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Barry: Bus hub with no buses a £3m waste, says councillor

LDRS/Ted Peskett three people in construction clothing standing beneath a digger in a car park in front of a historic buildingLDRS/Ted Peskett
The hub was built to bring more people to the docks area of Barry, but no bus company has been found to offer service

A £3m transport hub with no bus service is "a waste of public money", a councillor has said.

The hub, near Barry Docks Railway Station in Vale of Glamorgan, has bus stops, a taxi rank, bike shelters and a plan for car charging points, but no bus company stops there.

"There's no point in a bus station with no buses," said councillor Ian Johnson.

Vale of Glamorgan council said the hub was build at a "very difficult time for the bus industry".

Mr Johnson, who leads the opposition Plaid Cymru group, called it "a major multi-million pound project that will not be used at any time soon for the reason it was built".

"That is a waste of public money at a time when the Labour council [is] telling us to get ready for large scale cuts," he added.

Adventure Travel's number 88 bus was set to stop at the hub, but that was withdrawn after construction began in January, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cardiff Bus considered stopping at the hub, the council said in April, but the company's latest timetable shows no service.

LDRS/Ted Peskett Ian Johnson and Millie Collins standing in front of an empty bus station, both with their arms crossed and looking angryLDRS/Ted Peskett
The bus station at Barry Docks has no buses, say exasperated councillors Ian Johnson and Millie Collins

A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, the interchange has been completed at a very difficult time for the bus industry.

"Reductions in government funding, reduced post-pandemic passenger numbers, and a shortage of drivers have all contributed to reductions in bus services."

In the short term, the spokesperson added, the hub would see some buses from Transport for Wales' rail replacement service.

The council is still in discussions with local bus operators to try to incorporate the hub into their routes, they said.

'Blowing' taxpayer's money

The Welsh Conservative spokesperson for Transport, Natasha Asghar MS, said she was not "surprised at the ridiculousness of this situation".

"They blow £3m at a time when councils are pleading poverty," she said.

"Like Labour's overall transport plans for Wales, money is being thrown at projects with little oversight and a definitive lack of long-term planning."