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

  • Covid-19 and transportation: Maintaining critical operations in times of crisis
    September 12, 2020

     

    What were the major impacts of Covid-19 on transportation?

    At the peak of the shutdowns, passenger use of airports and mass transit was down 90 per cent. Use of roads by private vehicles was 60 per cent lower and use of commercial vehicles was down 10 per cent. Public transit was down 76 per cent and had to keep operating to get essential workers to their places of employment.

  • Georgia Yexley: Here's how micromobility can deliver public good
    June 27, 2023
    Georgia Yexley, founder of Loud Mobility, looks at the lessons on diversity, equity and inclusion which can be learned from the US and wider – and explores why it is a vital component for industry growth in the UK
  • Hurdles to MaaS adoption highlighted
    January 25, 2018
    Jack Opiola talks to some MaaS advocates in the US. Cities will accommodate almost 60% of the world’s population by 2025 and technology is outpacing transportation plans and planners - putting extreme pressures upon planners and transportation systems alike. Big data, digital payments, ubiquitous communications, smartphone applications, on-demand travel and autonomous vehicles are all shredding existing transport plans. Never before has the pace of population growth and the tools to address this problem
  • Consortium to study UK eHighway feasibility 
    August 11, 2021
    Partners including Siemens hope overhead electricity lines will serve major roads by 2030s