Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 15 February 2023.
Minister, the disappointing announcement late on Friday night that the emergency funding scheme for operators is only to be extended for three months has not brought the certainty that the industry needs. Alongside rising costs—fuel, maintenance and wages, et cetera—fare-paying patronage levels across Wales have only returned to about 65 per cent of what they were before COVID. I've heard from companies in west Wales who provide these vital scheduled bus services that are concerned that they may no longer be able to operate these vital services, which allow people to attend hospital or GP appointments, to go shopping and interact with the wider world, or even travel to school. A lack of public transport, in rural areas in particular, is damaging to social cohesion and the ability to access public services, so the importance of these services in rural communities in particular cannot be understated. So, what discussions have you had, Minister, with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change regarding the end of the BES and what assessment have you undertaken regarding the impact that ceasing this will have on local authorities and bus companies?