Welsh Labour has pledged that they will introduce a £2 cap on all single bus fares across Wales if they lead the next Welsh Government, Transport Cabinet Secretary Ken Skates has announced.

The fare cap would be introduced Wales-wide in April 2027 and cover everyone aged 22 to 59. Under 21s already enjoy a £1 cap on single fares, and over

60s get free bus travel across Wales thanks to the Welsh Labour Government’s choices to ensure affordable public transport is available.

If re-elected, Welsh Labour would also introduce 100 new bus routes across the country. These routes would prioritise connecting people to jobs and key services, such as hospitals and train stations, but the public will also be asked to suggest where the services should run. The changes would be rolled out between 2027 and 2030, with new routes in every part of Wales.

These pledges are only possible because of the current Welsh Labour Government’s landmark legislation, the Bus Services Bill, which will bring buses back into public ownership, allowing people to have a greater say in the services they receive. Welsh Labour is committed to ensuring fairer access to public transport across Wales, making buses both more affordable and more widely available.

Ken Skates visited Wrexham bus interchange with Welsh Labour candidates and supporters to launch the first of Welsh Labour’s forward offer going into the 2026 Senedd elections.

“Through our landmark Bus Services Bill, we are ending the era of fragmented services forced on Wales by the Tories de-regulating the bus network. From now on in Wales, buses will be run for people, not just for profit.

“These changes are about making our transport system fairer. Cheaper journeys, more routes to the places where passengers want them to go, a bus service that serves those that use it. We want to unlock opportunity by connecting people to their jobs, their hospitals, their town centres, their libraries. And Welsh Labour will take action to do that.

“Reform UK trade in angry but empty promises. Welsh Labour wants you to be better off, and Welsh Labour are delivering.”