Bus services are having to be cancelled or delayed in Swansea Bay and beyond as staff shortages, rising Covid infections and mechanical issues bite. Ever since lockdown lifted, bus companies, like many other organisations, have struggled for staff.
Back in April, First Cymru cancelled more than 80 bus journeys in the city due to "operational difficulties" and a shortage of drivers - and now, three months later, it seems both of these issues are still affecting people's journeys across the city. On July 4, 30 miles worth of journeys provided by First Cymru across Swansea were lost due to a "mechanical issue," whilst Adventure Travel Cymru had to cancel a busy Swansea to Gower route on July 2, the first day of the Wales Airshow 2022, due to a "high level of sickness" among its staff. You can get more Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
To counteract the low numbers of staff and high rate of Covid, which First Cymru said was not unique to the firm, the company has said it is actively recruiting trainee and qualified bus drivers in Swansea, as well as in Bridgend, Haverfordwest and Port Talbot. The company was also planning its routes on a weekly and daily basis, staff said, to ensure it had "back-up drivers" and so that no area saw significantly more services cancelled than any other.
