Free b ( Welsh: Bws am ddim ''Free bus'') was a

zero-fare Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, refers to public transport funded in full by means other than by collecting fares from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local gove ...

shuttle bus that operated in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

city centre,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The route circled the edges of the city centre anti-clockwise. The service was operated by

Cardiff Bus Cardiff Bus ( cy, Bws Caerdydd) is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to ...

History

The service commenced on 12 October 2009 as a response to the creation of a "bus box" in Cardiff city centre. This was formed from the diversion of the terminus of many of Cardiff Bus's services from the Central Bus Station to stops around the edges of the city centre. The shuttle service was introduced to connect these stops, as well as those of Cardiff's four

Park and Ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

services. The three 28-seater buses in a yellow and black livery were introduced as part of a multimillion-pound joint council and Assembly Government-funded green initiative designed to encourage sustainable transport. Cardiff Council announced that because of low ridership, the Free b bus would be cancelled and replaced with an electric shuttle van. Council-operated electric buggies were introduced in October 2010 in order to carry disabled and elderly passengers around the city centre.

Operation

The Free b service followed a circular route that travels anti-clockwise around the city centre linking major bus and rail interchanges. The FreeB operated every 10 minutes until 20:00 on weekdays and until 18:00 on the weekend. ;Stops *''Churchill Way'' - for

Cardiff Queen Street railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Cardiff Queen St. (19366639218).jpg , caption = Cardiff Queen Street seen from the north. , borough = Cardiff, City and County of Cardiff , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = ...

and Capitol Shopping Centre *''Windsor Lane'' *''Greyfriars Road'' for New Theatre *''Greyfriars Road'' - for

Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

Queens Arcade Queens Arcade ( cy, Arcêd y Frenhines) shopping centre is located in Cardiff city centre. It opened on 28 April 1994. History Developed on the site of the Allders department store and the similarly named Queen Street Arcade, the main entrance ...

, Capital Tower, City Hall and National Museum *''Castle Street'' - for Cardiff Castle *''Westgate Street'' - for Millennium Stadium * ''St Mary Street'' - for St David's Hall *

Cardiff Central bus station Cardiff Central bus station was the main bus transport interchange in the Cardiff city centre until it closed on 1 August 2015. With 34 stands, it was the largest bus station in Wales. It was located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station ...

(stand D1A) - for Cardiff Central railway station and Millennium Stadium *''Wyndham Arcade'' - for

Hard Rock Café Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...

*''Canal Street'' - for

Marriott Hotel Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 ...

The Hayes The Hayes ( cy, Yr Ais) is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Centred on the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised and is the location ...

St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...

and

Cardiff Central Library Cardiff Central Library (now Cardiff Central Library Hub) ( cy, Llyfrgell Ganolog Caerdydd) is the main library in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. It offers a public library service and is open six days a week. Four buildings have been nam ...

*''David Street'' - for

Cardiff International Arena Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was ope ...

Criticism

The service had been criticised as not running until late enough and a lack of publicity.Article: "Prime-Minister Petitioned to Help Cardiff Buses"
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References

External links

Free b advertisement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Free B Free public transport Transport in Cardiff Bus transport in Wales Bus transport in Cardiff Bus routes in Wales

History

Operation

Criticism

See also

References

External links