Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026

5 Local bus services: core duties

(1) The Welsh Ministers must—

(a) determine the local bus services that they consider are required for the purpose of securing safe, integrated, sustainable, efficient and economic transport in Wales,

(b) publish a plan (to be known as the “Welsh Bus Network Plan”) setting out the key particulars of those local bus services, and

(c) so far as reasonably practicable, secure the provision of those local bus services.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b), the key particulars of a service are—

(a) in the case of a standard local bus service, the route and principal embarkation and disembarkation points that the Welsh Ministers consider are required for the purposes of the provision of that service;

(b) in the case of a flexible local bus service—

(i) the geographical area in which the Welsh Ministers consider that service is required to operate;

(ii) any fixed sections of route that the Welsh Ministers consider to be required for the purposes of the provision of that service;

(iii) any fixed embarkation or disembarkation points that the Welsh Ministers consider to be required for the purposes of the provision of that service.

(3) For further provision relating to the Welsh Bus Network Plan, see sections 6 to 8.

(4) For an exception to the duty in subsection (1)(c) in the case of cross-border services, see section 20 (cross-border services and the duty to secure the provision of services).

(5) Where the Welsh Ministers are required by this section to secure the provision of a local bus service, they may secure that service by doing any one or more of the following—

(a) entering into a local bus service contract in respect of a local bus service under section 10;

(b) granting a permit in respect of a local bus service under section 12;

(c) providing a local bus service under section 18;

(d) relying on the provision of a service as described in section 19.

(6) The Welsh Ministers must, before the end of the period of 12 months beginning on the day after the day on which this Act receives Royal Assent, lay before Senedd Cymru a statement on preparations for the coming into force of section 5(1)(c).

(7) The statement must, in particular, address preparations in relation to organisational capacity.