First Cymru Buses fined £20,600 for unreliable service

A bus company has been fined more than £20,000 for failing to provide a reliable and punctual service.

First Cymru Buses was fined £20,600 by the deputy traffic commissioner for Wales for its "failure to meet the needs of the travelling public".

The firm attended a public inquiry at Swansea Magistrates' Court over four of its services that operate in and around the city on 23 October.

The company said it "fully accepts the findings" and apologised to customers.

Bus Users Cymru had reported reliability problems with four services in and around Swansea.

In a written decision, Deputy Traffic Commissioner for Wales Tony Seculer said: "My objective is to focus minds so that the statutory objectives are achieved and the travelling public achieve a punctual, reliable and comfortable bus service.

"The cited complaints illustrate the frustrations of the public when services do not run as timetabled and confidence in public transport is vital if targets to reduce private car usage, alleviate road congestion, boost economic development and reduce environmental damage are to be achieved."

In a statement, a company spokesman said: "First Cymru fully accepts the findings by the traffic commissioner, and we would like to sincerely apologise to our customers in the Swansea area for the shortfall of service they've endured.

"We would like to stress that First Cymru have a very strong track record of delivering exemplary service and this was First Cymru's first ever public enquiry."

He said the company had taken "rigorous action" to address engineering maintenance issues at the Swansea depot which "lie at the heart of this issue".