Address the shambles of public transport
I REFER to your report on the decision of Lee Waters AM to give notice of his decision to stand down in tandem with our Welsh First Minister.
While I support the opinion he has tried to give public transport a profile, unfortunately his heart has gone well beyond his head on transport, failing to seek the views of small bus operators. Instead his choice was to support academic opinion, council officers and the transport unions, none of whom has ever operated a coach and bus company.
Having spent 50-plus years within public transport, having written to this minister, Welsh Government officials and the volume of local government officials they have collectively failed to look outside their collective society transport box.
Air travel has resulted in current losses at Cardiff Wales Airport going off the radar scale. My former political party accepted a conference motion to relocate to Llanwern, upon the steel industry decline. This site becoming available would have served a substantial hinterland. Thus a vast market close to rail and motorway services.
The government supports a Cardiff centre bus service carrying fresh air, however, when a valleys direct service to the airport was placed before RCT, Caerphilly and Vale of
Glamorgan councils their officers preferred an easy life, not a thriving private-sector innovation.
On trains, Cardiff Bay, a onestop line, in order to camouflage inefficient full network delays on current and now new services, due to poor planning at a Taff’s Well maintainance site. We now have new spare trains arriving, being parked up at Barry Sidings despite its history of vandalism. On rail replacement, costing the public sector millions, no record of use, disabled access and drivers’ hours has been requested via their arms-length TfW public-sector administrator.
On buses, the Welsh Government supplied companies with free data-recording ticket equipment, however, no reports as to route demand have been given, all the Welsh Government has required is an excuse, not innovation. From April 1, 2024, thousands of passengers will lose services. The public sector advised by CPT Wales, who only represent 30% of Welsh operators, have already had services published by the traffic commissioner. These bus operators have their HQs and financial activities based outside Wales. The public-sector officials have failed to utilise their own local authority buses, preferring again the easy life when confronted by a competitive market.
Finally, it looks certain that Mr Walters’ buses policy will fail, causing major connectivity issues, our train fare increases, and cleaning and driver availability issues will continue.
To conclude, I believe both Labour and Plaid Cymru, my former political party, have a joint responsibility for this failure on public transport in Wales.
We don’t need more Senedd Members until we have the courage to govern Wales for the majority, not those who want our elections being based on their arranged seat-for-life democracy for personal circumstances.
Cllr Clayton Jones Gwlad member Ynysybwl & Coed y Cwm Council