Free Weekend bus travel across Wales

The pilot, which will apply to all buses on the extensive TrawsCymru network, will begin on Saturday 8 July and run every weekend until at least May 2018. It’s hoped the scheme will act as a catalyst for bus travel in Wales, boosting not only the number of passengers but also wider use of the TrawsCymru routes.

In launching the scheme, Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates said:

“From Bangor to Cardiff, Fishguard to Wrexham I hope to see this scheme provide the perfect excuse for people from across Wales and beyond to jump on the bus and spend their weekends enjoying  the diverse beauty of Wales. 

“The TrawsCymru network covers large areas of Wales, some of which would otherwise be inaccessible by public transport and, with the summer tourist season around the corner, I’m excited about the impact increased passengers could have on tourism in these areas in particular.

“The free service is subject to availability, but we have also provided additional funding to local authorities to ensure operators are able to deploy more buses to meet increased demand if necessary. Provisions have also been made to reimburse operators of other local bus services should they experience any  reduction of passengers as a result of this pilot, although we are optimistic it will have the opposite effect.

“I’m delighted to launch this ground breaking scheme and look forward to seeing as many people as possible making the most of this fantastic offer to travel across Wales by bus for free.” 

It’s hoped the initiative will not only benefit passengers, but will also provide a boost to destinations and tourist attractions both directly on the route and beyond. One tourist attraction hoping for such benefits is the Brecon Beacons National Park. 

John Cook, CEO Brecon Beacons National Park Authority said:

“The TrawsCymru free weekend travel initiative will give more people across Wales access to the Brecon Beacons National Park. Along the T6 and T4 routes there are many towns and attractions including the wide open space of the Central Beacons, the market town of Brecon and Craig y nos Country Park. We encourage everyone to get out and use the free T6 and T4 bus services to explore the Brecon Beacons further this summer.”

The Welsh Government will use the pilot to help build a better understanding of how reductions of this nature affect the wider demand for public transport before deciding on its future beyond May 2018. 

Website: TrawsCymru (external link).

News story: Sea Harvester report and flyer published

MAIB report on the investigation of the serious head injury sustained by a deckhand on board the twin rig prawn trawler Sea Harvester in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland on 3 August 2016 is now published.

The report contains details of what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations.

A safety flyer for the fishing industry summarising the accident and detailing the safety lessons learned has also been produced.

Press enquiries

Speech: “DPRK clearly intends to threaten directly an ever greater number of States, and indirectly the whole world.”

Mr President,

Like the previous speakers from the United States, Japan and France, the United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms the DPRK’s flagrant violation of unanimous decisions of the Security Council.

Despite our repeated condemnation and despite successive Security Council resolutions, the leadership of the DPRK has persisted in pursuing its illegal programmes in misguided pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. This is simply not acceptable.

We have seen an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests over the past year, including ground testing.

However, with this launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Council should note that the DPRK clearly intends to threaten directly an ever greater number of States, and indirectly the whole world.

All such ballistic missile activity by the DPRK is in violation of binding Security Council resolutions. And any capability that the DPRK develops to threaten the security of other States is of grave concern.

Our response must be strong and clear. The international community must redouble our efforts. As the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary has said, North Korea strains every nerve and sinew to build nuclear weapons and launch illegal missiles, even as the people of North Korea endure starvation and poverty.

Amidst reports of widespread hardship and human rights violations in DPRK, Pyongyang’s priority should be the health and welfare of North Korean people, not continuation of the nuclear programme.

We continue to urge the DPRK to return to credible and authentic multilateral talks on its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and to abide by its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions.

The United Kingdom had today summoned the DPRK’s Ambassador in London, conveying in the strongest terms our views of this reckless behaviour.

We will also be redoubling our efforts, with partners, to seek strong enforcement of the measures that aim to bring the DPRK to the right path.

Increased vigilance is needed. We will continue to encourage partners globally to take effective action to understand, and where necessary disrupt, the DPRK’s illegal proliferation and other sanctions-evasion activity. And we will also work with allies and partners around the world to consider the fullest range of measures to increase diplomatic pressure.

The primary responsibility lies with the DPRK, but all members of the international community must further strengthen their resolve to enforce existing measures fully and effectively, without delay. We also urge all States to comply with the Security Council’s requirements for reporting on implementation of measures.

But as the DPRK’s own statements of defiance make clear, even these steps will probably not be enough.

Faced with these provocations, we must toughen our resolve. The United Kingdom supports new binding measures to raise the cost further for these illegal actions. The Security Council should start work immediately on a new Security Council resolution to achieve this

Thank you.