A new long-distance coach service will launch this autumn, connecting Bangor in North Wales with Carmarthen in South Wales. The Welsh Government-backed scheme aims to encourage people to leave their cars at home and offers a travel time saving of one hour compared to other public transport options, according to the new Plaid Cymru administration.
Service Details and Route
The service will operate daily, stopping at nine locations: Bangor, Caernarfon, Porthmadog railway station, Dolgellau (Eldon Square), Machynlleth, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth bus station, Aberaeron, and Carmarthen railway station. No ticket prices have been announced yet, but the Welsh Government has confirmed that bus passes will not be valid for travel on this service.
Funding and Implementation
The service has a £2 million budget, as outlined in the supplementary budget announced last week. Deputy Transport Minister Mark Hooper stated: "We're launching a north-south coach route, and this is the first stage as part of our 100-day plan to make sure that we were able to link up the north and the south of the country. It's going to be launching for people to use in the autumn."
Hooper added: "We've got £2m in the supplementary budget that's going through at the moment, that is a full envelope for us to deliver the service, so that includes the booking system, the marketing and the branding, and the provision of the service to the end of the year. Beyond that then we want to see how this thing takes off, and then we'll be making the case for continued support for the project in the new year as well, in the new budget."
Travel Time Comparison
The alternative public transport options currently involve taking a train into England or using various combined services, which would take about six-and-a-half hours. The new coach service will reduce that to five-and-a-half hours, Hooper said.
Target Audience and Demand
Hooper expects students to be a key audience, based on demand for the existing Aberystwyth to Cardiff service. He noted: "But more generally, this is a connection for people who want to connect across Wales, which people do. This is something which could have quite a broad appeal."
He also referenced analysis undertaken during the cooperation agreement: "Of the people we asked, about 60% of them said they'd welcome the service and be prepared to use it. So we expect there to be, over time, a relatively high usage of this service."
Integration with Wider Transport Network
Lee Robinson, Executive Director for Regional Transport and Integration, said: "This new coach service is the result of a huge amount of work by teams across Transport for Wales, working closely with partners and drawing on insight from our Network North Wales programme to design a service that truly meets the needs of communities. By linking key towns and communities along the west coast, we're creating faster, more reliable connections for work, education and leisure."
Robinson added: "The new service is a key step in building the T Network, Welsh Government's vision for a fully integrated public transport system for Wales, strengthening the TrawsCymru network, helping to deliver a more joined-up, multi-modal offer and making it easier for people to travel sustainably with seamless connections to rail and local bus services."
