Everyone in Swansea to get free bus travel this summer

Swansea Council is funding the initiative to support families and boost retail, leisure and tourism as Swansea emerges from lockdown.

It will also help reduce emissions and congestion by encouraging people onto buses rather than using their car every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said, “The past 16 months have been really difficult for everyone but now as we emerge from the Covid restrictions we want to do everything we can to support residents and businesses to recover and succeed post pandemic.

“Swansea has so much to offer, but many people haven’t able to travel around Swansea and enjoy our amazing towns, villages and beaches. We want to help people travel local, enjoy local, shop local.

“Our free bus travel will give everyone the chance to travel for free during the summer and make the most of what’s on offer.

“We know many people will not be going abroad this summer so this gives them the chance to get around and discover the magic of Swansea and Gower for free.

“And it will help boost our tourism, retail and leisure businesses by encouraging more people to explore parts of Swansea they perhaps wouldn’t normally visit.”

The initiative will run from July 30 to August 30 and is part of the Council’s £20m Recovery Plan, aimed at supporting families and boosting the local economy following the pandemic. The free travel offer also includes a special Sunday service to and from Gower which the Council recently announced.

The Council is working with the city’s bus operators to ensure passengers can travel safely and that all necessary Covid precautions are put in place.

Passengers can also use the free service late into the evening in  a bid to support the city’s night time economy.

Cllr Mark Thomas, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Enhancement & Infrastructure Management, said: “We are delighted to offer this free bus travel for long weekends during the summer.

“The recent easing of Covid restrictions means this is the right time to launch this offer, but we will still work with bus operators to ensure travel is Covid safe.

“By encouraging people to travel by bus we can also reduce emissions and road congestion which will contribute to the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change.

“This really is a win-win for everyone and we hope people take advantage of this offer.

“If it proves successful we will look to repeat it during school holidays throughout the year to help boost our local economy and to support people to get out and about in Swansea.”

Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea BID, said: “It’s fantastic to see Swansea Council providing this service, making it easier for all people to access what Swansea has to offer.

“Here at Swansea BID, we hope people will take advantage of the free service to support the city centre and its businesses – many of which are locally owned independent retailers and hospitality businesses. The fact that the service will be running late is also really positive news for Swansea’s night time economy.

“We encourage people to follow our Big Heart of Swansea social media pages and take advantage of the free bus service to discover what’s on offer in the city centre.”