that COVID-19 would cause considerable disruption to public transport services across Wales. Therefore, this should have been an area that the Welsh Government prioritised from the start, and it's frustrating to hear from those working in the sector that more information and clarity wasn't provided from the very start. Evidence from stakeholders to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee last month made it clear that the sector simply needed to know where it was going, and with some clarity pretty quickly. Members, that need for clarity cannot be emphasised enough. For most public transport providers, levels of service have decreased substantially overnight, resulting in some serious workforce planning and a need to overhaul and reassess routes to ensure those who continue to travel for essential purposes could still do so and in the safest possible way.

Moving forward, the transport sector are right to point out that it’s simply unworkable to operate commercial bus services where running vehicle capacities are at a reduced level. Naturally, buses, for example, will simply not be able to accommodate the same number of travellers per vehicle that they did before the pandemic, and so the Welsh Government must start seriously looking at how bus services are going to be sustainable in the future, considering the major issues that they face in terms of adhering to the social distancing guidance.

Now, other Members have acknowledged that buses are a lifeline to so many people across Wales in providing a way for people to reach and access essential services and facilities, and so as more and more people return to the workplace, an emergency public transport strategy is needed to ensure that communities are not left behind as the demand for travel increases. I’m also aware of the impact in my own constituency, where local providers have made it very clear that more support and guidance is needed from the Welsh Government. I’m aware of the work done by the Confederation of Passenger Transport to establish a recovery group with Transport for Wales, local authorities and other stakeholders, and that’s an important vehicle in engaging with the transport sector and responding to their concerns. As I understand it, that group provided information in relation to how much it would cost to accelerate services over a six-month period from June to December for all operators in Wales, as well as providing information in relation to a bus economic stimulus package. Four weeks on from receiving that information, it was made clear to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee that no formal response was made to the recovery group. That information warranted urgent attention given the serious impact the pandemic has had on providers, and yet the Government was slow in formally responding to the sector. Moving forward, the Welsh Government must redouble its efforts and its communication to the transport industry, and lessons must be learned from this pandemic to better inform policy, going forward.

I’d also like to use my time to focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the road haulage industry, as representations that I’ve received from businesses in my own constituency have made it clear that these businesses missed out on important grant aid and other measures that were initially introduced to support industry. These businesses are still very much needed to support the country’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and so the Welsh Government must do more to establish how and where it can best support these businesses. One local provider told me, and I quote, ‘While most of our customers shut up shop and battened down the hatches and furloughed staff, we still need to be operational to deliver essential hospital supplies and food to distribution centres. Our volumes have dropped considerably as some non-essential customers have closed. Current financial support measures are not working. Loans are inaccessible and do not provide the immediate support operators need.’ That’s the reality that some haulage businesses in Wales are facing, and something has got to change.

Dirprwy Lywydd, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on all our lives. It’s a public health emergency, an economic emergency, and it could very well be a transport emergency, too, if we don’t act now and listen to the concerns being raised by those in the sector. I appreciate that there’s no magic wand and that the impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt for some time to come, but the lack of support and meaningful engagement with the sector has to change. Therefore, in responding to this afternoon’s debate, I hope that the Deputy Minister reflects on the concerns made by the sector and starts considering how Wales’s public transport providers can address some of these issues as restrictions ease and more people rely on their services. Thank you.