South & West Wales - De a Gorllewin Cymru

The future of travel; Swansea ftrmetro officially launched. Dyfodol teithio; ftrmetro yn cael ei lansion swyddogol.

Vehicle name celebrates 40th anniversary of Swansea as a city. Enwr cerbyd yn dathlu 40 mlynedd ers i Abertawen derbyn statws fel dinas.

FIRSTGROUP Chief Executive Sir Moir Lockhead OBE joined senior figures from City and County of Swansea and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) at a special event outside the Civic Centre in Swansea today (Wednesday 16 September) to celebrate the past and look to the future of travel, and name a vehicle as part of the official launch of the ftrmetro project.

Swansea is the first city in Wales to use the innovative ftrmetro buses.

The state-of-the-art vehicle has been called 'City of Swansea' to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Swansea receiving its city status in 1969.

Over the past forty years much has changed in Swansea, and the new ftrmetro scheme, boasting high tech vehicles, each with air conditioning, spacious layouts and onboard information screens, is considered the future of travel; something designed to take Swansea well into the 21st Century.

The distinctive purple vehicles offer the public a new mode of public transport that delivers the high quality of a tram with the flexibility of a bus. It has been turning heads in Swansea because of its futuristic look since June of this year when work began to phase it into operation on the Service 4 route between Morriston and Singleton Hospitals via Swansea City Centre.

Supporting the ftrmetro vehicles are some extensive road infrastructure and bus priority measures, which mean vehicles can now sail through the city, cutting previous cross-city journey times by up to 10 minutes.

The service also provides a seamless interchange with Swansea Railway Station from the west side of the City Centre; meaning visitors can make the change between rail and bus with relative ease. PlusBus integrated ticketing makes the process even easier for rail customers. The new link with the railway station also makes travelling to and from the Liberty Stadium for football matches and other big events, easier for visitors from outside the area.

Talking about the project, Sir Moir Lockhead said: "Swansea in the 21st Century, like many other cities in the UK, is facing big challenges. It must constantly reinvent itself, finding new and innovative ways to tackle the twin threats of congestion and climate change. By developing a robust transport network, that encourages people to use buses instead of private cars, the city is tackling these problems head on.

"In partnership with the City and County of Swansea and WAG, FirstGroup has taken steps to encourage this modal shift. The ftrmetro offers customers the chance to travel from one side of the city to the other in air conditioned comfort, whilst sitting on leather seats, and gliding past other traffic as a result of the many bus priority measures in place.

"We are still in the early days, but ridership figures are in line with expectations, and are expected to grow further in the coming months, as more and more people opt for travel by ftrmetro, rather than car."

Swansea ftrmetro is a £14million package run in partnership between First and the City and County of Swansea. The infrastructure work, costing an estimated £10million, has been funded through the Welsh Assembly Governments Transport Grant, while First has spent some £4million purchasing 10 ftrmetro vehicles as well as upgrading the engineering and parking facilities at its First Cymru head office in Swansea.

Talking about the launch of the ftrmetro scheme, Councillor Alan Lloyd, The Lord Mayor of Swansea, said: "I am delighted to be here to help officially launch the ftrmetro scheme. What we now have is 21st century travel in Swansea. We have embraced the future of public transport and this will have a long-lasting, positive effect in Swansea for years to come."

Carwyn Jones, The Welsh Assembly Governments Counsel General added: "Welsh Assembly Government funding is designed to help innovative projects such as this get off the ground. It is very satisfying to see this project come to fruition. Schemes like this are essential to our sustainability agenda and reducing carbon emissions. I hope that local people, and visitors to the area, embrace the ftrmetro, leaving their cars at home and travelling by public transport instead."

A team of eighteen 'pilots' have undergone a rigorous training programme to qualify to drive the ftrmetro. They had to learn how to handle the vehicle's extra length, steering geometry and road handling before they were given permission to go out on the road to carry passengers.

Seventeen jobs have also been created as a team of customer service hosts have been employed to assist customers and to collect fares. The hosts have learnt basic Welsh language, Welsh history/folklore and they have developed a detailed knowledge of Swansea's facilities and amenities to ensure they are prepared to carry out the important customer-facing role.

Ymunodd Prif Weithredwr FIRSTGROUP, Syr Moir Lockhead OBE, ag unigolion blaenllaw o Ddinas a Sir Abertawe a Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru (LlCC) mewn digwyddiad arbennig y tu allan i Ganolfan Ddinesig Abertawe heddiw (dydd Mercher 16 Medi) i ddathlu teithio yn y gorffennol ac i edrych i'r dyfodol, gan enwi cerbyd fel rhan o lansiad swyddogol prosiect ftrmetro.

Abertawe yw'r ddinas gyntaf yng Nghymru i ddefnyddio'r bysys ftrmetro arloesol.

Mae'r cerbyd o'r radd flaenaf, ac wedi cael ei enwi'n 'Dinas Abertawe' er mwyn dathlu 40 mlynedd ers i Abertawe dderbyn statws fel dinas ym 1969.

Mae llawer wedi newid yn Abertawe dros y deugain mlynedd diwethaf, ac ystyrir mai dyfodol teithio yw'r fenter ftrmetro newydd, gydag uwch-dechnoleg ei gerbydau, sy'n cynnwys aerdymheru, cynllun â digon o le a sgriniau gwybodaeth, a'i bod wedi'i chynllunio i fynd ag Abertawe i mewn i'r unfed ganrif ar hugain.

Mae'r cerbydau porffor arbennig yn cynnig modd newydd o gludiant cyhoeddus sy'n cyfuno ansawdd uchel y tram a hyblygrwydd y bws. Maen nhw wedi bod yn troi pennau yn Abertawe oherwydd eu golwg tra modern ers i waith ddechrau i'w gweithredu ar lwybr Gwasanaeth 4 rhwng Ysbyty Treforys ac Ysbyty Singleton (trwy Ganol Dinas Abertawe) ym mis Mehefin eleni.

Mae seilwaith helaeth ar y ffyrdd ynghyd â mesurau i flaenoriaethu bysys yn gefn i'r cerbydau ftrmetro hyn, ac yn golygu eu bod yn gallu mynd yn rhwydd drwy'r ddinas, gan gwtogi ar amserau teithio blaenorol dros y ddinas gan hyd at 10 munud.

Mae'r gwasanaeth hefyd yn rhoi cyfnewidfa ddi-dor â Gorsaf Reilffordd Abertawe o ochr orllewinol Canol y Ddinas, sy'n golygu bod ymwelwyr yn gallu newid yn gymharol rhwydd rhwng y trên a'r bws. Mae tocynnau integredig PlusBus yn gwneud y broses hyd yn oed yn haws i gwsmeriaid ar y rheilffyrdd. Mae'r cyswllt newydd â'r orsaf reilffordd yn hwyluso teithio i Stadiwm Liberty ac oddi yno am gemau pêl-droed a digwyddiadau arbennig i ymwelwyr y tu allan i'r ardal.

Wrth sôn am y prosiect, dywedodd Syr Moir Lockhead: "Mae Abertawe'r unfed ganrif ar hugain yn wynebu heriau mawr, fel nifer o ddinasoedd eraill yn y DU. Mae'n rhaid iddi ailddyfeisio ei hun o hyd, gan ddod o hyd i ffyrdd newydd ac arloesol o fynd i'r afael â bygythiadau tagfeydd a newid yn yr hinsawdd. Trwy ddatblygu rhwydwaith cludiant cadarn, sy'n annog pobl i ddefnyddio bysys yn lle ceir preifat, maer ddinas yn mynd i'r afael â'r problemau hyn go iawn.

"Mewn partneriaeth â Dinas a Sir Abertawe a Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, mae FirstGroup wedi cymryd camau i annog y newid moddol hwn. Mae'r ftrmetro yn cynnig y cyfle i gwsmeriaid deithio o un ochr y ddinas i'r llall mewn awyrgylch cyfforddus, gydag aerdymheru a seddi lledr, gan wibio heibio i draffig arall o ganlyniad i'r mesurau lluosog sydd yn eu lle i roi blaenoriaeth i fysys.

"Mae'n ddyddiau cynnar o hyd, ond mae ffigurau defnyddwyr yn unol â'r disgwyl, ac rydym yn disgwyl tyfiant pellach dros y misoedd nesaf wrth i fwy a mwy o bobl penderfynu teithio ar ftrmetro, yn hytrach na'r car."

Mae ftrmetro Abertawe'n becyn £14miliwn sy'n cael ei redeg gan First a Dinas a Sir Abertawe mewn partneriaeth. Mae'r seilwaith, sy'n costio amcangyfrif o £10miliwn, wedi'i gyllido gan Grant Trafnidiaeth Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, ac mae First wedi gwario tua £4miliwn yn prynu 10 cerbyd ftrmetro yn ogystal ag uwchraddio cyfleusterau parcio a pheirianneg ym mhrif swyddfa First Cymru yn Abertawe.

Wrth sôn am lansio'r fenter ftrmetro, dywedodd y Cynghorydd Alan Lloyd, Arglwydd Faer Abertawe: "Rydw i wrth fy modd i fod yma i lansio'r fenter ftrmetro yn swyddogol. Yr hyn sydd gyda ni nawr yw cludiant ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn Abertawe. Rydym wedi cofleidio dyfodol cludiant cyhoeddus a bydd effaith gadarnhaol a phellgyrhaeddol yn Abertawe am flynyddoedd yn sgil hynny."

Ychwanegodd Carwyn Jones, Cwnsler Cyffredinol Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru: "Mae cyllid Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru wedi'i fwriadu i gynorthwyo wrth gychwyn prosiectau arloesol fel hyn. Mae'n foddhaol iawn gweld y prosiect hwn yn dwyn ffrwyth. Mae mentrau fel hyn yn hanfodol o safbwynt ein hagenda cynaliadwyedd a lleihau allyriadau carbon. Gobeithio bydd pobl leol ac ymwelwyr i'r ardal ill dau yn cofleidio'r ftrmetro, ac yn gadael eu ceir gartref a theithio ar gludiant cyhoeddus yn lle hynny."

Mae tîm o ddeunaw 'peilot' wedi'u hyfforddi'n drylwyr i gymhwyso er mwyn gyrru'r ftrmetro. Roedd rhaid iddyn nhw ddysgu sut i ddelio â hyd ychwanegol y cerbyd, geometreg llywio cerbydau a llywio ar y ffyrdd cyn cael caniatâd i fynd ar y ffordd â theithwyr ar y cerbyd.

Mae un deg saith swydd wedi'u creu yn y tîm gwasanaethau cwsmeriaid er mwyn cynorthwyo cwsmeriaid a chasglu prisiau tocynnau. Mae'r tîm hwn wedi dysgu geiriau sylfaenol yn y Gymraeg, ynghyd â hanes a diwylliant sylfaenol Cymru, gan ddatblygu gwybodaeth drylwyr am gyfleusterau ac amwynderau Abertawe er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn barod i fynd i'r afael â'r rôl bwysig o ymdrin â chwsmeriaid.