Originally Posted by
Eric the Half a Bee
And they're not getting it right.
A tiny example of Welsh Government ineptitude when it comes to transport. During the summer, Porthcawl is a big tourist destination. Two different bus operators operated services there. One from Aberdare that travels through the Rhondda and another from Pontypridd, though Llantrisant, Llanharan, Pencoed etc. During lockdown the WG found money to support bus services. Since lockdown, passenger numbers have not returned to previous levels, so funding has remained, but keeps being cut.
First Cymru runs a service between Bridgend and Porthcawl (which also goes to Cardiff). As Bridgend is their "patch", the Welsh Government refused to fund the other operators services if they also went from Bridgend to Porthcawl because of the competition. In reality, there was no competition. As a result, buses from Aberdare, Rhondda, Ponty now stop in Bridgend and passengers have to change. It means higher fares for passengers and, on sunny days, rammed buses unable to cope with demand. Passenger numbers have declined on the Aberdare and Ponty services. I wonder why....