A West Wales transport scheme which helps people in rural areas travel to work has moved up a gear with a £1.3m EU funding boost from the Welsh Government.
The Bwcabus service, run by Carmarthenshire County Council, helps people living in parts of rural Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion get to work and access education, training and health services.
The innovative project, the first of its kind in Wales, provides passengers with a service which allows them to book their bus journeys from home or the nearest bus stop and links with conventional bus and train services.
The funding from the European Regional Development Fund is on top of a Welsh Government contribution made earlier this year that totals £750,000.
Announcing the funding, Alun Davies Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes, said:
“Creating sustainable transport options to enable people living in rural areas to access employment, training and other local services is essential to achieve greater prosperity within those communities. The scheme also promotes the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable tourism, enabling visitors to take the bus and leave their cars at home.
“We are committed to supporting innovative ways of building a modern transport network to meet the needs of 21st century Wales. This is a positive example of how we can utilise EU funds to back our tailor made strategies, bringing more opportunities for people and communities across Wales.”
The service was launched in 2008 with initial backing of £350,000 of Welsh Government and £500,000 of EU funding. The scheme combines the latest technologies including GPS and scheduling software to enable passengers to link up to mainstream services.
Since then, Bwcabus has proved to be a phenomenal success, winning a hat-trick of national awards and far exceeding projected targets.
The service has clocked up in excess of 21,000 passenger journeys and boasts over 900 registered users.
Its popularity with travellers in north Carmarthenshire and south Ceredigion increased demand on the Bwcabus network by 40% in its first year. This compares with a general decline in rural public transport usage. Carl Sargeant, Minister for Transport said: "This highly popular Bwcabus service is revolutionising public transport in rural west Wales – by helping people to access key services, travel to work and take up training and other educational opportunities."
"By extending the service into new areas of the Teifi Valley in both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, Bwcabus will provide a cost-effective service for isolated passengers and continue to play a vital link between rural and urban locations in West Wales."
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Environment and People Management, Councillor Philip Hughes, said: “We are delighted to be leading on this collaborative project that is making a difference for people who live in rural communities in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.”
Last Autumn HRH the Princess Royal presented officials with an excellence award at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s glittering awards ceremony in London.
Earlier in the year Bwcabus won recognition as the ‘Most Innovative Transport Project’ at the National Transport Awards in Manchester. The scheme had already won the Best Partnership award at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Cymru awards.
The three-year pilot scheme was developed in collaboration with the Wales Transport Research Centre at the University of Glamorgan, who established the original model, which could eventually be rolled out across rural Wales. The centre continues to provide advice and technical support to the project.
The current service is managed by Carmarthenshire County Council and run in partnership with Ceredigion County Council, the Welsh Government, Traveline Cymru, Richards Brothers and Morris Travel.