Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:25 pm on 15 February 2023.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for letting me come in on this. The chief executive of Neath Port Talbot council wrote to me regarding the possible devastating impact of the Government’s decision around this on a number of local bus services, and I just want to make the point that it’s not just rural bus services, but services in counties like Neath Port Talbot, and she’s particularly concerned about the impact on young people attending school or college. Student transport to Neath Port Talbot College is via the local bus network, and the routes operate on a commercial basis. She thinks that this route will be made unviable, which will of course lead to unintended consequences across the wider network. There’s a very real possibility that reductions in revenue support will impact on home-to-school transport services as operators reduce their capacity, close their business or increase contract prices to compensate. In the last few days, and even just literally before coming to the Chamber, I’ve heard from residents who rely on buses, who are really concerned about this—a mother concerned about her son’s bus to school, a daughter concerned about her mother’s bus to hospital. I just want to know what assurances you can give the people of Neath Port Talbot that their bus services will remain in place.