Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 15 June 2021.
Thank you, First Minister. Yesterday, I met with the representatives of Paragon ID, the leading providers of smartcards for transport and smart cities. They are responsible for providing smartcards for over 150 cities worldwide and were behind the Oyster card, as seen here, in London. First Minister, it is a passion of mine to see an all-Wales travel card. I'm hoping to have a card just like this that will allow people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and age groups to use this card. For example, a person could board a bus from their home in Newport to the railway station and then use the same card on the train to Swansea and get the bus from Swansea station, for example, to Swansea University. During our discussion, it became apparent that much of the technology for an all-Wales travel card is already in place, and all that is required to bring this about is for the Welsh Government to work with stakeholders and provide the investment. Establishing a Wales travel pass for use on local or sub-regional networks across all operators will ensure more seamless journeys for residents, tourists, commuters and students all across Wales, and ultimately encourage tourism, assisting visitors to travel easily and conveniently from north to south, from east to west Wales. Will you, First Minister, commit to exploring the possibility of introducing an all-Wales travel card, similar to the Oyster card here, in Wales? And I promise not to make you call it the Natasha Asghar travel card if you do.