Why the Wales Bus Revolution Is a Win for Passengers

For decades, bus services in Wales have run on a deregulated, commercial model that has left too many communities with unreliable, disconnected, or vanishing routes. That’s about to change. The Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent (final parliamentary approval) in February, marking the start of the biggest overhaul of Welsh bus services in a generation. At TAN Cymru, we think it’s a genuine opportunity to put people, not profit margins, back at the heart of public transport. In this blog post, we look at what the new law means and what changes we can expect to see and when.

What the Act actually does

The new law replaces the old commercial free-for-all with a publicly planned system, built around the Welsh Government’s “one network, one timetable, one ticket” vision. In practice, that means:

• A publicly planned network. A new duty on Welsh Ministers to work out which bus services Wales actually needs — for safe, integrated, sustainable and efficient transport across Wales — and secure them, rather than leaving it to whichever operator finds a route profitable. This will be set out in a Welsh Bus Network Plan.
• Franchising as the default model. Transport for Wales and local authorities — not private operators alone — deciding routes, timetables and fares.
• Local authorities can now run their own bus companies again, reversing a restriction that shut public ownership out of the picture for years.
• New data-sharing and sanctions powers means Senedd Ministers can hold operators to account.

Where and when it lands

Franchising is being rolled out region by region. South West Wales — Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire — is first in line, followed by North Wales, South East Wales, and finally Mid Wales by 2030.

Frustratingly, the timeline is already slipping. Transport for Wales originally promised the first franchised services in South West Wales for 2027, but papers going before the region’s transport committee this summer now point to spring 2028, with the delay put down to secondary legislation still working its way through Welsh Government. It’s a reminder that passing the Act is only the start — delivery will depend on sustained funding and political will to see it through.

Why this matters

Buses carry far more passengers in Wales than trains — 71.7 million bus journeys were made in 2024–25, more than double Transport for Wales’s 31.7 million rail journeys that same year — yet they’ve long been treated as an afterthought next to major road schemes. A properly funded, publicly steered bus network is one of the most effective tools we have for cutting car dependency, tackling transport poverty, and connecting the communities that road-building leaves behind. Every pound spent on reliable, integrated bus routes is a pound that reduces the case for costly new roads.

That’s why TAN Cymru will be watching this rollout closely — pushing for the Welsh Bus Network Plan to prioritise the routes communities actually need, and making sure funding pressures don’t quietly water down the ambition behind this legislation.

Get involved

We’ll be responding to Welsh Government and Transport for Wales consultations as the Bus Network Plan and regional franchising details take shape, and we’ll keep supporters updated as South West Wales moves toward its (now 2028) launch. If you want to have your say on your local bus network, keep an eye out for regional engagement events — and get in touch if you’d like to work with us on our bus campaigning.

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