Passengers to travel for free at weekends on buses acrossWales

PASSENGERS across Wales will be able to travel for free at weekends. The £1m scheme, paid for by the Welsh Government, means travellers can hop on any bus on the TrawsCymru network and not spend a penny.

This includes services that run between Brecon and Neath, Bangor and Aberystwyth, Wrexham to Barmouth via Llangollen and Newtown to Cardiff. The offer starts this Saturday and will run every weekend until at least May 2018.

The TrawsCymru network is funded by the Welsh Government and carried a record 1.6 million passengers in 2016-17.

A budget of up to £1m has been allocated for the scheme.

The free weekend bus routes on the TrawsCymru network are:

T1 Aberystwyth – Lampeter – Carmarthen;

T1C Aberystwyth – Lampeter – Carmarthen – Swansea – Cardiff (dosen’t run Sundays);

T2 Bangor – Porthmadog Dolgellau – Abersytwyth;

T3 Wrexham – Llangollen – Dolgellau – Barmouth;

T4 Newtown – Brecon – Merthyr Tydfil – Pontypridd – Cardiff;

T5 Aberystwyth – New Quay – Cardigan – Fishguard – Haverfordwest; –

T6 Brecon – Ystradgynlais – Neath – Swansea; and

Cardiff Airport Express T9 services.

Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates called it a “groundbreaking” project: “From Bangor to Cardiff, Fishguard to Wrexham I hope to see this scheme provide the perfect excuse for people from across Wales and beyond to jump on the bus and spend their weekends enjoying the diverse beauty of Wales.

“The TrawsCymru network covers large areas of Wales, some of which would otherwise be inaccessible by public transport and, with the summer tourist season around the corner,

“I’m excited about the impact increased passengers could have on tourism in these areas in particular.

“The free service is subject to availability, but we have also provided additional funding to local authorities to ensure operators are able to deploy more buses to meet increased demand if necessary.

“Provisions have also been made to reimburse operators of other local bus services should they experience any reduction of passengers as a result of this pilot, although we are optimistic it will have the opposite effect.”

It’s hoped the initiative will not only benefit passengers, but will also provide a boost to destinations and tourist attractions both directly on the route and beyond.

One tourist attraction hoping for such benefits is the Snowdonia National Park.

Emyr Williams, chief executive of the Snowdonia National Park Authority said: “The TrawsCymru is a valuable commodity, connecting communities throughout the Snowdonia National Park and Wales.

“We are thrilled that the Welsh Government has taken the decision to offer free weekend travel on the service, providing an excellent opportunity for residents and visitors to experience and enjoy the National Park’s spectacular scenery on sustainable transport.”

The free bus travel scheme is aiming to boost passenger numbers across the country.