Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:19 pm on 15 February 2023.
This Government doesn't do irony, surely. On the one hand, yesterday, the Deputy Minister announced that plans to build many rural roads in Wales were to be ceased, talking at that point about the importance of public transport and how the most disadvantaged, women, the disabled and vulnerable people are the most reliant on public transport, and how important it is, therefore. Then, in discussing the bus programme, the same Deputy Minister said that the funding provided to buses in Wales wouldn't be enough to maintain the current routes and services. Now, it's not as easy to jump on a bike and cycle to the nearest shop in rural Wales. Our communities are miles apart, and services are centred in areas that are a long way away. People have to travel long distances to see a GP, a dentist, to get their education, to shop, to go to a leisure centre and all sorts of other activities. And older people and vulnerable people will live very isolated lives as a result of this.
If bus services aren't properly funded, then you will force more people to rely on private vehicles. And in the absence of a network of charging points, what we will see is a nation like Cuba in rural Wales, with people sustaining the old fossil fuel vehicles for decades to come. But, more than that, you are putting another nail in the coffin of rural Wales, forcing people to leave their communities to live elsewhere because of an absence of transport and access to services. Therefore, can we have an assurance that you will ensure that the current routes, at least, are maintained, with real investment happening in the bus network in rural Wales when the first opportunity arises?