“There are three types of people” in a crisis says Minister as Arriva asked to ‘step up’

Economy Minister Ken Skates has singled out Arriva’s recent profits and dividends while asking the bus company to “step up to the national challenge and to ensure that all critical workers are able to get to their places of work.”

The comments came as the minister was praising the North Wales business community who he says has “stepped up magnificently, not just in terms of dealing with the challenges of the virus but, also in supporting the national effort to overcome it”.

Speaking about ‘only one battle that we must all face, that is Coronavirus’ he urged everyone, including politicians, to ‘all turn our shoulders towards’ that task.

“I have found already during the course of this crisis that that there are three types of people, those who step up to the challenge, those who step back, and those that step in the way for either selfish purposes or to create disruption.

“It has to be said that overwhelmingly people across North Wales, and businesses across North Wales, have stepped up to assist in the fight against Coronavirus

“Of course, we wish to end lockdown in a phased way as soon as we can but our primary concern is with public health, and ensuring that we don’t have a second wave because the worst thing for the economy in North Wales will be for Coronavirus to return with a vengeance later in the year or next year. It would cause terrible disruption to the economy on a secondary basis after this first wave. In particular for some some sectors that are struggling right now, and will struggle for the rest of 2020. Let’s say, as an example, the tourism sector, the last thing that the tourism sector needs is to find that the season of 2021 has been lost.

“Therefore, it’s absolutely vital that we deal with this virus once and for all in 2020.

Recently Arriva Buses issued a statement, “In light of the government’s ruling and the lower numbers of people travelling, we can confirm that we have had to reduce the frequency of some services. However, we will still be operating our key routes and have lifted the timing restrictions on concessionary passes to ensure customers can continue to access critical services and key workers are kept moving.”

The Minister highlighted a story by the Daily Post where Arriva Buses had been slammed by someone working at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd due to timetable changes, with staff at Ysbyty Gwynedd and Llandudno General Hospital reportedly facing similar problems because of cancelled services.

Clwyd West AM, Darren Millar said he had spoken with Arriva and said, “Bus operators here are facing tough choices because they are not getting the support they need from the Welsh Government.”

The story also quotes an Arriva spokesperson who put blame at Ken Skates’ door, “Bus operators are discussing with Transport for Wales whether additional payment made by the Department for Transport in England to support companies there, and paid in proportion to the Welsh Government, will be paid to operators in Wales.

Ken Skates said, “There was a story regarding Arriva Buses Wales. The comments by Arriva do not reflect the sentiments of the bus sector across Wales and are somewhat misleading.

“The fact of the matter is that we’ve taken action to protect the services in Wales making hardship funding available for companies, £29 million of hardship funding, and the reality is that the announcement in England only brought the funding levels into line with support that was already being made available for the bus industry in Wales.

“Now these are difficult circumstances for everyone, but we would expect services to be available for critical workers. Transport for Wales is having regular discussions with the bus industry about the provision of services for critical workers and will raise issues that have been highlighted in the media with those bus companies, including Arriva.

“Just as a matter of public record, it’s just worth flagging up again in the context of how the vast majority of businesses are stepping up to assist in the national challenge, Arriva in the last five years of its rail franchise paid dividends to its shareholders of nearly £100 million pounds, receiving 800 million pounds in subsidies from taxpayers in Wales.

“In 2018, Arriva’s bus business in Wales posted a profit of £1.5 million having received £12 million of Welsh public money.”

“So, I think it’s only right and fair, the public in North Wales expect businesses including Arriva to step up to the national challenge and to ensure that all critical workers are able to get to their places of work.”