Arriva Wales Bus Drivers

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:11 pm on 17 November 2021.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 3:11, 17 November 2021

Well, I'm very interested to hear Janet Finch-Saunders's wholehearted support for Llyr Gruffydd's intervention—[Interruption.]—in the market. 'He who pays the piper calls the tune', says Janet Finch-Saunders, and we certainly know that from her colleagues in Westminster, who are putting themselves for hire at the mercy of private companies. So, to directly address Llyr's point, there is a patchwork of arrangements in Wales because it is a commercial market, a commercial market deliberately set up by the Conservatives under bus privatisation. The drivers from Arriva are generally among the better paid in Wales at the moment, better paid than those in Stagecoach, where there has been a dispute recently, but they're not as well paid as those across the border in Merseyside. So, these are complex commercial matters, but I can absolutely give the commitment that we want to see consistency across Wales, both of service provision, of timetable provision and of terms and conditions for staff. And that is something we very much will be designing into the bus White Paper that we're working on currently and will be introducing in the new year. I hope, given the support we're hearing across the Chamber for action, that support will be reflected when the legislation comes forward.