PLANS to introduce capped bus fares for young people in Wales have been praised as ‘potentially transformational’ by a North Wales Member of the Senedd.
Carolyn Thomas, Welsh Labour Member of the Senedd for the North Wales region, has welcomed the announcement that as part of the Welsh Government’s budget, 16-21 year olds in Wales will get £1 bus fares from September, as well as access to a capped £3 unlimited day ticket.
Thomas, who has long called for capped and free public transport, said: “Capped and free public transport is potentially transformational. We’ve seen it implemented across Europe to great success. From Malta to Luxembourg, and from Montpellier in France to Tallinn in Estonia, free and capped public transport has seen connectivity boosted and drastic reductions in carbon emissions.”
In 2022, the German government introduced an unlimited, nationwide monthly train ticket for 9 Euros in response to the cost-of-living crisis. 52 million of these tickets were sold across the country, resulting in 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere.
Thomas, who chairs the Senedd’s Cross Party Group on Public Transport, is a supporter of such schemes, and had been calling on the Welsh Government to follow their European counterparts for a number of years.
Reacting to the Welsh Government’s announcement, Thomas added: “The evidence from across Europe is that affordable public transport can be used to tackle the climate crisis, fight inequality and social isolation, and boost connectivity and productivity.”
The capped £1 bus fare and £3 unlimited day pass will be available across Wales from September for a full academic year, following a £100m additional investment from the Welsh Government as part of its budget.
Thomas is hopeful that this will be the first step in a move towards a broader use of capped public transport fares: “The benefits of capped public transport are needed now more than ever as we face a combination of short term challenges such as the increased cost-of-living, and long term challenges such as climate change.”
