Public Transport in Caerphilly

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:58 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:58, 17 May 2022

Llywydd, I thank Hefin David for that and acknowledge the consistent interest that he's taken in making sure that public transport links to the Grange hospital are as good as they can be, and I'm very pleased to say to him that we're in the final stages of finalising arrangements to introduce that new direct bus link to the hospital from Blackwood, Newbridge and Pontypool, and that that service will begin within a few weeks, in July. It will be a direct contract between the Welsh Government and the bus operator here in south Wales in order to get that service to happen. The service will operate on an hourly basis throughout the day, and we will carefully monitor its effectiveness over the first six months. That direct service will also connect with other bus and rail services at key hubs and interchanges. My colleague Lee Waters will make an announcement shortly to confirm the exact start date. It will be a significant advance in making sure that people who rely on public transport to get to and from the Grange hospital from the Member's constituency and from others along that route will now have that new service at their disposal.