New TrawsCymru contracts awarded
A number of TrawsCymru long-distance bus routes have been re-tendered in a bid to upgrade service standards, Transport for Wales has announced.
The TrawsCymru T1 service is the first bus contract to be managed by TfW and provides public transport links for many Welsh communities.
The state-of-the-art buses make some of the longest all-electric journeys of any buses in the UK, covering 104 miles for a round trip.
The contracts awarded are as follows:
T1C Cardiff > Aberystwyth – contract awarded to Mid Wales Travel with no immediate changes but from November there will be a new fare structure.
T2 Bangor > Aberystwyth – contract awarded to Lloyds Coaches with no immediate changes but adjustments to fares and timetable in November.
This service will be integrated with the X28 Aberystwyth > Machynlleth to provide an hourly service throughout the day and connecting into the T1& T1C service in both northerly and southerly directions.
T3 Wrexham > Barmouth – contract also awarded to Lloyds Coaches, the main change on this route will involve the introduction of a T3C service connecting villages including Llanuwchllyn near Bala to Corwen where they can connect with the T3.
This will make the T3 service more efficient and sustainable, improving journey times along the route. There will be adjustments to fares and timetables in November.
T6 Brecon > Swansea – contract awarded to Adventure Travel. This service has recently been deregistered and whilst the new registration process continues, TfW will be running this service free of charge during the initial weeks of the new contract in early September.
T10 Bangor > Corwen – contract awarded to K&P Coaches as mentioned above there are no immediate changes, but fares and timetables will be adjusted in November.
In March 2024 TfW will be increasing the frequency of the service on Saturdays, Sundays and in School Holidays between Betws y Coed and Bangor, providing an hourly service linking into services in Bangor and Eryri including Sherpa’r Wyddfa.
Progress
James Price, Chief Executive Officer at Transport for Wales, said: “We are pleased to see progress with awarding these contracts and are looking forward to upgrading the service standards in line with our T1 route.
“New EV buses are being procured for the whole TrawsCymru network, however there is a long lead time to delivery and we will therefore be replacing some of the older fleet with new Euro 6 diesel buses for the short term as we look to decarbonise the network and confirm charging depot locations.
“The TrawsCymru network is an exceptional bus service linking up communities in Wales and providing access to public transport for thousands of people.
“The recently reported increased patronage on the T1 service demonstrates how providing affordable fares, quality fleet and timetables that connect can have a huge impact on passengers.”
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When will the Traws Cymru T5 service be returned to an hourly service all day on Monday to Saturday ? There are gaps of 2 hours between buses during the day which is inconvenient for many passengers and results in overcrowding. On Saturday, the service is still every 2 hours and this results in overcrowding on some parts of the journey, particularly between Aberystwyth and Aberteifi. The Sunday service has been restored to 4 buses on that day, but only until 30 September ! What happens after then ? Many people avoid travelling at weekends particularly because of possible overcrowding… Read more »
I’m guessing the T service on Saturday takes some of the slack from fewer local services running then. Used to be a Mon-Sat service by local buses, but increasingly Saturday is turning into Sunday – i.e. no local services!
If the main T3 service Wrexham-Barmouth does not have to go into the villages of Llanderfel and Llanuwchllyn and do a three point turn then this will speed up the journey. Although the last time I used the service it did pick up 8 walkers from Llanuwchllyn for Bala. Look forward to trying out electric buses sometime in the future.
Don’t forget the 20 mph limit
I never will. God bless Lee Waters.
I love the TrawsCymru bus services. Can we please have more? Some connecting the north coast to the rest of Wales (e.g. Holyhead to Wrecsam via Llandudno or Conwy; Rhyl or Prestatyn to Aberystwyth via Wrecsam, Newtown etc.), would be greatly appreciated.