Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru	National Assembly for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Menter a Busnes	Enterprise and Business Committee
Gwasanaethau Bysiau a Thrafnidiaeth Gymunedol yng Nghymru	Bus and Community Transport Services in Wales
BCT 21	BCT 21
Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog	Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

Consultation questions

Question 1 – how would you describe the current condition of the bus and community transport sectors in Wales?

Our observations concern the Brecon Beacons National Park area:

· Weekday core network is generally good for a rural area with some flagship routes such as T4, X43 etc but very limited Sunday network

· Infrequent services – 2 hourly not enough

· Variable quality of bus operators and vehicles

· Lack of train and bus interconnectivity

Question 2 – why do you think the number of bus services and the number of bus passengers is declining in Wales?

· Infrequent services do not provide sufficient flexibility for passengers to use for either work or leisure

· Passengers are left isolated especially at weekends and bank holidays, particularly outside the summer months

· Lack of train and bus interconnectivity makes journeys lengthy and complicated

Question 3 – what do you think is the social, economic and environmental impact of recent changes in bus and community transport service levels? 

· Imminent withdrawal of Brecon to Llandovery route is a concern

· Any further cuts would be damaging to the local bus network generally which currently enables visitors to enjoy access to the National Park without a car

· If the concessionary fare contribution is reduced, net income is reduced and potentially not sufficient to support current services, which could mean further losses

· Anecdotal evidence shows there is some support from concessionary pass holders to pay a contributions towards fares to support services, rather than enjoying totally free travel

Question 4 – what do you think the Welsh Government should do to support bus and community transport in Wales?

· Increase investment in routes and infrastructure

· Improve train and bus interconnectivity

· Simplify ticketing including integrated tickets for different modes

· Few examples of community transport are accessible for visitors, this could provide added revenue for these resources

· Tourism is a major contributor to the area’s economy. Bus services suitable for visitors have to part of the sustainable tourism offer to provide alternatives to car travel

Question 5 – what do you think Welsh local authorities should do to support bus and community transport services?

Question 6 – what do you think about proposals to devolve bus registration powers to Wales? How should these be used?

Question 7 – please tell us whether you think further powers to regulate the bus industry in Wales are required and why?

Question 8 – what other action can be taken to ensure that bus and community transport services meet the needs of people in Wales?

Please tell us anything else you would like to mention this topic, thank you for contributing to our inquiry.