A COMMUNITY based around the number 65 bus route in Monmouthshire has expressed alarm after the Welsh Government warned funding cuts could leave users facing a “skeleton service”.

The 65 bus connecting Monmouth, Chepstow and the villages along the Wye Valley high road was saved in 2018 following a residents’ petition against plans by Monmouthshire County Council to axe it.

Since then, the route has gone from strength to strength with investment in a brand-new bus and an expanded timetable. A Friends of the 65 Bus group has also been set up to promote and develop the service for residents, and for leisure and tourism.

But there are once again question marks over the future of this vital community link with Covid-era funding for Wales’ bus network set to run out in June 2023.

Deputy Transport Minister Lee Waters says money is not available to further extend the Bus Emergency Scheme (BES), which was used to keep services running during the height of the pandemic when passenger numbers collapsed.

The Welsh Government is yet to confirm how it will fund the bus industry beyond the summer, with support ending at the same time it was announced that all major road projects have been scrapped in Wales.

Monmouth MP David Davies warned cutting funding would be “catastrophic” for areas where bus services are the only form of public transport linking rural villages.

“From my involvement over the past five years in support of the 65 bus service between Monmouth and Chepstow, I know how vital it is for communities along this stretch of the Wye Valley to be connected by a regular and reliable bus service,” said Mr Davies.

“The route was, and still is, relied upon by many older members of the community. Not only does it combat rural isolation and loneliness, it provides a key lifeline to services and supports independence for people without cars.

“The Welsh Labour Government has said Wales’ bus network is likely to be reduced to a skeleton service at best when Covid-era funding ends, which seems completely contrary to policy for a net zero future and enhanced role for public transport.”

Brian Mahony, Rosemary Corcoran and Jane Gilliard, speaking on behalf of Friends of the 65 bus, said the threat of a significant loss of bus services was a “frightening prospect” for all passengers.

“We cannot understand how the Welsh Government can be proposing to dismantle the bus network in Wales, leaving passengers isolated and removing the opportunity for people to move away from private motor vehicle use,” said the group.

“With the declaration of a “climate emergency” in Wales and the imperative of moving to a low carbon way of living, the opportunity to travel by bus has become ever more important.

“As we look forward, we believe there is great opportunity for bus services. To grasp this opportunity, there needs to be a concentrated effort in promotion and marketing of bus use, rather than the abandonment of our bus services.”

Mr Davies criticised the Welsh Government’s transport policy and said he is supporting calls by Friends of the 65 Bus for a new bus industry funding package to be made a priority.

“This is an important issue not only for the 65 bus, but for all bus services, passengers and communities in Wales,” he added.

“Any move to further reduce the network, availability and regularity of bus services both within Monmouthshire and more widely in Wales needs to be strongly opposed.

“Ministers in Cardiff Bay firstly cancel new roads, then they cut support for buses and now there are plans to punish drivers by charging them to use sections of the M4 near Newport,” he added.

“The transport policy, or lack of, is questionable to say the least.”