Quote Originally Posted by JamesWales View Post
I absolutely do. I think our motorway network into Wales is dire. I think our national airport is dire, and I think - particularly at the moment - our train system is dire. One train an hour between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff City centre, which then gets cancelled with no information leaving people stranded. It's absolutely embarrassing.

Splott Parker is right too on the bus station, which has been there for about 5 years now. It's extremely intimidating in the evening.

Honestly, at the moment I think the service is worse than Arriva Trains Wales who at least seemed to care about customers. It's incredible how bad it is at the moment.

We are so backward on getting over covid, it's extraordinary
Our rail network is mainly as a result of underinvestment. I find your comment that ATW cared about customers to be laughable. It's also worth noting that it's only relatively recently that our trains left the hands of Keolis/Amey after they realised how much money they'd lose over the course of the franchise.

Our airport was run into the ground by its previous owners and hadn't the WG stepped in, we might not have kept our airport. Some might say there's not much point in it given its location and given that Bristol airport has far better fares and destinations.

I agree about the bus station - Cardiff council should hang their heads in shame over it.

I spent 10 years using public transport to get around (I didn't need a car when I lived in Canton and got used to not having one when I moved to the valleys). I've been on a customer panel with a major bus operator as Fingers on here would testify (he was on the same panel). Privatisation of public transport has been a balls up. Train operators get government money if they make losses but keep any profits. Bus operators operate where they can make money rather than where some services are needed. Council run services plug some gaps. Traws Cymru operate a reasonable long distance bus network where these services wouldn't have existed.

Public transport is a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. People want frequent, regular, cheap services. Operators will provide them if they are well used. If they don't get used, frequencies get cut. Once services get cut, less people use them. It can be a vicious circle. I'm surprised trains to the bay are only hourly but that can only be because of patronage. People would complain if we had a bay train every 10 minutes that was nearly empty all the time.