Bus website and app to launch in bid to boost passenger numbers

UK public transport technology provider Passenger has announced a major new partnership with Transport for Wales as it prepares to unveil a bus app and website for its TrawsCymru long distance bus network.

The new, multilingual TrawsCymru app and website will support the Welsh Government’s plan of achieving a bus system that “boosts social equity” and is capable of delivering the scale of modal shift needed to combat the climate emergency.

TrawsCymru will launch on Passenger’s customer experience platform and utilise its journey planning, bus timetables and live vehicle tracking capabilities. Mobile app ticketing, complemented by ticket eCommerce on the website, will also help to provide a step change in digital access to services.

TrawsCymru is an integral part of the bus network in Wales, providing links between major towns and cities and helping people connect to work, education, health and leisure destinations.

Over the next few years, Transport for Wales will be introducing improvements to the network, low carbon vehicles, integration of Traws and rail ticketing and improving roadside infrastructure and information for passengers.

Tom Quay, CEO at Passenger, said: “We’re delighted to begin work with Transport for Wales at such an exciting time for the organisation.

“The Welsh Government has highlighted the gradual decline in the bus industry in Wales over the years through its recent whitepaper ‘One network, one timetable, one ticket’.

The white paper states that 25% of people in Wales do not have access to a car, and although the Welsh Government has invested more than £100m each year in bus services, improvements “have been challenging due to the legacy of bus service privatisation.”