The Bus Services Bill: only the start of the journey

Aaron Hill – CPT Cymru Director

On 9th December, the regulation of buses in Wales changed forever. There was no big bang, but by 34 votes to 10 (with 2 abstentions), the Bus Services (Wales) Bill passed the final hurdle of the Senedd’s law-making process.

The passage of the Bill, which will receive Royal Assent in January, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way buses operate across Wales.

It brings to a close a debate that began before the pandemic about how best to meet the travel needs of our communities, tackle congestion, support decarbonisation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of bus services across the country.

Since the earliest stages of this debate, the bus industry has backed the core objectives of the Bill. We agree on the need for more frequent services, better connections, and a system that encourages people to leave their cars at home.

Yet, as the Bill passes into law, we still need assurance that the necessary funding will be in place to deliver on the ambition we’ve heard so much about.

Transport for Wales will take on a vast new role in the delivery of bus services, and there remains work to do to build the confidence that they have the capacity, expertise, and resources to build the networks we have been promised.

It is important to remember that the Bus Services Bill is principally a framework for reform rather than an immediate change. The provisions will be rolled out region by region over the coming years and, in practice, this means the public will not see the full benefits on the ground for some time.

As the Bill progressed through the Senedd, we saw lots of important debates around learner travel, accessibility, finance and infrastructure, but perhaps the most important addition to the Bill came from a familiar face.

The amendment brought at Stage 3 by former Transport Minister, Lee Waters MS, was a welcome intervention, inserting a requirement on Ministers to remove barriers that disincentivise bus travel.

It will mean that congestion and bus priority measures will have to be at the forefront of Ministers’ minds when they are planning the new bus network in Wales.

For many, this had been the missing piece of the jigsaw up to now; changing the regulatory framework without changing the conditions on the road risked baking in the same challenges we see now into a new system.

By placing a clear focus on bus priority measures and the impact of congestion, this recognises the critical role of journey-time and reliability. Our recent research on this subject, authored by Chris Cheek, highlights the urgent need for intervention in this space.

Over the last 50 years, the busiest urban routes have seen average bus journey times increase by 50%.

We estimate that just a 10% increase in average bus speeds – from 12.4mph to 13.6mph – would address much of the damage done over this time.

That modest increase would save £18m in operating costs, generating 3.2 million additional journeys each year, and generating more than £7m of additional revenue.

These figures make clear that faster and more reliable buses have the potential to create much needed economic growth and bring down costs for passengers.

As we move towards the new world of bus regulation in Wales, we believe a national bus speed target would sharpen the focus in this area, driving clearer policy alignment between the new legislation and delivery on the road.

The Bus Services (Wales) Bill has the potential to revolutionise public transport across our country. It is vital that over the coming months and year, operators have a voice in shaping how services will change.

While government will have the final say on the shape of the network, timetables and tickets, operators still have an important role in bringing commercial and innovation expertise to the fore.

Only by working in genuine partnership can we deliver a network that will meet passengers’ expectations in every part of Wales.