£1 youth bus fare to start this year

Local TV

Plans for young people in Wales to have reduced bus fares are in place, despite confusion over who would be included. It originally only counted for 16-21 year olds, so 15 year old could have had to pay more for buses. Eluned Morgan has officially announced that children aged 5-15 will also be included.

Transcript

00:00Aline Ed Morgan has announced plans for a major shake-up to bus travel for young people

00:06all across Wales, with fares cut to just £1 per journey for 16 to 21-year-olds starting

00:11on the 1st of September.

00:13Under the new scheme, young people will also be able to access £3 day passes for unlimited

00:17travel and participating services.

00:20The Welsh Government says the move is designed to improve access to education, training,

00:24work and leisure, while also tackling poverty and encouraging more people onto public transport.

00:29When the policy was first announced as part of a £15 million budget deal with the Welsh

00:34Liberal Democrats, it only applied to 16 to 21-year-olds, meaning some 15 and unders would

00:39in fact pay more than a pound for their bus travel.

00:42That sparked criticism from opposition parties, with Plaid Cymru's Peredaro and Griffiths

00:47calling it an unacceptable oversight that younger children were left out.

00:51The First Minister confirmed at the launch that the scheme will be extended to 5 to 15-year-olds

00:55from November, with a further £7 million of funding.

00:59Until then, existing child fares will remain in place.

01:02But while the policy has been welcomed by some, others are asking how it will work in practice.

01:07CPT Cymru, which represents bus operators, has raised concerns over how companies will be

01:11reimbursed and what happens when the funding period ends.

01:16Its Director Aaron Hill said operators need certainty, warning that without long-term support, services

01:21could face a cliff edge once the scheme finishes.

01:24In response, Transport Secretary Ken Skate said the government had been in talks with

01:28the industry and no bus company should lose money.

01:31The Welsh Government says this is part of a broader mission to cut carbon emissions and

01:35make public transport more attractive.

01:37But as always, the impact will depend on take-up, clarity and whether operators get on board.

01:42Johnミ.

01:44I'm Chad 뜻.

01:45Bye for now.

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