Lee Waters AM – Press Release Bus Fares

Victory for bus passengers on Swansea to Llanelli services.

Assembly Member Lee Waters’ campaign for a better deal for bus passengers in Llanelli has achieved a victory. Following pressure from the local AM, First Cymru has lowered fares for passengers in Llanelli who regularly travel to Swansea. Passengers in Llanelli had previously been faced with high fares on these popular routes, especially for weekly and monthly tickets.

“I’ve been pushing for better bus services for Llanelli since I was elected. I was able to pass passenger’s feedback onto the bus operator at a productive meeting with First Cymru’s CEO Andrew Sherrington recently where we discussed routes and fares for passengers across the area. ” said Lee Waters.

People catching the bus between Swansea and Llanelli found their pockets being hit because the two destinations were in different fare regions. This meant that tickets had to be purchased separately to any connecting routes, and daily tickets were not valid for the journey

“Last summer I was approached by a constituent who suggested that First ought to add Llanelli to their Swansea Bay area, and I know a lot of people in Llanelli travel to Swansea regularly for work and to socialise. This decision to widen the Swansea Bay area to Llanelli will be a real benefit to people who use this route – leaving more money in their pocket. The move will open up bus travel to more people, and I’m really pleased that First have responded positively to the feedback from bus users here in Llanelli.” the Llanelli AM said.

First has decided to include Llanelli in their Swansea Bay fare region, meaning daily, weekly and monthly tickets on routes between Llanelli and Swansea will be cheaper.

Customers are also being encouraged to download and use First Cymru’s mTicket app which offers lower fares than buying a ticket on the bus for a single journey. Customers buying 5 tickets in advance will be able to access even cheaper flexible tickets.

“It’s great that much cheaper tickets are available by buying through First’s mobile app.”

“If you’re a regular passenger you should definitely look to see if they can save more money by buying tickets in advance.” Lee Waters AM said.

The Welsh Government is currently consulting on plans to shake up bus services in Wales, and deliver better value for money for passengers.

Lee Waters added “I’ll continue to push First, and other bus companies to provide the best possible service for everyone – that’s the only way we’ll get more people to use public transport. I want to use the powers of the Welsh Government, and my new role as Deputy Minister for Transport to ensure that places like Llanelli get much better buses.”