00:00Buses across Wales could be getting a new look in a few years' time as the Welsh Government
00:07announced plans to bring routes across the country back under public control. It will
00:11mean a uniform Welsh bus service across the country with things like tickets, timetables
00:16and prices the same across all parts of Wales. Similar services have been in place for some
00:21time like the Ean bus ticket which is valid across virtually all of North Wales and the
00:25Traws Cymru service which offers longer distance routes between places like Cardiff, Swansea
00:30and Aberystwyth. The plans will be a London style system where instead of local companies
00:36like Cardiff Bus or Stagecoach running their own timetables, companies will bid to be a
00:41part of an overall timetable under an all-encompassing Welsh bus company. The aim is to make it
00:48simpler and cheaper for people to travel throughout Wales but also safeguard some less popular
00:53bus routes for people in rural areas or more isolated towns and villages that can be a
00:58lifeline for so many people. Transport Secretary Ken Skates has said it is a historic day for
01:04public transport in Wales as proposals for bus reform begin their journey through the
01:08Senate. This is about putting people first by providing one network, one timetable and
01:14one ticket across Wales. Documents related to the plans were released earlier this week
01:19and says it will cost over £600 million over the course of 30 years but it will require
01:24additional funding if the plans are to be fully realised. The plans are some of the
01:29biggest buses across Wales I've ever seen and it will be a good few years until we see
01:34it fully rolled out but with a need for improvements for buses all across the country it could
01:38be just what it needs. J.P. Watkins reporting for Local TV.
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