Cheaper bus travel will again be made available for residents, with all single fares for journeys that start and end within Rhondda Cynon Taf being capped at £1. This will apply in the two-week school Easter holiday in April 2025.
This initiative returns using important funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund – and will be introduced from Saturday, April 12, to Sunday, April 27, inclusive. It will apply across all bus operators, for all journeys that start and end within the County Borough boundary, and from the first service to the last service each day – with no time restrictions in place.
Commuters in Rhondda Cynon Taf will therefore benefit from a period of subsidised bus travel for the sixth time since summer 2023. These have included the six-week school summer holiday in 2024, and over the last two festive periods (for the entire months of December in 2023 and 2024).
The joint initiative between the Council and the UK Government is intended to tackle economic barriers that may prevent people from using public transport. The available funding is being used to target key times of the year when families may be more likely to catch the bus, such as the holiday periods.
During the offer period, concessionary pass holders must scan their passes as normal. All journeys that start or end outside of the Rhondda Cynon Taf boundary will not receive the offer, and will be subject to the normal full fee. The scheme does not fund any extra services nor guarantee commuters a seat – while the Conditions of Carriage of each operator will still apply.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, said: “Over the previous five periods we’ve been able to offer the £1 maximum bus fare, it has proven a very popular initiative for local residents. Cheaper fares make public transport more accessible and encourage more people to catch the bus for local journeys – and this has a knock-on economic benefit to bus operators.
“We continue to welcome funding made available from UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund in response to the Cost of Living, which remains very high for families. We will continue to look at bringing such initiatives forward – as we did over the summer holiday last year, and over the Christmas period in the last two Decembers. The Council was awarded £1.1 million in 2023/24 and £1.2m last year to this end, and an extra £1m is secured for 2025/26, which has enabled us to bring forward the 2025 Easter holiday provision.
“Bus operators reported a significant rise in the number of people using local services when the offer was previously introduced. It’s continually-important to encourage residents to use public transport for everyday journeys – with many advantages such as protecting the environment, conforming to climate change commitments, alleviating traffic congestion, and reducing journey times.
“Our Easter holiday initiative runs from April 12-27 in 2025, and again covers all journeys that start and end within the Rhondda Cynon Taf boundary, across all bus operators, and from the first to the last service each day.”
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, from the UK Government, has been allocated to Local Authorities to help introduce initiatives that will reduce the cost of living for residents. This will be achieved through measures that improve energy efficiency, and combat fuel poverty and climate change.
Posted on 11/04/2025