Concerns raised in the Senedd over the termination of the Fflecsi Bwcabus service
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00:00 We'll come down toó Yerry Morgan AM: Thank you very much, Dirprwy
00:03 Lywydd.
00:04 Will the Minister make a statement on the announcement that the FLEXI booker bus service
00:09 will be coming to an end, and the impact of this on the communities of mid and west Wales?
00:13 Simon Thomas AM: Yes, thank you.
00:14 I was very sorry to hear that the booker bus service will be coming to an end.
00:19 Despite promises that Wales will be not worse off after Brexit, the UK Government has failed
00:24 to replace funding for rural transport schemes previously supported by the EU.
00:29 They are therefore unable to continue supporting booker bus, but we are working with Transport
00:33 for Wales and the local authorities to explore alternative options.
00:37 Yerry Morgan AM: Thank you very much.
00:40 I'm pleased to hear that consideration is being given to the continuation of the service,
00:45 because a number of communities across Ceredigion, Cymarth and Llanpenbridgeshire have been shocked
00:50 by the announcement that Government funding for the booker bus service is coming to an
00:55 end and that the service itself will be terminated at the end of October.
00:59 For years, this unique service has been a priceless resource for so many residents across
01:05 west Wales, and, truth be told, the service is more than a bus.
01:10 In several cases, this is the only way that people can reach medical appointments, can
01:15 go to the shops and socialise.
01:18 I heard one woman speaking on Rathercymru last night, talking about the impact of this
01:23 loss on her, because she is entirely dependent on this bus to take her to see the doctor
01:29 every week.
01:31 So the impact is massive on some individuals, and I know, too, that the decision has come
01:38 as a bit of a shock to local authorities, despite the fact that the Welsh Government
01:43 invested in a whole host of new buses for this service as recently as July of this year.
01:51 But the irony is that we hear the Government speaking time and time again about the importance
01:57 of public transport to connect communities and the positive impact that that then has
02:04 on the environment.
02:05 But what happens is that these vital services are being cut, especially in rural areas.
02:11 So, may I urge you to work hard to ensure that this service is re-established and to
02:21 provide long-term assurance for this very important scheme?
02:26 Simon Thomas AM: Well, thank you for that.
02:28 The Member is right to note the irony, because this is going in the opposite direction of
02:32 where our policy wants us to go.
02:34 We do not want this to happen, just to be very clear.
02:38 Bookabus has been a really important project and has, in fact, inspired the Flexi service,
02:43 which we are rolling out across Wales.
02:45 Bookabus was the original concept that Professor Stuart Cole and others developed, and I've
02:52 been a supporter of it.
02:54 It was primarily European funded.
02:56 The Welsh Government is only a minority funder, and like so many other schemes that we in
03:00 Wales have come to rely upon, the money just simply isn't there to keep all those other
03:06 schemes going that were funded by the EU.
03:10 We were told at the time of Brexit that Wales would not be a penny worse off by withdrawing,
03:16 and we know, in fact, that we've lost over £1 billion of funding, and that simply is
03:22 not there to be replaced.
03:23 Now, I hear groans from the Conservative Benches, and I know they don't want, as a matter of
03:28 faith, to hear anything negative about Brexit, but here is a practical example of a much-valued,
03:33 cherished local service that was reliant on European funding that is not able to be sustained
03:38 because that funding has been taken away.
03:41 Because the other double whammy we're facing, also from their Government, is the impact
03:44 of austerity, where our budgets are being squeezed and we simply aren't able to provide
03:49 everything we've been providing.
03:51 We've worked very hard with the bus industry and with local authorities over the summer
03:55 to try and safeguard as many services as possible, and I'm pleased to say that, for example,
04:00 funding for the Cardiff Bar in Ceredigion will continue as part of the TFW T5 procurement,
04:08 and we'll work closely with community transport and with local authorities to see if there
04:12 are elements of this scheme that can be salvaged.
04:17 It did have light usage, but it was, as he said, a lifeline for those who did use it,
04:22 and I regret very much that that was not the case.