The Welsh Government The South Wales Traffic Commissioner RCT Council need to sort out the Public Transport in Cynon Valley
Bus services in the Cynon Valley operated by Stagecoach have been shameful of late with the company cancelling many regular services from Cynon Valley and within Cynon Valley is it an embarrassment for the company? I don’t believe it is as the practice of cancelling services has been ongoing for years. So why is this happening the company continue to blame the lack of drivers and is constantly advertising for more to join the company, the recruitment drive is not working otherwise why would Stagecoach cancel 62 bus journeys in Cynon Valley on October 1st?
So why is Stagecoach finding it difficult to recruit bus drivers at a wage of £22,000 a year? At 23 years of age, the minimum wage you can get paid is £9-50 a qualified experienced bus driver with the responsibilities of his/her passengers earn just £22,000 a year around £10.40 an hour. For this, the driver as well as driving a bus has to take bus fares ensuring his passengers are safe and well behaved plus navigating in our area roads that were designed for a horse and cart. Contrast this with Transport for Wales train drivers who as bus drivers in the South Wales Valleys work within the Welsh Governments Metro System. The average Transport for Wales employee is on a salary that ranges from approximately £19,259 per year for IT Support to £54,037 per year for Driver. Average Transport for Wales hourly pay ranges from approximately £10.20 per hour for Host/Hostess to £15.58 per hour for Fitter.
So who is responsible for our bus services? The Welsh Ministers devise the Wales Transport Strategy to ensure an integrated approach when developing proposals for road, rail and public transport. This is a Welsh Transport Strategy to ensure an integrated approach to public transport. How is that working out if you pay one sector a train driver within the Welsh integrated transport system £32,037 thousand more than a bus driver? Is there something wrong with the system? Is this the reason Stagecoach cannot get drivers and our bus services are suffering?
Wales moves to take control of bus services a Passenger Transport publication on April 7 2022 Lee Waters (who) wants to turn the tide in favour of buses?
Welsh Government say, No funding certainty to underpin franchising
Back in April this year Passenger Transport Magazine reported, “The Welsh Government unveiled its plans for bus franchising across Wales last week, promising improved services and lower fares. However, it admitted that it is not able to offer the long-term funding certainty the new system would ideally receive.
“Recurring costs” of £57.4m have been estimated for the franchised system, along with transitional costs of £91.3m and £23.1m of capital costs. The estimates were extrapolated from Cardiff, Wrexham and Pembrokeshire as case studies representing a city, town and rural area.
The Labour government has complained for many years that the deregulated system does not serve Wales well but has not so far legislated for change, unlike England and Scotland. Last week it launched a consultation on a white paper titled One Network, One Timetable, One Ticket, and subtitled “Planning Buses as a Public Service for Wales”.
In order to ensure public funding is used efficiently, various strategic objectives would have to be achieved, says the white paper. One of them is: “Multi-year sustainable funding allocations for bus services and bus infrastructure that enable long-range strategic planning and investment, optimal use of available monies and development of sustained improvement packages targeted to grow patronage.”
Ken Skates MS Minister for Economy and Transport said I am writing to notify you that I am withdrawing the Bus Services (Wales) Bill in accordance with Standing Order 26.79.
The Welsh Government Withdrawal of Bus Services (Wales) Bill in July 2020. The question is are any of the Welsh Senedd members interested in our public transport system?
Law Wales is a publication of the Senedd helping you understand Welsh law with Bus and Coach services.
Section 63 of TA 1985 places a duty on local authorities to secure the provision of such public transport services as they consider appropriate to meet any public transport requirements which would not otherwise be met. This includes the power to enter into an agreement providing for service subsidies where the service in question would not be provided, or would not be provided to a particular standard, without subsidy.
The Welsh Ministers do not have any powers in relation to the wider regulatory regime for the bus industry. This covers the operator licensing and service registration functions undertaken by the traffic commissioners, as well as issues like driver licensing, vehicle insurance and the regulation of the use of vehicles.
The Traffic Commissioner for Wales and the Public Service Vehicle.
Traffic Commissioners are responsible for the licensing and regulation of those who operate buses and coaches, and the registration of local bus services.
A Traffic Commissioner is responsible for Penalties for poor service
Once a company have registered a service you must run it: at the times you’ve said it would run along the route you’ve registered.
“The Traffic Commissioners are the regulators of the bus industry and the registrars in their Traffic Areas of all local bus services (as defined by Section 6 of the Transport Act 1985). They have powers under that Act to take action against operators who fail to run their services in accordance with the registered particulars.”
The question is can Stagecoach keep on using the lack of drivers as an excuse not to run our services in Cynon Valley?
a) Whether the registration has been regularly reviewed in light of known road conditions and the resources available to the operator.
b) Whether the control strategies are appropriate and adequate.
c) Whether adequate resources are provided.
The above list does not list driver availability therefore can residents claim for loss of earnings from cancelled services?
With the cost of living going up more people will need to use public transport but at this moment in time Wales dose not have a reliable public transport system, The millions being spent on buying farms for music festivals is that in the public interest covering Wales with 20 MPH road signs imposable to police a necessity outside schools hospitals some residential streets, if the Welsh Government want cars off local streets it won’t happen until there is a reliable low-priced public transport system.
PG0006630/287
RED & WHITE SERVICES LTD, SOMERSET ROAD IINDUSTRIAL ESTATE, CWMBRAN, NP44 1QX
Operating between Aberdare and Perthcelyn given service number Ab95 / 95 effective from 22 August 2022. To amend Route and Timetable.
PG0006630/273
RED & WHITE SERVICES LTD, SOMERSET ROAD IINDUSTRIAL ESTATE, CWMBRAN, NP44 1QX
Operating between Aberdare and Bridgend given service number 172 / 172 effective from 05 September 2022. To amend Route.
PG0006630/268
Operating between Glynhafod and Merthyr Tydfil given service number Ab9 / 9 effective from 19 June 2022. To amend Route and Timetable.
As you can see Stagecoach still uses Red & White Services Ltd with the Traffic Commissioner, but company registration number 02555509 – Incorporated on 6 November 1990 C/O Stagecoach Services Limited One Stockport Exchange, 20 Railway Road, Stockport, United Kingdom, SK1 3SW
