Following the announcement of £2.5 million for a review of bus networks in Wales, will the Minister to confirm which areas in South Wales West will receive some of this £2.5 million and, if Bridgend is included, how much the council will be getting to help improve the bus network?
The purpose of the £2.5m fund is to target Network Reform and not for allocating to individual authorities as additional funding to BSSG. Network Reform will involve making better use of data to justify investment and provide information to improve the passenger experience, such as real time travel information. It will also look at ways to improve services alongside investment in infrastructure, and will establish a consistent framework for delivering improvements with operators on commercial and supported networks.
Transport for Wales (TfW) will be working closely with local authorities and operators to introduce improvements on specific corridors and locations. Whilst we are still finalising with TfW the exact areas that will be covered by their work, it is likely that initial focus in south west Wales will be around Swansea. I will be announcing further detail on the Network Reform and Integrated Responsive Transport pilots in the near future.