Ftrmetro Swansea
{{Short description|Former bus rapid transit route in Swansea, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox Public transit
| box_width = auto
| name = ftrmetro Swansea
| image = FTRmetro.svg
| image2 = Ftr bus in West Way, Swansea city centre, 19035 (S40 FTR), 2 October 2009.jpg
| imagesize2 = 250
| caption2 = An FTR bus travelling south from Ffordd y Gollewin
towards the Civic Centre
| locale = Swansea
| transit_type = Bus rapid transit
| began_operation = {{Start date|2009|09}}
| lines = 1
| vehicles = 10
| stations = 27
| operator = First Cymru
| map = {{Swansea Metro route}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}{{Redirects here|Swansea Metro|the proposed metro project for the Swansea Bay area|Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro}}
ftrmetro Swansea was a bus rapid transit route in Swansea, Wales. The route was served by FTR articulated buses in an attempt to relieve traffic congestion and provide alternative transport to cars, before they were withdrawn in 2015 in favour of smaller-capacity buses.
Overview
The Welsh Assembly Government provided £2.2m in funding to help launch the scheme,[https://web.archive.org/web/20110929231459/http://www.swansea.gov.uk/media/pdf/o/8/Swansea_Leader_-_March_2006.pdf Swansea Leader March/April 2006] and the local bus operator First Cymru paid for the fleet at a cost of £300,000 per vehicle. The buses, built by Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus, each had 37 seats.[http://www.wright-group.co.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=32 The Wright Group: BRT Streetcar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928202706/http://www.wright-group.co.uk/site/default.asp?CATID=32 |date=28 September 2007 }} Stops were placed about every 500 m[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4794432.stm BBC NEWS | Wales | South West Wales | City secures Streetcar funding] and passengers paid for tickets on-board from a conductor rather than from the driver.{{cite web |url=http://www.goftr.com/swansea/recruitment.php |title=Recruitment |access-date=2008-12-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105185816/http://www.goftr.com/swansea/recruitment.php |archive-date=5 January 2009 |df=dmy-all }}
The bus ran along a route from Morriston Hospital to Singleton Hospital, via Morriston, Swansea railway station, Kingsway, Swansea bus station, Civic Centre and Swansea University. The off-peak journey time between Morriston Hospital and Swansea University was timetabled to take 50 minutes.{{cite web|author=Username (Required) |url=http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/south_west_wales/journey_planning/ftr/ |title=South & West Wales | First Bus |publisher=Firstgroup.com |access-date=2019-02-09}}
Alterations were made to a number of roads to provide a dedicated bus lane. Orchard Street and The Kingsway were converted to a one-way streets for cars with a separate two-way bus lane. West Way was altered to accommodate a two-way bus lane and new access roads were developed near the Civic Centre. Further road developments included a bus lane along parts of Oystermouth Road and a bus bypass road past the Hafod area.[http://www.swanseacrimebeat.org/index.cfm?articleid=21511 City and County of Swansea – Swansea Metro Project Report]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Phase 1 of the road development scheme, for Orchard Street and Kingsway, was completed. The service between Morriston Hospital and Singleton started on bus route 4, using a single ftr vehicle, on 1 June 2009 with official launch of service in September 2009.[http://www.busandcoach.com/newsstory.aspx?id=1436 Bus and Coach News – Swansea 'ftr' delayed to 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030011241/http://www.busandcoach.com/newsStory.aspx?id=1436 |date=30 October 2007 }}
Critics of the scheme attacked the disruption caused by roadworks to accommodate the vehicles[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/5110988.stm BBC NEWS | Wales | South West Wales | Bendy bus roadworks prompt anger] and the impact of changes to the road network.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4929650.stm BBC NEWS | Wales | South West Wales | City streets change for bendy bus]
On 24 June 2015, First Cymru announced that it was to remove all FTR articulated buses from service on 28 August 2015, replacing them with standard single deck buses.{{cite web|author=Username (Required) |url=http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/south_west_wales/travel_news/news_initiatives/?item=28051&conf=0 |title=South & West Wales | First Bus |publisher=Firstgroup.com |access-date=2019-02-09}} Later in 2015, the dedicated two-way FTR bus lane on the Kingsway was removed and replaced by a standard one-way system, in response to high-profile accidents.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-34464221 |title=Swansea's Kingsway one-way system date set - BBC News |work=BBC News |date=7 October 2015 |access-date=2019-02-09}}
Subsequently, three bendy buses were brought back into use, transferring students from the main Swansea University campus on Oystermouth Road to the new Bay Campus.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Ftr Swansea|Ftrmetro Swansea}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110208171353/http://www.goftr.com/swansea/home.php First Group – ftrmetro Swansea (official site of operator)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080531152408/http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=14859 City and County of Swansea – Swansea metro project]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pcI_egCPlE Video of Ftr Metro buses in Swansea in August, 2015]
{{UK busway}}
{{Transport in Swansea}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom