A view from Carolyn Thomas – Welsh Labour’s North Wales Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates – along with contributions from the local representatives – here.

In this month’s column for Wrexham.com, Welsh Labour MS Carolyn Thomas writes:

This week, I met with Ken Skates, the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Transport & North Wales, to make the case for a pilot of free or capped public transport in North Wales.

Free and capped public transport offers have flourished across Europe in the last few years, as government’s have grappled with both the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.

Increasingly, governments are recognising that affordable public transport boosts connectivity, which in turn brings economic growth, whilst also leading to a reduction in carbon emissions associated with heavy car use, as well as tackling social isolation, particularly amongst the elderly.

During the cost-of-living crisis, the Spanish Government announced that all train journeys under 189 miles would be free. Germany, meanwhile, introduced a monthly, unlimited nationwide train ticket for just 9 Euros. 52 million of these were sold across the country, which resulted in 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of powering 350,000 homes for an entire year.

These schemes have built upon already existing successful schemes of free public transport in Dunkirk and Montpellier in France, in Tallinn in Estonia, as well as nationwide schemes in Luxembourg and Malta.

Dunkirk’s scheme in Northern France was credited with revitalising the former industrial port, and led to an increase in passenger numbers of over 60%.

The success of free public transport schemes across Europe shows that there is an economic, social, and environmental basis for adopting such a policy here in Wales. Last year, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council used Shared Prosperity Funding to provide free bus travel for the whole of March which saw a 35% increase in patronage across all services and operators.

Any serious attempt to tackle climate change requires public transport, and high quality public transport at that, removing the need that many currently have to travel by car to get around. It is difficult to overstate both the positive benefits, and the opportunities, that come with extending access to affordable public transport.

As has been the case across Europe, public transport can provide a renaissance of development and connectivity in Wales, whilst also acting as a weapon in the fight against climate change, inequality, and the cost-of-living.

I want North Wales to be at the forefront of reaping these benefits, which is why I am calling for North Wales to be designated as a pilot area for a trial of free and capped public transport.

With a Labour Government in power in both Westminster and Cardiff, there are particular opportunities in North Wales to link a pilot to cross border services to Chester, Liverpool, and Manchester, providing an excellent opportunity for the two governments to work together to deliver investment for the North.