I believe it was Gustavo Petro who said that the way to identify a developed country is not by finding a place where the poor have cars, but finding a place where the wealthy use public transport. And that is the crux of our debate this afternoon, in a way. It isn't just a debate raising urgent questions about funding public transport; it also raises related questions—fundamental questions about the level of respect that our society shows public transport. We as a nation are on a journey towards net zero by 2035. We need to be on that journey, but we can only cross that bridge if the use of public transport becomes the norm in our daily lives. So, that's the context in which we have to place our debate this afternoon.

But, to turn to the specific points in our motion, Llywydd, because we couldn't have this wider discussion without the bus industry existing, and this about the existence and survival of this industry. Our motion focuses on the need for certainty for the industry in Wales—certainty that will be particularly important for small operators, those without reserves, the family-run operators, and those on which their communities depend. We're asking for certainty about how much additional funding will be available to assist the industry, and for how long any additional funding will be provided. Our motion calls on the Government to extend the emergency scheme for at least 18 months, because there isn’t a great deal of certainty at the moment, and the providers cannot plan further ahead than the month we’re currently in. Since we heard that the future of the emergency scheme, the BES, was under threat, at the time of the budget, an extension of just three months has been offered. Now, of course, that extension is to be welcomed, but the time provided isn't sufficient to provide the certainty that is needed. Now, of course, we do need a debate on a sustainable future for the industry, an assurance that funding won’t merely be considered as an emergency measure, and our motion refers to those needs too. But it’s the current situation that is the cause of greatest concern.

As many of us who have heard directly from the bus industry in our areas will know, this exceptionally short period of time—three months—is not sufficient to enable bus operators to sustain their services in the long term. And the danger, of course, is that providers will decide to discontinue those routes that aren’t commercially viable, despite these being routes that many residents are dependent on to live full lives—to attend college, the workplace, or hospital appointments, or to see family and friends. 

And this is the thing, Llywydd: this isn’t just a debate about saving the bus industry. It is a debate that focuses on the need to safeguard and guarantee the way of life for many people in Wales. Almost 80 per cent of journeys by public transport are made using buses. The future of our bus services is a matter of social justice. This isn’t an academic debate about structures, funding and infrastructure, but an urgent debate about delivering fairness for our communities.