Following Suit: An overview of the Bus Services (Wales) Bill

The Bus Services (Wales) Bill (the Bill) was recently laid in the Senedd with the purpose of coordinating local bus networks and creating reliable and affordable bus services in Wales. The Bill comes just months after the “Better Buses Bill” relating to bus services in England was introduced to the House of Lords of 17 December. You can read our thoughts on the Better Buses Bill here.

What is the current status? 

The Bill is currently at Stage 1 and is due to be considered by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales on 7 May 2025. 

If the Bill goes ahead as proposed, the roll out will be on a local authority basis, starting with South West Wales in 2027. The changes will then come into effect in South East Wales in 2025 and Mid Wales in 2030. It is thought that Mid Wales will see benefits earlier than 2030 due to the “Bridge to Franchising” workstream, which is as a trial process aiming to bridge the gap and test different models during the transition from current operation to franchising, and has already begun. 

What does the Bill propose? 

If approved by the Senedd, the Bill will begin to place buses under public control, allowing officials to determine what services will be provided. The Welsh Ministers and Transport for Wales would work together with Local Authorities and Corporate Joint Committees to design services that are efficient and easy-to-use, with bus companies then bidding to run those specified routes. The Bill would also allow local authorities to create new municipal bus companies. 

Where bus operators proposed the provision of services that did not meet the requirements and design of the services published by the Welsh Ministers, those services would be prohibited. Sanctions could also be imposed where services breached this restriction. 

One of the challenges that the Bill will have to overcome is funding availability. Alongside the Bill, the Welsh Ministers published an Explanatory Memorandum that put the total cost of the Bill’s proposals at £623.5 million over a 30-year period. 

Following Suit? 

The Bill follows in many ways the key changes proposed for English bus services under the Better Buses Bill. This includes franchising, the introduction of Local Authority Owned Bus Companies (LABCOs) and protecting socially necessary local services. However, it does not mirror every aspect of the Better Buses Bill – for example, there is no equivalent to the zero emission bus mandate in the Better Buses Bill. There is also no information in the Bill on staff training and safeguarding. 

It will be interesting to see whether these similarities and differences remain as both bills progress. 

For further information or advice related to the potential impact of the Bill, please contact Chris Simms, Brian Wong, Chris Lewis, Charlotte Robinson or your usual Burges Salmon contact.

The Bus Services (Wales) Bill allows Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to work closely with Local Authorities and Corporate Joint Committees, using their local knowledge to design and plan services that meet the needs of their communities.

https://www.gov.wales/bus-services-wales-bill-overview