Support for commercial bus services in 2024-25

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed that Bus Network Grant funding for 2024-25 will be sufficient to cover recently tendered commercial bus services which may otherwise not have been able to continue after 31 March.

The Bus Network Grant, which replaces the outgoing Bus Transition Fund, is provided by Welsh Government to help support commercial bus services across Wales.

Speaking at a recent meeting of full Council, Councillor John Spanswick, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, informed members that the funding included cross boundary bus services as well as a substantial contribution towards an existing tendered service.

Councillor Spanswick said: “As a result of the new Bus Network Grant funding, the majority of routes and timetables within Bridgend County Borough will primarily remain the same for the year ahead as the tenders were on a ‘like for like’ basis.

“One prominent change is with Service Number 63 – the Porthcawl to Talbot Green route - which will revert back into two separate services, namely the Number 63 (Bridgend to Porthcawl), and the Number 64 (Bridgend to Talbot Green).

“While the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has instructed First Cymru to make minor alterations to journey times to boost the performance of Service Number 63 (Porthcawl to Talbot Green), the frequency will still be every 20 minutes to and from Porthcawl.

“The Sunday timetable for the 63 (Bridgend to Porthcawl) service will also retain its hourly frequency, but will depart Porthcawl five minutes later than it does currently.

“For Service Number 64 (Bridgend to Talbot Green), the hourly frequency will remain in place, with minor changes to the departure times from Bridgend and from Talbot Green.

“In addition, some services will also have minor changes to the timetables in order to improve on time performance. These include the tendered services 70 / 71 (Bridgend to Cymmer via Maesteg), the 72 (Bridgend to Blaengarw), the 73 (Bridgend to Blaengarw via Bettws) and the 74 (Bridgend to Nantymoel).

“It will also include the commercial number 76 (Bridgend to Bettws) service.

“First Cymru have informed us that these changes are currently being registered, and that the amended timetables will be in place for 1 April 2024.”