Welsh Government bus funding move could hit Monmouthshire

The 65 bus in Monmouthshire was saved by people power in 2018 when villagers living between Chepstow and Monmouth successfully petitioned the county council not to axe the service.

But now the people behind the victorious campaign, the Friend of the 65 Bus, have fresh concerns for the future of the route.

Welsh Government funding under the Bus Emergency Scheme will come to an end in the summer, after ministers decided to prolong the Covid-era policy for another three months.

Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters told the Senedd this week “the money simply isn't there to keep all the current services running”.

In Monmouthshire, there are fears routes could be reduces to a “skeleton service” as government subsidies dry up.

Brian Mahony, Rosemary Corcoran and Jane Gilliard, speaking on behalf of Friends of the 65 bus, said the threat of a significant loss of bus services was a “frightening prospect” for all passengers.

They also questioned the Welsh Government’s decision to pull bus funding given its wider aspirations to encourage more public transport use.

“We cannot understand how the Welsh Government can be proposing to dismantle the bus network in Wales, leaving passengers isolated and removing the opportunity for people to move away from private motor vehicle use,” said the group.

“With the declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ in Wales and the imperative of moving to a low-carbon way of living, the opportunity to travel by bus has become ever more important.

“As we look forward, we believe there is great opportunity for bus services. To grasp this opportunity, there needs to be a concentrated effort in promotion and marketing of bus use, rather than the abandonment of our bus services.”

Villagers rewarded with brand-new bus on their beloved route, one year after council tried to close it down.

Their calls have been backed by Monmouth MP David Davies, who also serves in the UK Government as the secretary of state for Wales.

“This is an important issue not only for the 65 bus, but for all bus services, passengers and communities in Wales,” he added.

“Any move to further reduce the network, availability and regularity of bus services... needs to be strongly opposed.”

The Welsh Government said it had given more than £150m for buses but "we need to start to transition away from this emergency style of funding".

A spokesperson said the government's white paper was "a key step towards... a new model for running buses".

"This is a chance for us to deliver better connected services and we will continue to work... to build a strong and sustainable bus network for Wales," they added.