On the Buses; for Many Rural Welsh Motorists Worried about Rising Fuel Costs, the Only Alternative Is the TrawsCambria Long-Distance Bus. Rhodri Clark Takes a Ride on One Such Bus to See Howit Compares with European Coaches - and Whether It Would Meet the Expectations of People Accustomed to Car and Train Travel

Byline: Rhodri Clark

THERE'S an area of western Europe where the coast, rivers and lush green mountains are barriers to overland transport. Internal trains offer scenic but slow rides. Mainline trains are a poor alternative because they're focused on travel to the distant state capital. Fortunately there are coaches connecting main towns and cities.

This could be a description of Wales, but for that last sentence.

The area in question is north-west Spain. The coaches are far from perfect - they do not connect with each other or with trains, for example - but services are fast and the vehicles are comfortable, air-conditioned coaches with bags of space under the floor for luggage.

And, as a measure of the coach's distinctly broad appeal over there, that space is rarely needed, because so many of the passengers are professionals carrying briefcases or small bags.

Wales used to have its own long-distance coach, called TrawsCambria. Five years ago the Welsh Assembly Government decided to improve it, increasing it from one a day to …

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Publication information: Article title: On the Buses; for Many Rural Welsh Motorists Worried about Rising Fuel Costs, the Only Alternative Is the TrawsCambria Long-Distance Bus. Rhodri Clark Takes a Ride on One Such Bus to See Howit Compares with European Coaches - and Whether It Would Meet the Expectations of People Accustomed to Car and Train Travel. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales). Publication date: July 9, 2008. Page number: 19. © 2009 MGN Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group.

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