UK public transport technology provider Passenger has announced a major new partnership with Transport for Wales as it prepares to unveil a new bus app and website for its TrawsCymru long-distance bus network.
The multilingual TrawsCymru app and website are designed to support the Welsh government’s aim of achieving a bus system that boosts social equity and delivers the scale of modal shift needed to combat climate change.
TrawsCymru will launch on Passenger’s customer experience platform and utilise its journey planning, bus timetables and live vehicle tracking capabilities. Mobile app ticketing, complemented by ticket e-commerce on the website, will also help to provide a step change in digital access to the TrawsCymru services.
TrawsCymru is part of the bus network in Wales, providing links between major towns and cities and helping people connect to work, education, health and leisure destinations. Over the next few years, Transport for Wales will introduce improvements to the network, low carbon vehicles, integration of Traws and rail ticketing and improving roadside infrastructure and information for passengers.
James Price, chief executive at Transport for Wales, said added: “Our new app and website for TrawsCymru represent a significant milestone in our plans to overhaul public transport in Wales, as we look to create a network which appeals to a much wider demographic.
“Our purpose is to progress the Welsh government’s vision of a stable, easy-to-use network of bus services that fully connects to other methods of public transport. We want to provide a reliable, affordable, flexible and low-carbon transport network that supports more people to use the bus instead of their cars – and our new TrawsCymru app and website will complement our ongoing efforts.”
The Welsh government has highlighted the gradual decline in the bus industry in Wales over the years through its recent whitepaper ‘One network, one timetable, one ticket’. The document states that 25% of people in Wales do not have access to a car, and although the Welsh government has invested more than £100m each year in bus services, improvements have been challenging due to the legacy of bus service privatisation.
Tom Quay, CEO at Passenger, said: “It’s encouraging to see considerable efforts being made by the Welsh government to reverse this decline, with investment being channelled into public services to help more people get to where they need to go.
“Transport for Wales is driving this change, and we are delighted to support them with our expertise and technology, designed to make buses a more appealing and accessible mode of travel. Together, we believe we can make a significant difference in the way in which people travel throughout Wales.”
Transport for Wales is set to launch its new app in July, followed by its website in August this year.
