Transport

Get a weekly email on what happened on transport. Free.

Buses and franchising, rail, roads and bridges, walking and cycling, school transport, electric vehicles, Cardiff Airport and the ports.

In the Programme for Government this sits under the well-being objective Unleashing the potential of the Welsh economy, and creating good well-paid jobs.

Have your say: 1 open consultation on this subject

Updating the Safety at street works and road works code of practice, closes 14 December 2026

See them all

ThemesEverything Buses Rail Roads, bridges and 20mph Walking and cycling School transport Electric vehicles Cardiff Airport and the ports

Showing the theme Roads, bridges and 20mph. The Programme commitments are the brief's as a whole.

Statements and debates: 12; in the Sixth Senedd
Contributions: 2,248; in the Sixth Senedd
Written questions: 471; in the Sixth Senedd

How often it comes up

On this page

The debate so far
Where things stand
What the government has promised
From the Welsh Government
In the news
Key moments in the Senedd
Related votes
Who raises it
Who ministers have met
What people say matters
Written questions
Petitions
In committee
From Senedd Research
Latest contributions
Month by month
How this brief is put together

The debate so far

Transport debate in the Seventh Senedd has centred on the M4 around Newport and the Menai crossings, following the Deputy Minister's announcement of 6 October. Members have also argued over rail devolution and funding, bus reform and the new north-south coach service, the 20 mph default limit, and school transport.

The main arguments

Mark Hooper (Plaid Cymru) announced an 18-month study of roads-based and engineering options for the M4 around Newport, including closing some junctions. Welsh Labour's Jayne Bryant and the Conservatives' Natasha Asghar said closures would push traffic and pollution into Newport streets. Contributions: [1]

Where things stand

Statistics published by the Welsh Government. Each chart covers the years since the 2016 Senedd election, or as far back as the figures go, and marks each election since.

Bus journeys

71.7 million

2024-25

A year earlier: 71.4 million (2023-24)

Passenger journeys on local bus services in Wales each financial year, in millions.

The Department for Transport collects these figures from bus operators, and advises caution with single year-on-year changes.

Source: Welsh Government, Passenger journeys on local bus services. Accredited official statistics. Next update due in March 2027. Checked on 30 October 2026.

Show the figures

Bus journeys: every figure in the chart, newest first.
Period	Wales
2024-25	71.7 million
2023-24	71.4 million
2022-23	61.2 millionrevised
2021-22	53.3 millionrevised
2020-21	27.2 millionrevised
2019-20	92.4 millionrevised
2018-19	101.0 million
2017-18	98.9 million
2016-17	99.4 million

People killed on the roads

2025

A year earlier: 84 (2024)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How we show official statistics Figures on this brief quoted in the Senedd (14)

What the government has promised

The Programme for Government 2026 to 2030 belongs to the Seventh Senedd. Choose the Seventh Senedd to see how often each commitment has come up.

Transport

Prioritise the resilience of connections across the Menai Strait through short and medium‑term improvements whilst planning for long‑term solutions.
Read it in the Programme
Work with partners to address road resilience in the South‑East Wales corridor.
Read it in the Programme
Promote road safety and ensure that our roads are safely maintained.
Latest figure: People killed on the roads, 91, 2025.
Read it in the Programme
Bring forward a renewed pipeline of short, medium and long‑term priority rail projects.
Read it in the Programme
Create a more integrated public transport network by expanding tap‑on, tap‑off, pay‑as‑you‑go ticketing, introducing simpler and fairer fares across bus and rail to improve services for passengers and communities across Wales, making travel simpler and more affordable.
Read it in the Programme
Continue to provide £1 single bus fares and £3 day tickets for children and young people aged 5‑21 and retain bus passes for over 60s and disabled people.
Latest figure: Bus journeys, 71.7 million, 2024-25.
Read it in the Programme
Transform bus services through franchising, bringing routes, fares and standards under a single publicly accountable system that puts passengers first. We will enhance links between communities through the new North‑South coach service and deliver an integrated network that improves access to services, supports economic growth, and helps reduce carbon emissions.
Latest figure: Bus journeys, 71.7 million, 2024-25.
Read it in the Programme
Deliver a renewed EV strategy for Wales.
Read it in the Programme
Put active travel at the heart of Wales’s transport system, making it a practical, safe and inclusive choice for more everyday journeys. We will reduce barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling to support our ill health prevention mission, and promote wellbeing and economic opportunity.
Read it in the Programme
Put children and young people at the heart of a joined‑up approach to learner travel, strengthening cross‑government working so that public services work together to improve access to education, including by addressing barriers to Welsh‑medium education.
Read it in the Programme
Take a strategic approach to secure Cardiff Airport’s long‑term sustainability and maximise its economic potential.
Read it in the Programme
Work with Welsh ports to strengthen their resilience and maximise their contribution to the Welsh economy, while pursuing full devolution of port regulation.
Read it in the Programme

Demanding fairness from Westminster: Fair funding

Fight for the rail funding we are owed and that we need to invest in Welsh rail – including consequential funding from HS2 – and for rail to be devolved.
Read it in the ProgrammeAlso followed in: Public finances.

Source: Welsh Government, Programme for government 2026 to 2030: New ambition for Wales, first published on 10 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Mentions are found by matching the names of plans, bodies and schemes; a mention says nothing about progress.

Month by month

Contributions tagged in each month of the Sixth Senedd. No sittings were held in August 2021, August 2022, August 2023, December 2024, February 2025, March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025 and December 2025.

Show the numbers

Month	Contributions
May 2021	3
June 2021	55
July 2021	20
August 2021	No sittings
September 2021	39
October 2021	22
November 2021	22
December 2021	22
January 2022	35
February 2022	24
March 2022	28
April 2022	5
May 2022	29
June 2022	66
July 2022	52
August 2022	No sittings
September 2022	25
October 2022	43
November 2022	29
December 2022

How this brief is put together

This brief follows the Programme commitments listed above and tags the record with the phrases below. Keyword matching can miss business that discusses the issue in other words, and can tag a passing mention.

Show the phrases it uses

A contribution is tagged when its English text contains one of these phrases. Capital letters don't matter, except in abbreviations, which must match exactly. It is also tagged when the title of the agenda item or question it was part of contains one, as long as the contribution is at least 30 words long. The brief is also tagged whenever one of its themes is.

Phrases for the brief as a whole

“transport”
“public transport”
“transport infrastructure”
“Transport for Wales”

Abbreviations

“TfW”

Buses

“bus franchising”
“bus services”
“bus service”
“bus routes”
“bus route”
“buses”
“bus network”
“bus fares”
“bus fare”
“bus passes”
“bus pass”
“concessionary fares”
“concessionary travel”
“TrawsCymru”
“north-south coach”
“Bus Services (Wales)”

Rail

“rail services”
“rail service”
“railway”
“railways”
“rail electrification”
“rail funding”
“rail infrastructure”
“rail projects”
“Network Rail”
“South Wales Metro”
“North Wales Metro”
“Core Valley Lines”
“trains”
“north Wales main line”
“Wales and Borders”

Abbreviations

“HS2”

Roads, bridges and 20mph

“20mph”
“20 mph”
“roads review”
“road building”
“potholes”
“pothole”
“M4 relief”
“M4”
“A55”
“A465”
“Heads of the Valleys”
“trunk road”
“trunk roads”
“road safety”
“speed limit”
“speed limits”
“road maintenance”
“Menai”
“Britannia Bridge”
“Menai Suspension Bridge”
“Brynglas tunnels”
“road resilience”
“congestion”
“traffic congestion”

Walking and cycling

“active travel”
“cycling”
“cycle paths”
“cycle path”
“cycle lanes”
“walking and cycling”
“walking, wheeling and cycling”
“safe routes to school”

School transport

“learner travel”
“school transport”
“home-to-school transport”
“school buses”
“school bus”

Electric vehicles

“electric vehicle”
“electric vehicles”
“electric car”
“electric cars”
“EV charging”
“charging points”
“charge points”
“charging infrastructure”

Abbreviations

“EV”
“EVs”

Cardiff Airport and the ports

“Cardiff Airport”
“airport”
“Holyhead”
“Fishguard”
“Pembroke Dock”
“port of Holyhead”
“Welsh ports”
“port regulation”
“air passenger duty”

Period	Wales
2025	91
2024	84
2023	98
2022	96
2021	86
2020	74
2019	95
2018	108
2017	101
2016	103

The debate so far

The main arguments

The debate so far

The main arguments

Where the parties stand

Plaid Cymru

Welsh Labour

Welsh Conservatives

Reform UK

Welsh Liberal Democrats

Wales Green Party

What the government is being pressed on

What the public is asking for

Who ministers are meeting

In the Sixth Senedd (2021 to 2026)

Where things stand

Bus journeys

People killed on the roads

What the government has promised

Transport

Demanding fairness from Westminster: Fair funding

From the Welsh Government

In the news

Key moments in the Senedd

Related votes

Welsh Conservatives Debate - 20mph speed limits

Amendment 63

Amendment 80

Amendment 64

Amendment 72

Amendment 49

Amendment 79

Amendment 62

Amendment 61

Amendment 82

Amendment 50

Amendment 51

Amendment 80

Welsh Conservatives Debate - The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022

Welsh Conservatives Debate - The roads review

The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022

Who raises it

Which parties raise it

Members who raise it most

Who ministers have met

What people say matters

Written questions

Petitions

In committee

From Senedd Research

Latest contributions

Month by month

How this brief is put together

Phrases for the brief as a whole