Cardiff
United Kingdom ยท Transport for Wales (TfW) โ Welsh Government subsidiary, with Cardiff Council and Cardiff Capital Region Corporate Joint Committee as local partners
Cardiff is a fragmented but rapidly consolidating UK regional system: the 2024 Cardiff Bus Interchange and South Wales Metro have delivered a high-quality physical hub and increasing rail frequencies, while contactless EMV on both bus and rail is in place but not yet cross-mode integrated. Bus franchising under the 2025 Bus Services (Wales) Act and a planned Hitachi-built MaaS app will close the integration gap from 2026โ2029, but as of early 2026 ticketing, timed connections and MaaS micromobility remain notably behind best European practice.
How integrated public transport is โ quantitative reach and qualitative interchange combined
How easy it is to get around without a car. A separate measure, reported alongside the index.
How evenly distributed transit access is across the city
The 2024 Cardiff Bus Interchange offers step-free, weather-protected access with excellent accessibility features located 50 metres from Cardiff Central station, though some outer-city bus stops lack comparable wayfinding quality.
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- Signage7/10
- Mode distance7/10
- Physical experience8/10
Contactless payment works across bus and rail modes, but passengers cannot benefit from unified fares or transfer discounts because integrated capping and multimodal products remain under development.
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- Single platform / contactless5/10
- Interchange penalty absence3/10
- Multimodal products3/10
Traveline Cymru, TfW journey planner, Cardiff Bus app, Google Maps and Citymapper all cover Cardiff with real-time data, but the unified Hitachi-built MaaS app is still in development and the TfW app has UX issues.
Clock-face rail frequencies launch in 2026, but commercial buses lack timetable coordination with trains, no integrated pulse exists, micromobility closed in 2023, and eveningโweekend ticketing remains fragmented.
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- Timed connections4/10
- Off-peak integration5/10
- MaaS reach2/10