Why did Cardiff Bus give everyone a free ride?

Why did Cardiff Bus give everyone a free ride? - A Person in Blue Hoodie Relaxing Inside a Transport Vehicle

On 23rd of August 2019, we took T9 Cardiff bus from Airport to City centre. The driver didn’t charge anyone any money.

I even asked to make a cash payment and he very graciously said Since I know you, you ride for free today.

Even though I know that was a joke, everybody did ride for free. Why would that be so? Even other passengers were wondering. One reason I could guess was the for some distance the road was under construction and was causing regular delays to the service.



Best Answer

The T9 bus service is part of the Welsh Government's TrawsCymru regional bus network, though I believe Cardiff Bus are contracted to operate that service for them. (All TrawsCymru services are numbered with a 'T' prefix.) Funding and ticketing is separate to Cardiff Bus' other operations, though.

From July 2017, weekend travel on TrawsCymru routes was made free of charge, including the T9 route between Cardiff and the airport. The scheme was originally due to run until May 2018, but was later extended. (It is currently suspended due to Covid issues.)

The 23rd of August 2019 was a Friday, so the service shouldn't have been offered free of charge on that day (but would have been on the 24th). Perhaps you were on an overnight flight that arrived on the morning of the 24th? I wouldn't expect that the driver would be offering free travel on other days of the week, as the Welsh Government was only reimbursing operators for free travel on the weekend.

The friendly, jocular nature of the bus driver's explanation is typical of the Cardiff area, where passengers are noted for saying "Cheers, Drive" as they disembark.




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Is Cardiff Bus a private company?

Cardiff Bus (Welsh: Bws Caerdydd) is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to remain in council ownership.

Can you take dogs on Cardiff Bus?

Can I bring a pet on the bus? Guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs will be carried at any time provided there is space for them to be carried.

When did Cardiff Bus start?

The familiar Cardiff Bus green first appeared in 1999, and we bought our first bendybuses in 2006, adding a touch of European style to our capital city. We now carry 100,000 passengers every day on 3,000 journeys covering 27,000 miles.

Can you pay contactless on Cardiff Bus?

Contactless payment is now available across all our routes, so now you don't even need change to pay for your journey. You are able to purchase single (including short-hops), all day tickets, return tickets or night bus return tickets from the driver using contactless.



Cardiff's Pride Bus




More answers regarding why did Cardiff Bus give everyone a free ride?

Answer 2

One reason may be the ticket machine wasn't working, and the driver (either by law, or company policy) cannot receive payment without issuing a ticket (receipt).

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