, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Can I just come back in quick? On that, Andrew, I believe that Transport for Wales did do some modelling on it. Is that your understanding of it as well, on a universal fare price?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
That's fine.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
I think a lot of it's been covered already, and we're not going to gain anything from just going over it again.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Okay, great. Thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Earlier, we heard that only 50 per cent to 60 per cent of concessionary pass holders in some areas have returned. So, do you think that is an area that we could also work on to try and get them back, and would that make a difference, do you think?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Okay. That one operator that operates in your area and across north Wales, they are saying that there could be 200 job losses and the closure of three depots, which is another consideration—the impact of job losses in the area, I think. If that operator…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Can I ask you which strategy?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
All right. So, the first question was about negotiating now what's ongoing with Welsh Government, so Andrew, you said you're meeting on a weekly basis, so it sounds like it's moving and changing all the time, which is interesting. But listening to previous…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with local government
Yes, thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Thanks. Aaron, have you got—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay, thank you. Following a decade of austerity, we've lost a lot of technical transport officers within local government, so do you believe that transport—? They just seem to be circulating between Transport for Wales and local authorities and going over to…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay, great. Thank you. And—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
It's £25 million. Okay. Do you also still get the fuel allowance as well?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay. And the BES grant was brought in, I think, because it was COVID recovery funding, wasn't it, which is now not there from the UK Government to the Welsh Government. But there is that bus services support grant funding as well, which is quite significant…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
No, no. I get that. I understand totally. It's so interwoven. So, we have already touched on the current set of discussions within the Welsh Government on the bus emergency scheme. So, it sounds like it's ongoing at the moment—the conversation—which is really…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay. There have been talks about how many schoolchildren use the commercial vehicles. We call them 'commercial' even though they're not commercially viable—you know, the public transport. But it's all mixed, isn't it? It's interrelated together, whether it's…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
And the impact on the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
And when you're saying 31 March, you mean until the next financial year 31 March, rather than ending 24 July.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay, it was just regarding the underspend in concessionary fares, and I wondered if that is something that is being looked at to fill this gap in funding.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay, thanks. Thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
And finally, on that. Do you think it would be worth while now doing a campaign before the BES support ends at the end of July—do a campaign now to get those concessionary fare passengers back on to public transport, rather than wait till the end of July?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Thank you. And, Scott, for you, the question—to move these people with concessionary passes, to get them back on—. I've also heard that they are moving to private bus companies, so, they're still booking trips, and coach trips are growing so much, do you…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Okay. And regarding routes that are commercially viable, on top of the bus emergency scheme grant, they also receive the bus services support grant and money towards fuel, don't they? So, if you remove that as well, then would they be commercially viable at…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Sustainability of Welsh Bus Services - evidence session with bus operators
Can I just get clarification on that figure, the percentage figure of concessionary fares that have not come back? So, is it 50 to 60 per cent that have not come back, or 40 per cent that have not come back?
, Plenary
Debate on the Petitions Committee Report—'From Five to Four? P-06-1247 Support trials of a four-day week in Wales'
I'd like to thank Jack and the Petitions Committee for bringing this important debate to the Senedd today. At one time, the average working week was 37 hours a week, and, over time, it crept to 42 hours, then 47 hours a week. And over the last 12 years, the…
