School transport guidance published in Wales

The Welsh Government has updated its learner transport guidance so that local authorities and bus operators are clear on the steps they must take to ensure that from September children and young people can travel safely to school and college.

When schools open in September, there will be a significant increase in the number of children, young people and parents relying on bus services to safely transport them to their place of learning or work.

The Welsh Government has put in £10m to help operators manage the increased pressure on scheduled bus services. It recognises that social distancing measures are resulting in reduced capacity and that this in turn is significantly affecting ticket revenue. The additional funding will enable operators to increase the number of buses available while also helping to cover costs associated with additional staffing, fuel and maintenance of the bus fleet.

Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, Lee Waters said: "Coronavirus and the introduction of necessary social distancing laws have placed significant pressure on our bus operators, affecting the ticket revenue on which they rely.

"As children and young people prepare to return to school and college from September and as a result, more parents also return to the workplace, we need to do all we can to ensure that people across Wales can safely access reliable bus services.

"This additional £10m will enable Local Authorities and operators to determine and deliver the additional services needed to support learners to safely return to school and college. It will also enable bus users who cannot work from home to return to the workplace in a safe manner.

"We recognise that this is a very challenging time for our bus operators and we will continue working closely with them and do all we can to support them at this difficult time."