Explore (South) Wales Pass

[marcouk2]

I'm planning a South Wales Pass for the end of this month and am struggling to find any up to date or accurate documentation from Arriva Trains Wales about the passes.

I'm specifically trying to find out if it is still valid on buses and if so which bus services does it actually cover or any exclusions.

I've found old leaflets via google on the ATW website but nothing recent. The Explore Wales Pass page & accompanying T&Cs just seems to be a mess i.e. misleading train validity statements and missing details don't inspire confidence.

Any one have a more official source than Railrover.org?

 

[martian boy]

Try the Stagecoach in South Wales website. The day pass is available and can be issued on buses. Not sure about the weekly pass. I believe the pass is valid on most bus services, at least stagecoach.

 

[marcouk2]

No luck on the Stagecoach website, not helped by the fact that their rover ticket is called an Explorer.

The most recent dated leaflet I've found talking about bus validity was from First Bus from April 17 and the Explore Wales Pass has a page on the First South & West Wales website but just links back to the aforementioned ATW page for details.

Edit: just found an up to date (January 18) First leaflet but again still just refers back to the ATW page.

 

[martian boy]

I work for Stagecoach South Wales. This is the position where the various rail passes are concerned.....

South Wales Valley Lines Explorer...Valid one day.....
All Stagecoach buses except T4 between Felinfach/Three Cocks and Newton in Powys. I can't help with other bus companies, Cardiff Bus, Newport Bus, First South Wales or the smaller companies. It may be well getting in touch with them by telephone. The numbers should be on the websites. The day ticket is not valid at Newport. Most of the Valley Lines operate in Stagecoach territory.

Explore Wales Pass.....
The 8 day pass is valid for 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout all Wales.

Explore South Wales Pass.....
Valid for 8 days, 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout the network.

Hope this is of help.

 

[bb21]

The Knowledgebase page on the Explore Wales Pass was last updated in January 2016, so I assume that nothing has changed in terms of ticket validity since then barring the prices.

Unfortunately it does not contain a list of valid bus routes but simply refers you to the ATW website, where a list of operators and routes used to be listed, but no longer so it would appear.

The only thing I can suggest is that you contact ATW. They must have a list of acceptance somewhere.

 

[attics26]

I used North and Mid Wales pass last year and finding info was impossible, official pages listed bus companies that had ceased trading 2 years earlier! As it happens the pass was accepted on every bus I used, even two that I didn't think it was valid on, quite why there is no up to date info baffles me, but won't stop getting another pass next September!

 

[marcouk2]

Cheers everyone, plan I'd put together for myself primarily uses Stagecoach services to avoid some double backs down the valleys so looks like I should be fine.

 

[Dai Corner]

I work for Stagecoach South Wales. This is the position where the various rail passes are concerned.....

South Wales Valley Lines Explorer...Valid one day.....
All Stagecoach buses except T4 between Felinfach/Three Cocks and Newton in Powys. I can't help with other bus companies, Cardiff Bus, Newport Bus, First South Wales or the smaller companies. It may be well getting in touch with them by telephone. The numbers should be on the websites. The day ticket is not valid at Newport. Most of the Valley Lines operate in Stagecoach territory.

Explore Wales Pass.....
The 8 day pass is valid for 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout all Wales.

Explore South Wales Pass.....
Valid for 8 days, 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout the network.

Hope this is of help.

As far as I know the Valley Lines Explorer is valid only on Stagecoach buses, not any other operators. Newport can be reached by bus (I think?) but not by train.

 

[DelW]

I used the Explore South Wales pass about 5 years ago, mainly for trains (4 days from 8) but also for a few bus links. Not a single bus driver recognised the ticket, generally they accepted my word for its validity, but one or two only did so after I showed some supporting evidence.
Bus operators in rural Wales seem to change quite regularly since most of the big operators withdrew, most recently Express Motors seem to have been closed down by the authorities, and many of the small operators have minimal or no online presence.

 

[317 forever]

I work for Stagecoach South Wales. This is the position where the various rail passes are concerned.....

South Wales Valley Lines Explorer...Valid one day.....
All Stagecoach buses except T4 between Felinfach/Three Cocks and Newton in Powys. I can't help with other bus companies, Cardiff Bus, Newport Bus, First South Wales or the smaller companies. It may be well getting in touch with them by telephone. The numbers should be on the websites. The day ticket is not valid at Newport. Most of the Valley Lines operate in Stagecoach territory.

Explore Wales Pass.....
The 8 day pass is valid for 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout all Wales.

Explore South Wales Pass.....
Valid for 8 days, 4 days train travel, and 8 days bus travel throughout the network.

Hope this is of help.

I got an Explore South Wales pass in 2015. The Stagecoach driver on the T4 kindly let me stay on to Newton even after I offered to pay an excess fare.

I doubted it was valid on NAT buses. However, a driver did allow me to use it on a route from Brecon to (I think) Neath. Conversely, when I asked to use it on Cardiff route X1 the driver declined. I did pay the fare rather than use Cardiff Bus as I wanted my first ride on a MetroCity. Given that this fare was almost certainly lower than on the route from Brecon, this anomaly happened the favourable way round!