From Sunday the 3rd of September, bus-hoppers in Splott, Tremorfa, Adamsdown & Pengam Green will wave goodbye to the number 11 bus, which has taken public transport users in this area to and from the city centre for many a year, and welcome a new service: the number 61.
Billed as ‘your link right across town’, the new 61 bus service is expanding from the number 11 route to include Canton, Fairwater and Pentrebane as well as the city centre. Starting in Pengam Green, just down from Tesco, the service will travel along Rover Way, Pengam Road and Tweedsmuir Road before heading around Splott Park, Willows Avenue and Splott Road then into Adamsdown along Constellation Street and Meteor Street. The bus will then head into town along Newport Road, stopping in the city centre before heading through Canton along Wyndham Crescent and Romilly Road and onto Fairwater along Pencicesly Road, Waungron Road and St Fagans Road. The service’s last stop will be in Pentrebane, arriving there via Plas-Mawr Road, Pentrebane Road and Beechley Drive, before looping around First Avenue and heading back.
In addition to stops in Canton, Fairwater and Pentrebane, offering a much broader, ‘across-town’ service, the number 61 will also offer free Wi-Fi to passengers.
Fares remain the same at £1.80 for an adult single (3.60 day ticket), £1.30 for young people aged under 18 (photo iff card or mytravelpass required for 16-18 year-olds) (£2.40 for a day ticket). A saving of 30p per trip can be made if travellers buy a 10 trip bundle deal using the ‘iff’ app (find out more at www.cardiffbus.com/iffapp), costing £1.50 each for 10 single tickets.
Week-to-go tickets are available at £13 for adults and £9 for young people or month-to-go tickets at £48 for an adult and £31 for young people.
What is the ‘iff card’?
The ‘iff card’ is a ‘smart’ travel card offered by Cardiff bus which you can apply for online and use to pay for journeys. You can top up either when you first get on the bus, in the Cardiff Bus customer service centre on Sloper Road, in Cardiff Central Library or at PayPoint outlets, negating the need to carry cash to board the bus. Cards can be ordered from www.cardiffbus.com/iffcard
The number 61 will run on average every ten minutes during week days, every half hour in the evening; every 15 minutes during daytime on Saturdays, every half hour in the evenings and every 30 minutes on Sundays. To see the new service timetable, head to http://www.cardiffbus.com/english/service.shtml?serviceid=1103 or download the Cardiff Bus app.
What do you think about the change to the Splott bus service? Voice your opinion in the comments box below.
*images taken from the Cardiff Bus Number 61 leaflet
