Skip to main content

£69m boost for bus firms in Wales

The Welsh government has announced a £69 million hardship fund to support bus companies that offer free transport for National Health Service workers during the coronavirus pandemic. 
By Ben Spencer April 22, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Wales is offering financial support to bus firms which give free rides to NHS staff (© Maksym Kapliuk | Dreamstime.com)

Ken Skates, economy, transport and north Wales minister, says: “This support will give public transport operators the initial funding they need to continue to deliver services, pay employees and sub-contractors, while we work with them to develop a comprehensive package of measures to secure an efficient, sustainable, and robust bus network.”

The fund will be paid monthly up front for up to three months and will temporarily replace existing grant funding provided through the bus services support grant, mandatory concessionary fares and MyTravelPass in the normal course of business.

Transport for Wales is currently receiving support from the fund for allowing NHS workers to travel on its buses and trains for free. 
 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK Government Air Quality Plan – call for funding for FCEVs
    July 27, 2017
    Following the release of the UK Government’s final Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, ITM Power says this represents an historic first step towards cleaner and greener transport in the UK. However, it is calling on the UK Government to provide equivalent financial support for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) infrastructure as it has already provided for plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) infrastructure. The company, wh
  • Just the ticket for speedier banking and bus travel
    November 22, 2012
    Dutch digital security provider Gemalto is to provide South Africa’s Standard Bank with a multifunction contactless payment card enabling users to pay for transit fares and other goods and services with one digital wallet. Standard Bank customers can now use the new MasterCard debit card to wave and pay at the gates in the public transport stations, without needing to carry cash or a separate travel card. The bank says the "Muvo" card initiative will help cardholders gain greater convenience while at the s
  • Aberdeen opts for APT EV charging
    March 13, 2014
    Aberdeen City Council in Scotland has chosen electric vehicle (EV) charging from APT Technologies to support its aim to reduce air and noise pollution through encouraging the use of more sustainable and quieter transport modes. The contract also includes a three-year maintenance package. The first installation saw eight double 7kW units, two wall-mounted 7kW units and one double mixer post with 7kW and 3kW power supplies installed into local authority premises to service fleet vehicles and give council e
  • Politicisation of US transportation funding
    October 13, 2015
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at how a political stalemate and a series of short-term fixes is undermining America’s highway funding and curtailing long-term planning. It was a week before the deadline to renew funding for the Highway Trust Fund, and the clock was ticking.