New buses to join TrawsCymru network across Wales
Nation.Cymru staff
New buses are being introduced to the TrawsCymru network in a bid to improve long-distance public transport links across Wales.
The 30 new vehicles will be operated by Transport for Wales and will serve routes connecting towns and rural communities where rail services are limited or unavailable.
The investment is intended to improve the reliability and resilience of the TrawsCymru network, which currently operates 13 routes across Wales.
The network was launched in 2012 to provide cross-country bus links and improve connections between communities, helping passengers access employment, education, healthcare and leisure opportunities.
The new buses will replace older vehicles and form part of wider efforts to modernise public transport in Wales.
Speaking at the launch of the fleet in Aberystwyth, Deputy Transport Minister Mark Hooper said improved transport links were important for supporting access to work, education and services.
He said the upgraded fleet would be accompanied by measures including simplified fares, improved connectivity with other bus services and more frequent journeys.
Transport for Wales said the new buses would offer improved accessibility and passenger facilities while supporting efforts to encourage greater use of public transport.
Lee Robinson, Executive Director for Regional Transport and Integration at Transport for Wales, said the TrawsCymru network played an important role in connecting communities across Wales.
He said the new vehicles would help provide more comfortable journeys for passengers while improving access to key services and opportunities.
The Welsh Government has said the investment forms part of broader plans to improve public transport and reduce reliance on private cars.
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Maybe they could think about reintroducing the Llandrindod Wells to Aberystwyth service which was recently removed and replaced by the need to change in Llangurig? Some manager has Integration in his job title! Not only have we lost the direct service to Aber but also the T4 no longer goes to Cardiff but stops at Merthyr. Rural longer distance services in mid Wales are a joke now. This is almost adding insult to injury for those communities that have lost a service to our capital city and to our regional centre.
Wasn’t the Llandrindod to Aberystwyth service commercially provided, rather than a TrawsCymru service? May have had some council funding, perhaps. To be fair, the section of the T4 between Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff was duplicating a regular train service – and onward connections from Merthyr are very straightforward by either train or the X4 bus. Indeed, the T4 was always somewhat of an anomaly given that TrawsCymru was created originally to fill gaps in the rail network, rather than to duplicate existing transport links. Given that there’ll be four trains per hour as well as an hourly X4 bus between… Read more »
Presumably the complainers are bus pass holders, and can’t travel free on the train.
Replacing 30 buses is a step forward, but it doesn’t solve the systemic decline in local connectivity. In the western Vale, we’ve been cut down to a single bus and train an hour—it’s gone full Bob Marley. One Bus, One Train, but absolutely no love from the transport planners.We are paying more in council tax to get less. For those of us who don’t drive and live with arthritis, losing public transport means losing our independence. It’s the primary reason I’m now forced to move to Barry. Mark, your department asked for ordinary citizens to contribute ideas. I sent you… Read more »
So what does this mean?