Funding extended for key rural bus service

Funding for a key rural bus service linking communities in mid Wales and the Welsh borderlands has been extended for a further year following a successful first 12 months in operation.

The X48 bus service, which runs between Craven Arms in Shropshire and Builth Wells in Powys, will continue until at least the end of 2026 after Powys County Council and Transport for Wales agreed to maintain financial support.

Operated by Celtic Travel, the route runs six days a week, excluding Sundays and bank holidays, and provides an important transport connection alongside the Heart of Wales railway line.

Introduced in December 2024 as a trial, the X48 has been used by more than 5,200 passengers in its first year. A recent review of the service, which included feedback from passengers, local residents and businesses, concluded that the route was meeting a genuine need for travel across the region.

As part of the extension, an improved timetable has been introduced from 15 December, offering greater flexibility and improved links with rail services.

The revised schedule includes four journeys per day, six days a week, and a dedicated bus service between Craven Arms and Llandrindod Wells during the midday “train gap” on the Heart of Wales Line, when there are no rail departures from Shrewsbury between 11.30am and 4.09pm.

A later evening service has also been added, with the final journey now starting in Shrewsbury rather than Craven Arms.

The bus departs at 9.35pm, arriving in Llandrindod Wells at 11.40pm and Builth Wells at 11.50pm, providing a vital late-night option for passengers travelling for work, leisure or social reasons.

Councillor Jackie Charlton, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, said the decision to extend funding reflected the council’s wider efforts to improve public transport across the county.

“Powys has benefited from a real overhaul and upgrade of its public transport network recently, and we are really pleased to commit to a further 12 months of funding for the bus route between Craven Arms and Builth Wells,” she said. “We hope the improved timetable will allow even more people to benefit from this vital transport link.”

Collaboration

Transport for Wales said the service demonstrated how collaboration between local authorities and national bodies could improve connectivity for rural communities.

Lee Robinson, Executive Director for Regional Transport and Integration, said the route was an example of the Welsh Government’s “Bridge to Franchise” approach ahead of wider bus reform.

The X48 timetable and route details are available on Powys County Council’s website, with up-to-date travel information also provided by Traveline.